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How high school size configuration affects student achievement in the State of Florida

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Date Issued:
2014
Abstract/Description:
The study was conducted to determine if there were any statistically significant differences in student achievement as measured by the 10th-grade Reading and Mathematics Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) at the school level between the configurations of high schools, controlling for the percentage of minority population and SES. A total of 259 large public high schools within Florida were used in the study; 149 traditional schools and 110 large schools using small learning communities. Because prior researchers have indicated that the number of low SES students and the percentage of minority students can have an effect on student achievement, these covariates were controlled for in this study. There was a significant difference in the FCAT Mathematics scores of students based on school configuration. Those students who attended traditional high schools scored higher than those in the smaller learning communities. There was a similar finding in the FCAT Reading scores, but it was only marginally significant. The interaction between the percentage of the minority population and low SES population was also evaluated, but no significant interaction was found. A qualitative survey was also sent to administrators at schools who were involved in the study. In direct contradiction to the quantitative study results, the vast majority of respondents thought that the use of a small learning community would increase student achievement. With the advent of Common Core in Mathematics and Language Arts, this research lends itself to be expanded on a national level to determine if a larger sample size would yield the same or differing results.
Title: How high school size configuration affects student achievement in the State of Florida.
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Name(s): Morrison, Donald, Author
Murray, Kenneth, Committee Chair
Bai, Haiyan, Committee CoChair
Doherty, Walter, Committee Member
Kaplan, Jeffrey, Committee Member
University of Central Florida, Degree Grantor
Type of Resource: text
Date Issued: 2014
Publisher: University of Central Florida
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: The study was conducted to determine if there were any statistically significant differences in student achievement as measured by the 10th-grade Reading and Mathematics Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) at the school level between the configurations of high schools, controlling for the percentage of minority population and SES. A total of 259 large public high schools within Florida were used in the study; 149 traditional schools and 110 large schools using small learning communities. Because prior researchers have indicated that the number of low SES students and the percentage of minority students can have an effect on student achievement, these covariates were controlled for in this study. There was a significant difference in the FCAT Mathematics scores of students based on school configuration. Those students who attended traditional high schools scored higher than those in the smaller learning communities. There was a similar finding in the FCAT Reading scores, but it was only marginally significant. The interaction between the percentage of the minority population and low SES population was also evaluated, but no significant interaction was found. A qualitative survey was also sent to administrators at schools who were involved in the study. In direct contradiction to the quantitative study results, the vast majority of respondents thought that the use of a small learning community would increase student achievement. With the advent of Common Core in Mathematics and Language Arts, this research lends itself to be expanded on a national level to determine if a larger sample size would yield the same or differing results.
Identifier: CFE0005215 (IID), ucf:50631 (fedora)
Note(s): 2014-05-01
Ed.D.
Education and Human Performance, Educational and Human Sciences
Doctoral
This record was generated from author submitted information.
Subject(s): Student achievement -- Smalller learning community -- school size
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005215
Restrictions on Access: public 2014-05-15
Host Institution: UCF

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