This study investigates the effects of different high school scheduling practices on student achievement in Mississippi, considering school economic status as a covariate. Using a robust factorial ANOVA design, the research analyzes reading proficiency, math proficiency, and Mississippi Statewide Accountability System school performance scores…

The goal of this quantitative study is to determine if there is a significant difference in the reading proficiency rates for students with disabilities in districts utilizing the State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP) as evident by the scores from the English Language Arts portion of the Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP). This study…

Schools are tasked with ensuring that students with disabilities are educated within general education classrooms, alongside non-disabled peers, to the maximum extent possible. This study investigated the influence of classroom placement on academic achievement in reading and mathematics for a group of students with mild learning disabilities, who…

This study investigated the relationship between reading skills and math achievement among high school students in the Central Delta Areas of Mississippi. The data sources included Reading skills measured by English II Criterion Reference Test (CRT) scores and Algebra I CRT scores from the Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP) for the…

As advances in technology allowed national and state education assessments to be administered digitally, many school districts transitioned to computer-based instructional programs and assessments to improve student achievement and better prepare students for high-stakes computerized assessments. One such rural public school district in…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the effect of the yearly principal attrition rate on the state accountability ratings of 144 traditional public high schools in Mississippi from 2015-2019 and the proficiency rate of high school students in Mississippi in mathematics, reading, science, and history as evidenced on the…

A balanced assessment system is vital to the instructional process in all schools. This system includes both formative and summative assessment measures. Both assessments provide data that can inform curriculum design and the instructional process. The purpose of this study was to examine the predicative validity of formative diagnostic and…

Reading achievement has been a focus for many states since the Elementary and Secondary Act of 1965. Schools and districts are faced with the challenge of accurately identifying students that are in need of intervention before they take high stakes assessments in reading. The purpose of this study was to determine if the use of STAR Reading…

Literacy has become a major component of teaching and learning. Students must be taught early literacy skills in preschool and kindergarten to develop a foundation for literacy in later grades. Many states have adopted a literacy promotion assessment. This assessment requires third-grade students to take and pass a literacy-based promotion…

The purpose of this quasi-experimental, ex-post facto study was to determine through quantitative analysis of longitudinal data, the effects of homogeneous differentiation on reading achievement. Specifically, the study sought to determine the achievement differences in reading of students who were taught using a within-class grouping method or a…

The implementation of the Literacy-Based Promotion Act in Mississippi required third graders to prove mastery in reading before promotion to the fourth grade. This mixed model method of research investigated the achievement test scores of fourth and fifth grade students that were not accountable for passing the Third Grade Summative Reading…

Reading skills assessments have demonstrated that middle-grade Mississippi school children are on average two full grade levels or more below grade reading levels. This qualitative case study in one urban county Mississippi school district with decreasing literacy scores examined teachers' perceptions of evidence-based literacy instruction…

Each of the states bordering Mississippi invests large amounts of money in providing children with state-funded pre-k programs in their public schools. However, Mississippi falls behind these states and does not similarly invest in this effort to provide many of its children with the opportunity to attend state-funded pre-k programs. Because…

The low income and poverty-stricken areas of Mississippi have historically suffered from low-test scores, low graduation rates, and a high concentration of special education students. Additionally, poor, Black Mississippians have performed lower, have lower graduation rates, and score lower in college readiness than do students in the rest of the…

The purpose of this mixed-methods, action research study, with a convergent design, is to improve student literacy achievement within a Mississippi school district, through the exploration of reading volume, motivation, and family connections. This study uses qualitative and quantitative data to provide an in-depth look into the phenomenon of…