ERIC Number: EJ1128640
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1940-4476
EISSN: N/A
Predicting Middle Level State Standardized Test Results Using Family and Community Demographic Data
Tienken, Christopher H.; Colella, Anthony; Angelillo, Christian; Fox, Meredith; McCahill, Kevin R.; Wolfe, Adam
RMLE Online: Research in Middle Level Education, v40 n1 2017
The use of standardized test results to drive school administrator evaluations pervades education policymaking in more than 40 states. However, the results of state standardized tests are strongly influenced by non-school factors. The models of best fit (n = 18) from this correlational, explanatory, longitudinal study predicted accurately the percentage of middle school students scoring proficient or above on the New Jersey state-mandated standardized tests in mathematics and language arts for grades 6--8 during the years 2010, 2011, and 2012 for 70% to 78% of the schools in the statewide samples (n = 292 to 311), using only family and community demographic variables from the U.S. Census. Just three demographic variables, (a) percentage of families in a community with income over $200,000 a year, (b) percentage of people in a community in poverty, and (c) percentage of people in a community with bachelor's degrees, predicted results accurately in 14/18 of the models. The findings suggest that state standardized test results are not as objective and transparent as advertised by state and federal department of education officials. Some middle level school administrators might be getting rewarded or punished based on factors that they do not influence.
Descriptors: Predictor Variables, Standardized Tests, Test Results, Models, Goodness of Fit, Correlation, Longitudinal Studies, Mathematics, Language Arts, Middle School Students, Student Evaluation, Data Analysis, Demography, Census Figures, Family Income, Advantaged, Poverty, Parent Background, Bachelors Degrees, Accuracy, Accountability, Educational Legislation, Federal Aid, Federal Legislation, Federal Programs, Regression (Statistics), Human Capital, Social Capital
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Middle Schools; Secondary Education; Junior High Schools; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New Jersey
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Race to the Top; No Child Left Behind Act 2001
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A