Predicting Reading Performance by Texas Student Demographics Characteristics: A Statewide Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47134/ijsl.v1i3.31Keywords:
Economic Status, Ethnicity, English LearnerAbstract
Analyzed in this research study was the degree to which demographic characteristics (i.e., economic status, ethnicity/race, English Language Learner status) of Grade 3 students in Texas schools was related to their reading achievement as assessed by the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) Reading test. Archival data from the Texas Education Agency, Public Education Information Management System, were analyzed using a causal-comparative research design. Specifically examined was each of the variables listed above for 2015-2016, 2016-2017, 2017-2018, and 2018-2019 school years separately for boys and girls, followed by comparing these variables across the four school years. Statistically significant results were present in all four school years for boys and girls. In three of the four years analyzed regarding boys' performance, being Poor, Black, or Hispanic was indicative of not meeting the Meets Grade Level standard. In three of the four years investigated regarding girls' performance, being White or Asian was indicative of meeting the Meets Grade Level standard. Implications for policy and practice, as well as recommendations for future research, are provided.
Downloads
References
Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2010). Early warning! Why reading by the end of third-grade matters. Baltimore, MD: Leila Fiester.
Burney, Virginia H., & Beilke, Jayne R.(2008). The Constraints of Poverty
on High Achievement, Journal for the Education of the Gifted. Vol. 31, No. 3, 171–197. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4219/jeg-2008-771
Campbell, A. (2017). Teacher demographics and diversity challenges. Texas Association of School Board HR Services. Retrieved from https://www.tasb.org/services/hr-services/hrx/recruiting-and-hiring/teacher-demographics-and-diversity-challenges.aspx.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
David, K. A., & Marchant, G. J. (2015). Achievement gaps in the United States: Race, poverty, and interactions over ten years. The International Journal of Assessment and Evaluation, 22(4), 1-15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18848/2327-7920/CGP/v22i04/48378
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015, Pub. L. No. 114-95 Stat. 1177 (2015).
Hamilton, H. A., & Slate, J. R. (2019). Differences in Grade 3 reading by the economic status of students of color: Much cause for concern. Asian Journal of Interdisciplinary Research, 2(4), 97-104. https://doi.org/10.34256/ajir19410
Harris, L. (2018). Differences in the reading performance of Texas Grade 4 students as a function of economic status, gender, and ethnicity/race: A multi-year statewide study. Doctoral Dissertation, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX.
Hernandez, D. J. (2011). Double jeopardy:How third-grade reading skills and poverty influence high school graduation (NICHD, R24 HD044943). Retrieved from The Annie E. Casey Foundation website: https://www.aecf.org/resources/double-jeopardy/
Horbec, D. (2012). The link between reading and academic success. English in Australia, 47(2), 58-67. Retrieved from https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=739383174235983;res=IELHSS
Johnson, R. B., & Christensen, L. B. (2017). Educational research: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed approaches (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Korbey, H. (2019). Mindshift guide to understanding dyslexia. KQED, 1-41. Retrieved from https://kqed-org-assets.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/Mindshift-Guide-to-Understanding-Dyslexia.pdf
Lambert, Z. V., & Durand, R. M. (1975). Some precautions in using canonical analysis. Journal of Market Research, XII, 468-475.
McGown, J. A. (2016). Differences in reading performance of Texas elementary school students as a function of economic status, gender, and ethnicity/race: A multi-year statewide study. Doctoral Dissertation, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX.
Muniz, J. (2019). Culturally responsive teaching. New America. Retrieved from https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/reports/culturally-responsive-teaching/
Nichols, S. L., Glass, G. V., & Berliner, D. C. (2012). High-stakes testing and student achievement: Updated analyses with NAEP data. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 20(20), 1-30. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.v20n20.
Reardon, S., Valentino, R., & Shores, K. (2012). Patterns of literacy among U.S. students. Future of Children, 22(2), 17-37. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/foc.2012.0015
Pariseau, M. (2019). Differences in reading as a function of the economic status, ethnicity/race, and English Language Learner status of Texas Grade 4 boys and girls in special education: A multi-year statewide investigation. Doctoral Dissertation, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX.
Polat, N., Zarecky-Hodge, A., & Schreiber, J. B. (2016). Academic growth trajectories of ELLs in NAEP data: The case of fourth- and eighth-grade ELLs and non-ELLs on mathematics and reading tests. The Journal of Educational Research, 109(5), 541-553. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2014.993461
Reilly, D., Neumann, D. L., & Andrews, G. (2019). Gender differences in reading and writing achievement: Evidence from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). American Psychologist, 74(4), 445-458. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000356
Robinson, J. P., & Lubienski, S. T. (2011). The development of gender achievement gaps in mathematics and reading during elementary and middle school: Examining direct cognitive assessments and teacher ratings. American Educational Research Journal, 48(2), 268-302. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831210372249
Rojas-LeBouef, A. M. (2010). Differences in the reading and math achievement among students who are Hispanic, Limited English Proficient, or White: A multi-year study. Doctoral Dissertation, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX.
Schleeter, G. D. (2017). Differences in the reading achievement of Texas Grade 3 English Language Learners as a function of their economic status, ethnicity/race, and gender: A multi-year statewide study. Doctoral Dissertation, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX.
Slate, J. R., & Rojas-LeBouef, A. (2011). Calculating advanced statistics: Part II. Rice University, Houston, TX: Connexions.
Texas Assessment. (2019). All about the STAAR test. Retrieved from https://texasassessment.com/families/all-about-the-staar-test/
Texas Education Agency. (2016). 2016 Accountability FAQ. Retrieved from https://tea.texas.gov/student-testing-and-accountability/accountability/state-accountability/performance-reporting/2016-3
Texas Education Agency. (2017). STAAR performance labels and policy definitions. Retrieved from https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/STAAR_Performance_Labels_and_Policy_Definitions.pdf
Texas Education Agency. (2019a). Appendix F Supplemental Information for Reporting Ethnicity and Race Data Reporting. Retrieved from http://castro.tea.state.tx.us/tsds/teds/2020F/teds-appF.pdf
Texas Education Agency. (2019b). Enrollment in Texas Public Schools. Retrieved from https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/enroll_2018-19.pdf
Texas Education Agency. (2019c). Statewide summary reports. Retrieved from https://tea.texas.gov/Student_Testing_and_Accountability/Testing/State_of_Texas_Assessments_of_Academic_Readiness/STAAR_Statewide_Summary_Reports.
Texas Education Code. (2018). Definitions. Retrieved from http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter089/ch089bb.html
The Nation’s Report Card. (2019). State student group scores. Retrieved from https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading/states/groups?grade=4
Waldfogel, J. (2012). The role of out-of-school factors in the literacy problem. The Future of Children,22(2), 39-54. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/23317410.
