Search

Logical predictions about relationships between school aptitude and standardized achievement, aptitude and teachers' grades, and teachers' grades and standardized achievement can be made from the literature. These predictions are that (1) conventional school aptitude measures should predict standardized achievement test scores equally well for boys and girls but better for advantaged than disadvantaged children; (2) teachers' marks are more accurate for girls than for boys when judged against the sexes' standardized achievement test scores; are more accurate for middle-class than for disadvantaged children; and are least accurate for disadvantaged black males; and (3) teachers consistently give girls higher grades than boys but there are no important differences between boys' and girls' achievement when measured by standard achievement tests. The present study was conducted to test the strength of the relationships between pupil aptitude, standardized achievement and teachers' grades and to determine the percent of variance in grade point average accounted for by aptitude and standardized achievement in a representative sample of fifth- and ninth-grade Mexican-American, Black and Anglo students. (Author/RC)

Presented is the final report of Project CHILD, a research effort to develop and validate screening procedures for the identification of language disabled (LD) children, three intervention models for LD children, and a competency based teacher education model. In the two phases of the first study, a battery of screening tests was evaluated with a total of approximately 8,400 elementary grade children. Results led to the recommendation of the LD Screen-Pupil Behavior and LD Screen-Syllabication instruments as efficient screening tests. In the second study, on intervention models, the effectiveness with 210 LD children in 18 classrooms of the following three models was compared: Alphabetic, Phonetic, Structured Linguistic (APSL); Programed Instruction; and Individually Prescribed Program. Results indicated that the APSL approach was slightly more effective with low achieving students and that students in all three programs had positive attitudes. In the final study, a performance based staff development program was evaluated with 14 resource teachers and three regular teachers. Results showed that LD children taught by the teachers in the experimental staff development program demonstrated higher academic achievement and more positive attitudes than students of teachers in the control group. (DB)

The expansion and increasing popularity of Advanced Placement (AP) programs have led to a new and significant trend: students are taking AP courses earlier in their high school journey, with a notable increase in enrollment among freshmen and sophomores. This study examines the effects of early engagement in AP courses for students deemed "academically underprepared", as indicated by their previous standardized test scores in reading and mathematics. By examining "academically underprepared" students transitioning from public middle schools to public high schools in Texas, this research challenges the prevailing assumption that early AP involvement is less advantageous for students with lower prior test scores. The goal is to understand whether early participation in AP courses might contribute to greater educational equity and enhancement, providing perspectives on how AP involvement can improve academic success and readiness for college among students often considered underprepared. This research not only reassesses conventional measures of academic readiness but also seeks to highlight the AP program's potential as a tool for educational advancement and equity.

There's a rise in the employment of uncertified teachers, driven by acute staffing shortages and the flexibility offered by Texas' District of Innovation plans. This reliance on uncertified educators is raising alarms among educators and policymakers alike. Concerns are mounting over whether these teachers, often entering the classroom having never worked in public schools, are equipped to meet the demands of today's classrooms. This brief presents new evidence showing that uncertified teachers are linked to declines in student achievement. The study examines the prevalence, backgrounds, and impacts of uncertified teachers on student achievement and draws attention to significant differences within this diverse group of educators. As schools continue to hire uncertified teachers to address staffing shortages, knowing the backgrounds of these teachers and how they shape student achievement helps stakeholders prioritize transition points, such as hiring individuals with previous classroom experience in non-teaching roles. This brief outlines findings from the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years and provides recommendations for policymakers and stakeholder groups.

Research for Action (RFA) in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin is engaged in a five-year mixed-methods study of the reforms associated with California AB 705. Over the course of the study, our team will assess the implementation, impact, and cost effectiveness of reforms associated with the law. This second interim report, presented at the conclusion of year three of the study, focuses on gaining a deeper understanding of on-campus implementation through a faculty survey administered to math and English departments across our study sample, an Interrupted Time Series analysis with nine cohorts of FTIC student data, and preliminary data collection for our cost effectiveness study. Collectively, these data highlight significant changes that colleges have made on campus regarding shifting enrollments from developmental education into transfer-level coursework in both English and math, and providing additional supports to students to promote retention and completion. We find that AB 705 has demonstrated notable successes in improving enrollment and completion rates in transfer-level courses, particularly in math, among FTIC students in California's community colleges. While our survey results suggest that faculty believe additional resources and supports would be helpful, most faculty report that implementation supports have been adequate.

Across the U.S., the number of youths who experience homelessness is increasing. The increase of youth homelessness is growing most rapidly for Black and Hispanic students and is occurring in both small and large states. In Texas, one of the states with the largest population of students experiencing homelessness, its youth homeless population is more than six times the national average. This research has examined the longitudinal and disaggregated impacts of homelessness on youth by race and ethnicity, specifically during the critical transition from high school to college. The purpose of this study is to examine the transition of graduating seniors who experience homelessness and their enrollment in college. To achieve this purpose, this brief addresses the following research questions in this study: (1) How do high school graduation rates vary across students based on their homeless status, race/ethnicity, and their interaction in Texas?; (2) Among high school graduates, to what extent does homelessness by race impact students' college enrollment for Black and Hispanic students in Texas?; and (3) Among students experiencing homelessness, how does the likelihood of high school graduation and college enrollment for Black and Hispanic students compare to that of White students in Texas?

