Document Type
Dissertation
Degree
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Major/Program
Curriculum and Instruction
First Advisor's Name
Leondard B. Bliss
First Advisor's Committee Title
Professor, Educational Statistics
Second Advisor's Name
Elizabeth Cramer
Second Advisor's Committee Title
Associate Professor, Special Education
Third Advisor's Name
Hilary Landorf
Third Advisor's Committee Title
Associate Professor, Social Studies Education
Fourth Advisor's Name
Kyle Perkins
Fourth Advisor's Committee Title
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Accreditation
Date of Defense
3-28-2014
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a relationship between pressure to perform on state mandated, high-stakes tests and the rate of student escape behavior defined as the number of school suspensions and absences. The state assigned grade of a school was used as a surrogate measure of pressure with the assumption that pressure increased as the school grade decreased.
Student attendance and suspension data were gathered from all 33 of the regular public high schools in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. The research questions were:
- Is the number of suspensions highest in the third quarter, when most FCAT preparation takes place for each of the 3 school years 2007-08 through 2009-10?
- How accurately does the high school’s grade predict the number of suspensions and number of absences during each of the 4 school years 2005-06 through
2008-09?
The research questions were answered using repeated measures analysis of variance for research question #1 and non-linear multiple regression for research question #2.
No significant difference could be found between the numbers of suspensions in each of the grading periods nor was there a relationship between the number of suspensions and school grade. A statistically significant relationship was found between student attendance and school grade. When plotted, this relationship was found to be quadratic in nature and formed a loose inverted U for each of the four years during which data were collected. This indicated that students in very high and very low performing schools had low levels of absences while those in the midlevel of the distribution of school performance (C schools) had the greatest rates of absence.
Identifying a relationship between the pressures associated with high stakes testing and student escape behavior suggests that it might be useful for building administrators to reevaluate test preparation activities and procedures being used in their building and to include anxiety reducing strategies. As a relationship was found, it sets the foundation for future studies to identify whether testing related activities are impacting some students emotionally and are causing unintended consequences of testing mandates.
Identifier
FI14040833
Recommended Citation
Molina, Ilia, "Investigation of Escape and Negative Student Behaviors Related to Florida State High Stakes Test Preparation in Miami-Dade County Public High Schools, having been approved in respect to style and intellectual content, is referred to you for judgment" (2014). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1186.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/1186
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