ERIC Number: ED619406
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Dec
Pages: 16
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
STEM Pathways Student Academic Achievement Results for the 2014-15 School Year
Mueller, Dan
Wilder Research
A long-term goal of STEM Pathways is to increase student achievement in STEM subjects, especially among underrepresented groups such as those with low incomes, racial/ethnic minorities, and females. To take an initial look at the achievement of STEM Pathways students after the first year of program implementation, the author examined results in math, science, and reading from spring 2015 Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments, Series III (MCA-III). A quasi-experimental design was used to assess potential program effects on MCA test results of fourth- and fifth-graders attending Minneapolis public schools where STEM Pathways was implemented in 2014-15. This design included a comparison group of fourth- and fifth-graders attending other Minneapolis public schools. Propensity score analysis was used to statistically equalize the treatment and comparison groups on six characteristics: gender, race/ethnicity, free/reduced-price lunch eligibility, English Language Learner (ELL) status, Special Education status, and spring 2014 MCA-III math scores. Analyses were then conducted to determine whether spring 2015 MCA-III scores differed in math, science (5th grade only), and reading between the treatment and comparison group students. Results indicated that scores were very similar between the two groups for each of the tests in each grade. There was no statistically significant advantage for the treatment group on any of the tests in either grade. A weak but consistent pattern of MCA score differences in favor of the comparison group was found among white students and students ineligible for free or reduced-price lunch (higher-income students). That is, although mostly small and statistically non-significant, differences in favor of the comparison group were consistent across grades and type of test in these two demographic categories.
Descriptors: Career Pathways, STEM Education, Grade 4, Grade 5, Public Schools, Program Effectiveness, Student Characteristics, Mathematics Achievement, Science Achievement, Reading Achievement, Racial Differences, Ethnicity, Socioeconomic Status, Gender Differences, English Language Learners, Special Education
Wilder Research. Available from: Amherst H. Wilder Foundation. 451 Lexington Parkway North, Saint Paul, MN 55104. Tel: 651-280-2700; Fax: 651-280-3700; e-mail: research@wilder.org; Web site: http://www.wilder.org/Wilder-Research
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 4; Intermediate Grades; Grade 5; Middle Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, Wilder Research
Identifiers - Location: Minnesota (Minneapolis)
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A