High School Mathematics Achievement for a Cohort of Students (2002 to 2005): Large-Scale Assessments and Math Coursework (click to download in PDF)
Carol S. Parke, Ph.D.
Duquesne University
This report describes mathematics achievement for a cohort of Pittsburgh Public School (PPS) students in grades 9, 10, and 11 across a three-year time period. Six indicators of mathematics performance were analyzed. One set of indicators includes scaled scores on three large-scale, standardized tests. The other set of indicators reflect mathematics coursework: a) grade point average for math, b) number of unique math courses taken, and c) type of math course taken (e.g., algebra 1, algebra 2, geometry, and advanced courses). Results are provided for all cohort students and by subgroups of gender, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity. Relationships among the indicators are also analyzed.
There are several interesting results described in the report. First, the indicators were examined for four subgroups of students classified by ethnicity and socioeconomic status: 1) black, free reduced lunch students, 2) black regular lunch students, 3) white, free/reduced lunch students, and white, regular lunch students. Results indicate that the pattern of math achievement for free/reduced lunch versus regular lunch students was the same for both ethnicities. In other words, there was a socioeconomic status achievement gap in the black subgroup as well as the white subgroup. This occurred for students’ scores on the three assessments, the type of math course taken, and the math grade point average.
Secondly, when examining math coursework, results showed that 36% of all students in the cohort took an advanced math course beyond algebra 1, geometry, and algebra 2. Percentages did not differ for male and female students. Within the black subgroup, a higher percentage of regular lunch (36%) compared to free/reduced lunch students (15%) took advanced courses, a gap of 21 percentage points. Within the white subgroup, the percentages were 51% and 24% respectively, a gap of 27 percentage points.
Another noteworthy result is in regard to the relationship between the state assessment (PSSA) and the other mathematics indicators. For this cohort of high school students, the scores on the 11th grade PSSA were significantly and strongly related to the other mathematics indicators, with the exception of the number of math courses taken. Students who scored high on standardized assessments administered in 9th and 10th grade tended to score high on the PSSA. Students who took advanced math courses tended to score high on the PSSA. Students with high grade point averages in math tended to score high on the PSSA.
These and other results are presented in detail in the report. It is intended to provide accessible, user-friendly data from multiple indicators of student achievement in mathematics. Each section includes tables or graphs followed by lists of bullets that provide brief interpretations of the data. An executive summary provides an overall description of results and suggests areas for further investigation to answer questions such as “why are the numbers showing what they show?”
High School Mathematics Achievement for a Cohort of Students (2002 to 2005): Large-Scale Assessments and Math Coursework (click to download in PDF)
Carol S. Parke, Ph.D.
Duquesne University
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