Differences in advanced course performance of Texas students as a function of their ethnicity/race and economic status: A multiyear, statewide investigation

The purpose of this journal-ready dissertation was to examine the extent to which ethnic/racial and economic status differences were present in the advanced course performance of Texas students. In the first article, the extent to which ethnic/racial (i.e., Asian, White, Hispanic, Black) differences existed in advanced course performance of Texas students was examined. In the second article, a descriptive analysis of mathematics and science advanced course taking was conducted, with an emphasis on student ethnicity/race (i.e., Asian, White, Hispanic, Black). In the third study, the advanced course taking performance of Texas students in poverty was determined. Lastly, the final purpose of this study was to ascertain the extent to which trends were present in each of the three articles. A quantitative, causal comparative, non-experimental research design (Creswell, 2013) was present in this study in which four years of Texas statewide data were analyzed. Archival data from the 2012-2013 to the 2015-2016 school year were obtained from the Texas Academic Performance Reports to determine the extent to which differences were present in the AP/IB performance of Texas high school students as a function of their ethnicity/race and their economic status (i.e., students in poverty and students not in poverty). Moreover, trends were determined in the percentages of high school students who had taken and who had scored at or above the criterion on an AP/IB exam. Results were remarkably congruent with results of previous research regarding the presence of large gaps in AP/IB exam course-taking and AP/IB exam performance among Asian, White, Hispanic, and Black students. Very low percentages of the four groups of students had completed an AP/IB exam. Statistically significant differences were present between students in poverty and students not in poverty who had taken and who had scored at or above the criterion on AP exams from the 2012-2013 through the 2015-2016 school year. Students in poverty had the lowest percentage, on average, of all students who had taken and who had scored at or above the criterion on an AP/IB exam. Implications and recommendations for future research were discussed.