School closures during the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in substantial learning gaps in students' mathematical abilities. The problem was self-enrollment against teacher recommendation among Honors Algebra 2 students in 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students at a local high school. The purpose of the quantitative, quasi-experimental study was to determine what differences in course preparedness existed, and what differences in overall growth existed, between teacher-recommended (TR) and self-enrolled (SE) students in Honors Algebra 2 (HA2). There is a gap in the literature exploring the use of instructional technology to evaluate preparedness in honors math in high school. The theoretical frameworks for this study were the zone of proximal development (ZPD) and technology-mediated learning (TML). Differences in course preparedness and overall course growth between teacher-recommended and self-enrolled students in Honors Algebra 2 were examined in this study. It was hypothesized that teacher-recommended (TR) students would be better prepared and self-enrolled (SE) students would show more growth. A quasi-experimental design evaluated scores from the IXL real-time diagnostic of 9th through 11th grade Honors Algebra 2 students (n = 50, N = 230) at a private high school. Data from the IXL real-time diagnostic were retrieved from the course gradebook and analyzed using independent sample t-tests and Mann-Whitney tests. Analysis suggested that TR students were better prepared than SE students, but SE students did not demonstrate more growth. It is recommended that the enrollment policy should be changed to prevent students from enrolling beyond their ZPD. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]