Differences in Student Participation and Performance in Advanced Coursework as a Function of Economic Status
Examined in this investigation was the relationship of student economic status with the completion of advanced coursework for Texas high school students in the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 school years. Also analyzed was the relationship of student economic status with scoring above the state-specified criterion on advanced coursework examinations for the same school years. Using statewide data on all Texas high schools available from the Texas Academic Performance Reports, inferential statistical procedures revealed the presence of statistically significant differences. The percentage of students in poverty who completed advanced coursework in both school years was statistically significantly lower than all Texas students who completed advanced coursework. Similarly, fewer students in poverty scored above criterion on advanced coursework examinations. Implications of the findings were provided, along with suggestions for further research.