This study addresses the burgeoning phenomenon of fully online alternative teacher certification programs (ACPs). In Texas where most teachers are prepared via ACPs, our research zeroes in on the proportion of teachers who are prepared fully online and the relative effectiveness of teacher preparation programs on student achievement and teacher retention. Using statewide longitudinal data from 2014-2023, our findings show that 1 in 4 of Texas students are being taught by teachers prepared fully online Students taught by teachers prepared online exhibit comparable levels of achievement to those taught by uncertified teachers, underperforming compared to students taught by teachers from other preparation pathways. Moreover, these teachers exhibit a markedly higher turnover rate. This study contributes to the ongoing discourse on teacher preparation quality, offering insights for policymakers and stakeholders.

This is the technical appendix for the report "From Insights to Impact: Fostering Innovation through Texas" which examines the current national landscape of higher education research and development to help gauge Texas' current position and identify opportunities to drive further innovations into the future. This appendix includes the following sections: (1) Maintaining Texas' Edge; (2) From Roadmap to Reality; (3) Texas' Competitive Position; (4) Technology Transfer Landscape; and (5) Amplifying the Impact. [This report was produced with TIP Strategies, Inc. and Research Bridge Partners.]

Research for Action (RFA) in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin is engaged in a five-year mixed-methods study of the reforms associated with California AB 705. Over the course of the study, our team will assess the implementation, impact, and cost effectiveness of reforms associated with the law. This report first offers a descriptive quantitative analysis of short-term outcome (enrollment and completion) trends in math and English at the state level. This descriptive analysis examines the relationship between AB 705 and course enrollment and completion, which will serve as the basis for the quasi-experimental study in subsequent project years. The second part of the report presents findings from institutional site visits aimed at understanding how institutions have implemented the reforms, who is involved in implementation, and how implementation is experienced by students.

Policymakers and educational leaders across state and federal agencies have invested considerable effort in identifying how schools can both mitigate and exacerbate student absenteeism. Despite extensive research into school-level characteristics and programs, there remains a notable gap in understanding the impact of classroom-level factors on absenteeism. This study investigates how classmates' absences impact student absenteeism in four Texas school districts, analyzing both in-person and virtual contexts. Using a novel approach that accounts for day-to-day attendance variation, findings indicate that in-person absenteeism among peers significantly increases a student's absenteeism, with effects lasting up to three days, regardless of achievement levels. However, virtual absenteeism showed no similar impact, highlighting distinct absenteeism dynamics in virtual environments. Amid COVID-19 disruptions, this underscores the need for interventions addressing absenteeism across varied learning settings, offering insights for policymakers and educators in navigating the challenges of both physical and virtual classroom dynamics.

Each year as tuition costs increase, more students rely on financial aid to attend institutions of higher education. Financial aid packages, which are created to encourage individual investments in education, consist of a variety of types of funding assistance and aid packages, and are highly tailored to individual students. In general, financial aid includes need- based grants, merit-based awards, and subsidized loans. A mix of federal, state and local governments, as well as private organizations, finance these programs and many are contingent on student actions or characteristics. The ramifications of the diversity of funding programs within aid packages has received little attention from policy makers. This is unfortunate because certain programs may have behavioral consequences for students beyond decreasing the cost of attendance. For example, federal work- study funding provides funds to students conditional on their commitment to working while in school. This job and time requirement may affect student performance in positive or negative ways. Analyzing the efficacy of the federal work-study program is important because it may have adverse effects on student outcomes if working involves a substantial time trade-off with time spent learning. At the same time, working while in school may provide a means for students to gain knowledge and skills that reinforce their academic experience and prepare them for success in academics and the labor market.

In 2018, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) launched a strategic competitive grant program aimed at supporting Local Education Agencies (LEA) in achieving Math Innovation Zone (MIZ) designation. This initiative's primary focus is to increase PreK - 8th grade math proficiency levels through the implementation of a blended learning model in math classrooms. Blended learning is a data-driven pedagogical technique that integrates specialized adaptive software with traditional in-person teaching. This software enhances a teachers' capacity to promptly evaluate student comprehension of content in real-time during the learning process, which enables the teacher to deliver targeted interventions and extensions as necessary. Coupled with direct teacher instruction and peer collaboration, blended learning empowers students to engage in their own learning process by increasing student agency. This policy brief explores the relationship between MIZ implementation and student achievement, concentrating on the second implementation cohort. This cohort who began blended learning implementation in 2019, is particularly significant due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in spring of 2020. It highlights how the initiative adapted and influenced education during a challenging period. Examining the influence of the blended learning initiative, despite the crisis, provides valuable insight for educational stakeholders.

