Browsing by Author "Branch, Tershundrea"
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Item Differences in Mathematics and Reading College Readiness by Student Language Status and Economic Status: A Multiyear Statewide Investigation(2024-05) Calderón, Lidia Garza; Slate, John R; Hemmen, Janene W; Resilla, Clare A; Branch, TershundreaPurpose The purpose of this journal-ready dissertation was to determine the degree to which differences were present for Emergent Bilingual students and non-EmergentBilingual students in their performance on the Algebra I and English I End-of-Course exams and the degree to which Emergent Bilingual students who were economically disadvantaged and Emergent Bilingual students who were not economically disadvantaged differed in their performance on the Algebra I End-of-Course exam. All three studies were based on the three Grade Level Performance standards: Approaches Grade Level, Meets Grade Level, and Masters Grade Level. Because several school years of data were analyzed, the extent to which trends were resent were also addressed. Method A causal-comparative research design (Johnson & Christensen, 2020) was used in this multi-year analysis. Analyzed were archival data from the Texas Education Agency Public Education Information Management System for the 2018-2019, 2020-2021, and 2021-2022 school years. Findings With respect to language status, non-Emergent Bilingual students outperformed Emergent Bilingual students on the Algebra I and English I End-of-Course exams in all three school years for all Grade Level Performance standards. On the Algebra I End-of-Course exam the widest gap between Emergent Bilingual students and non-Emergent Bilingual students who did not meet any Grade Level Performance standard was during the first post-pandemic year. On the English I End-of-Course exam the widest gap between Emergent Bilingual students and non-Emergent Bilingual student who did not meet any Grade Level Performance standard was during the pre-pandemic year and first post-pandemic year which was the exactly the same percentage points. Regarding economic status, Emergent Bilingual students who were economically disadvantaged outperformed Emergent Bilingual students who were not economically disadvantaged in four out of nine comparisons. On the Algebra I End-of-Course exam, a higher percentage of Emergent Bilingual students who were economically disadvantaged met a Grade Level Performance Standard in the pre-pandemic year and the second post-pandemic year. Of note was the very low percentage of Emergent Bilingual students who met any Grade Level standard on the English I End-of-Course exam.Item Differences in Meeting College and Career Readiness in Mathematics as a Function of the District's Rural Setting: A Statewide Investigation(December 2023) Barrón, Carlos L; Slate, John R; Lunenburg, Frederick C; Hemmen, Janene W; Resilla, Clare; Branch, TershundreaThe purpose of this journal-ready dissertation was to determine the extent to which a rural school district setting was related to the performance on the College and Career Readiness standard in mathematics for African American boys, Hispanic boys, and girls in the State of Texas. In contrast to urban districts that tend to offer greater opportunities in advanced mathematics coursework, the relationships between a school district setting and enrollment in advanced mathematics coursework had not been explored to determine how African American boys, Hispanic boys, and girls performed in rural school districts across the state of Texas (i.e., Rural Remote, Rural Distant, and Rural Fringe). The research design in this journal-ready dissertation was a causal comparative design. Archival data were downloaded from the Texas Academic Performance Reports using a Public Information Request for the 2016-2017, 2017-2018, and 2018-2019 school years. Each data file for the 1,068 public school institutions had the total number of annual graduates, the percent of graduating girls meeting college ready, the percent of graduating Hispanic boys meeting college ready, and the percent of African American boys meeting college ready in mathematics. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all rural school district types combined and then separately. Inferential statistics were conducted, and no statistical significance were present across the three rural school district types across the 2016-2017, 2017-2018, and 2018-2019 school years. Observed in this investigation at least 70% of African American boys were not college ready in mathematics across all three school years in rural school settings. Of importance to this investigation, two-thirds of Hispanic boys who graduated from rural school districts in Texas were not college ready in mathematics even though the Hispanic community was the fastest growing community as reported in the 2020 US Census. Consequently, less than one-fifth of all high school female graduates in the State of Texas had not met a college ready indicator in mathematics in contrast to 55% of female graduates who were not college ready in mathematics when they graduated from one of the three rural type settings across the 2016-2017, 2017-2018, and 2018-2019 school years.Item EXAMINING THE PARTICIPATION AND SUCCESS RATES OF BLACK STUDENTS IN ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES: A TEXAS MULTIYEAR INVESTIGATION(December 2023) Davis, Courtney Nicole; Slate, John R; Resilla, Clare; Branch, Tershundrea; Lunenburg, Frederick C; Hemmen, Janene WPurpose The purpose of this traditional dissertation was to determine the participation rate of Black students in AP courses and to ascertain their success rates in all AP courses and in specific AP courses (i.e., English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science) across four school years, 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2019-2020, and 2020-2021 in the State of Texas from a Critical Race Theory perspective. Another purpose of this traditional dissertation was to ascertain the degree to which trends were present in the participation and success rates of Black students in all AP courses and specific AP courses (i.e., English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science) across three school years, 2017-2018, 2018-2019, and 2019-2020 in the State of Texas from a Critical Race Theory perspective. Method A quantitative, causal-comparative research design and Critical Race Theory were the tools used in this traditional dissertation. Black students AP participation rates and success rates were analyzed using Texas Annual Academic Performance Reports from the Texas Education Agency for all campuses in the State of Texas in all AP subjects and in specific AP subjects (i.e., English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science) across four school years (i.e., 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2019-2020, and 2020-2021). Critical Race Theory was the structure used to analyze past discriminatory practices and current barriers that present challenges toward improving the AP participation and success rates of Black students. Findings Black students are not successful on their AP exams at the same rate they are participating in the College Board’s AP program. The AP participation rates and the AP success rates of Black students decreased in all AP subjects, and specifically in AP English Language Arts courses, AP Mathematics courses, and AP Science courses between the 2017-2018 school year and the 2020-2021 school year. The average participation rates of Black students in AP English Language Arts and AP Science courses between the 2017-2018 school year and the 2020-2021 school year decreased by at least 3 percentage points. The participation rates of Black students in AP Mathematics courses were very consistent, but at rates below 10%. The average success rates of Black students in AP English Language Arts and AP Science courses between the four school years decreased by at least 2 percentage points.