Document Type
Dissertation
Degree
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Major/Program
Curriculum and Instruction
First Advisor's Name
George E. O'Brien
First Advisor's Committee Title
Committee Chair
Second Advisor's Name
Sneh Gulati
Third Advisor's Name
Eric Brewe
Fourth Advisor's Name
Hilary Landorf
Keywords
FCAT, Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, PSAT, Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test, standardized testing, AP, Advanced Placement, course identification, STEM
Date of Defense
3-10-2014
Abstract
There is a national need to increase the STEM-related workforce. Among factors leading towards STEM careers include the number of advanced high school mathematics and science courses students complete. Florida’s enrollment patterns in STEM-related Advanced Placement (AP) courses, however, reveal that only a small percentage of students enroll into these classes. Therefore, screening tools are needed to find more students for these courses, who are academically ready, yet have not been identified.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which scores from a national standardized test, Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test/ National Merit Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), in conjunction with and compared to a state-mandated standardized test, Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), are related to selected AP exam performance in Seminole County Public Schools. An ex post facto correlational study was conducted using 6,189 student records from the 2010 - 2012 academic years.
Multiple regression analyses using simultaneous Full Model testing showed differential moderate to strong relationships between scores in eight of the nine AP courses (i.e., Biology, Environmental Science, Chemistry, Physics B, Physics C Electrical, Physics C Mechanical, Statistics, Calculus AB and BC) examined. For example, the significant unique contribution to overall variance in AP scores was a linear combination of PSAT Math (M), Critical Reading (CR) and FCAT Reading (R) for Biology and Environmental Science. Moderate relationships for Chemistry included a linear combination of PSAT M, W (Writing) and FCAT M; a combination of FCAT M and PSAT M was most significantly associated with Calculus AB performance.
These findings have implications for both research and practice. FCAT scores, in conjunction with PSAT scores, can potentially be used for specific STEM-related AP courses, as part of a systematic approach towards AP course identification and placement. For courses with moderate to strong relationships, validation studies and development of expectancy tables, which estimate the probability of successful performance on these AP exams, are recommended. Also, findings established a need to examine other related research issues including, but not limited to, extensive longitudinal studies and analyses of other available or prospective standardized test scores.
Identifier
FI14040855
Recommended Citation
Urbina, Josue N., "The Relationship between Selected Standardized Test Scores and Performance in Advanced Placement Math and Science Exams: Analyzing the Differential Effectiveness of Scores for Course Identification and Placement" (2014). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1208.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/1208
Included in
Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Gifted Education Commons, Science and Mathematics Education Commons, Science and Technology Studies Commons
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