Math Innovation Zones (MIZ) is a strategic grant initiative first introduced by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) in 2018. A novel state-initiative aimed at increasing PreK - 8th grade math proficiency, the highly competitive grant program provides funding to both Texas school districts and open enrollment charter schools using allocations through Rider 41, in the General Appropriations Act, to develop and foster student math skills using an innovative research-based blended learning model. TEA is responsible for oversight of the program, identifying and vetting curriculum providers, and providing an accountability system that requires stakeholders to demonstrate implementation fidelity. Each year since inception, MIZ has provided funding for a cohort of Local Education Agencies (LEA) to pursue state MIZ designation through a four-year process of strategic planning, effective implementation, gradual scaling, and sustainable maintenance of the blended learning model. Aimed at promoting math achievement, the main objective of the initiative is to enhance student performance in math, particularly ensuring student readiness for 8th grade Algebra I which increases access to advanced STEM and CTE courses in high school, while promoting the capacity for long term program sustainability in school districts using a blended learning model.

In 2018, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) introduced a competitive grant program designed to assist Local Education Agencies (LEA) in attaining Math Innovation Zone (MIZ) designation through a four-year process which ensures program fidelity. The primary objective of this initiative is to enhance math proficiency levels for PreK - 8th grade students through the implementation of a blended learning model in math classrooms. Blended learning (BL), recognized for its data-driven pedagogical approach, integrates specialized adaptive software with traditional in-person teaching. This combination equips teachers with the capability to promptly assess student comprehension in real-time during the learning progress, enabling them to deliver tailored interventions and extensions as needed to each student. The incorporation of direct teacher instruction and peer collaboration of traditional in-person teaching along with adaptive software providing a formative and self-assessment component for students in the blended learning approach empowers students, fostering active engagement and increased agency in their learning journey. This policy brief presents a case study of a BL district in Texas. We analyze data from both before the implementation of the blended learning model through four years thereafter. Additionally, we assess whether more students are adequately prepared for enrolling in Algebra I in 8th grade, a key objective of the blended learning program. The focus on a single school district allowed for a nuanced examination, enabling a clearer understanding of the impacts when comparing BL campuses to non-BL campuses within the same district.

Higher education institutions play an essential role in Texas' global economic competitiveness. They provide the talent and innovation that gives the state its competitive edge. The COVID-19 vaccine, ethernet, plasma screens, and e-readers are just a few of the thousands of ideas that were born out of U.S. universities. These innovations have fundamentally changed the way people live. It is increasingly clear, however, that these breakthroughs cannot happen without robust supports designed to grow, advance, and translate ideas into successful commercial products. This report examines the current national landscape of higher education research and development to help gauge the state's current position and identify opportunities to drive further innovations into the future.

This annual report provides information for the 2022-23 school year on grade-level retention and student performance in the Texas public school system. Student retention and promotion data are reported with data on the performance of students in Grades 3-8 on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) reading language arts and mathematics tests.

In 2019, the Texas legislature passed a historic education finance bill that included an initiative to add up to 30 days to the school-year calendar. One way districts can do this is to offer a voluntary summer learning program. In 2020, the American Institutes for Research, with support from The Wallace Foundation, launched the six-year Texas Summer Learning Study in collaboration with the state education agency and its partners. This brief highlights findings from the first 4 years of the 6-year study. The goal is to elevate lessons learned about how state policies and supports--such as those in Texas--can facilitate local education agencies' (LEAs') design and implementation of evidence-based summer learning programs and also to describe what the implementation of those evidence-based programs looks like at the local level. Researchers conducted interviews with and administered surveys to staff at more than 60 local education agencies, interviewed the Texas Education Agency and its partners, analyzed program administrative data, reviewed planning tools and resources, and observed programming in a sample of districts. With the support of a competitive grant program, districts developed comprehensive strategic plans for their summer programs that incorporated 10 research-based design principles. Early findings suggest that districts adopt these principles more frequently, consistently, or with greater fidelity to the evidence when they are required or strongly encouraged by the state.

This report presents Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) examination participation and performance results in Texas public schools for the 2022-23 school year. Data are provided by student characteristics, including race/ethnicity; gender; and economic, at-risk, dyslexia, Emergent bilingual student/English learner, foster care, homeless, immigrant, migrant, and military-connected statuses. Data also are provided by participation in bilingual education or English as a second language, career and technical education, gifted and talented, Section 504, special education, and Title I programs.

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) prepares an annual report on graduates and dropouts in Texas public secondary schools. This report includes state summaries of the annual dropout rate, longitudinal graduation and dropout rates, and state attrition rates. In addition to statewide statistics, the report provides historical information about dropout policy in Texas and the evolution of the dropout definition used for accountability purposes. Common methods of measuring student progress through school are discussed, along with advantages and disadvantages associated with each measure. Extensive background information on TEA data collection, processing, and reporting is presented, and national requirements for dropout data are described.

This report provides information on enrollment in the Texas public school system from the 2013-14 through 2023-24 school years, based on data collected through the Texas Student Data System. Enrollment data are provided by grade, race/ethnicity, gender, and economically disadvantaged status, and for instructional programs, nontraditional school models, and special populations. Data also are reported by education service center region and for state- and district-authorized charter school campuses. [For "Enrollment in Texas Public Schools, 2022-23," see ED631758.]