The Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT-4) is the latest iteration of a popular instrument that psychologists employ to assess academic achievement. The WIAT-4 authors make both pragmatic and measurement claims about the instrument. The pragmatic claims involve being useful for identifying individuals in certain academic achievement-related…

Enrollment in dual credit classes has increased over the last 10 years benefiting K-20 education and high school students in providing an opportunity to obtain college credits and increasing postsecondary education enrollment. The purpose of this study was to investigate the predictors of achievement through the lens of Social Cognitive Theory by…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between high school students' athletics participation, mediated by engagement, and their academic achievement. The study sought to determine if increased athletics participation, and a self-reported increased sense of engagement at school, resulted in higher SAT test scores for high school…

English Language Learner (EL) students in the district's two main bilingual programs (Transitional and Dual Language) are instructed in both English and Spanish. The relative amount of instruction in each language depends on both program and grade level. In the Transitional bilingual program, students receive primary language instruction for…

The Houston Independent School District offers two primary bilingual programs (transitional and dual language) for Spanish-speaking English learners (ELs). The relative amount of instruction in each language depends on both program and grade level. Students in the transitional bilingual program have the option of entering a "pre-exit…

This causal-comparative quantitative study compares mean scores on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) between Classical Christian schools and non-Classical Christian schools using data randomly selected from survey responses. The sample consisted of 4,486 mean scores from the 2003-2004 school year through 2012-2013. Welch's t-tests…

Meeting standardized test benchmarks is a challenge for elementary school students in Texas. The problem is that some elementary schools do not meet the performance standards of the fourth-grade STAAR state test average. Problem-based learning is a model used in schools to initiate problem-solving skills with a hands-on approach to real-world…

This is the technical appendix for the report "Gaining Momentum: Refining Corequisite Learning Support to Boost Student Success in the First Year and Beyond" which seeks to develop a body of actionable information about how to refine learning support, close equity gaps, and promote strong momentum toward success for community college…

As traditional teaching methods may fail to serve children with special needs, special education (SE) services aim to compensate for the shortcomings of conventional schooling. However, despite of numerous studies on the effectiveness of SE services, the influence of potential selection bias remains a real challenge, and only a few studies have…

The Houston Independent School District offers two different English as a Second Language (ESL) programs for language minority students. One of these is a Content-Based ESL (CBESL) program where ESL methodology is used to deliver English instruction across a variety of subject areas. The second is a Pullout ESL program (PO-ESL) where students…

The aim of this study was to measure the impact of the overall school facility condition for traditional Colorado elementary schools, according to Colorado's Facilities Conditions Index (FCI), on student achievement, as measured by the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP). Control variables included Special Education (SPED), English Language…

The focus of this dissertation was to explore the importance of high quality early education in later secondary education development, quantifying quality in early childhood education programs, and examining how teacher education contributes to quality of early childhood education programs. For phase I, early childhood education positively…

The "Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted/Talented Students" (Texas State Plan) represents the accountability plan for measuring the performance of districts in providing state-mandated services to students identified as gifted/talented (G/T). The State Board of Education approved revisions in July 2019. The Texas State Plan…

The academic achievement of individuals with autism spectrum disorder has received little attention from researchers despite the importance placed on this by schools, families and students with autism spectrum disorder. Investigating factors that lead to increased academic achievement thus would appear to be very important. A review of the…

According to Section 29.123 of the Texas Education Code, the "Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted/Talented Students" (G/T) forms the basis of program accountability for state-mandated services for G/T students. In the Houston Independent School District, G/T students were served through one of two program designs: Board-approved…