Secondary student achievement, particularly in science, related to school size, student socio-economic status, per pupil expenditures, student mobility rate, and percentage of non-white students: A modified best-evidence synthesis

2018 IJRSE – Volume 7 Issue 3

Author/s:

Barton, Jerrod
Texas A&M University, USA (jbarton@rma.tx.org)

Irby, Beverly J.*
Texas A&M University, USA (irbyb@tamu.edu)

Tong, Fuhui
Texas A&M University, USA (Fuhuitong@tamu.edu)

Torres, Mario
Texas A&M University, USA (mstorres@tamu.edu)

Sandlin, Judy
Texas A&M University, USA (jrsandlin@tamu.edu)

Abstract:

The purpose of this study was to conduct a best evidence synthesis of secondary student achievement and science and as related to school size, student socio-economic status, per pupil expenditures, student mobility rate, and percentage of non-White students. Due to the lack of studies inclusive of any, a combination of, or all of those variables, we modified the best evidence process to include student achievement, encompassing of science as available, on standardized tests in U.S. schools. We determined this topic to be important for a number of reasons (a) the focus on science instruction over the years with changes in policies nationally and (b) the emphasis in Texas, in particular, on the biology exam which is a high stakes assessment (one of five exams needed to be passed in order to exit high school). In this paper, we share first the background of the study, the review methods, the results, and a discussion for further study.

Keywords: secondary student achievement; biology; state exams; economic status; mobility rate; per pupil expenditure

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2017.1775

*Corresponding Author