Initial Trends in MSP-Related Changes in Student Achievement With MIS Data

Abstract

This substudy in the evaluation design of the Math and Science Partnership (MSP) Program Evaluation investigates changes in student mathematics and science achievement across three school years, 2002–03, 2003–04, and 2004–05, for MSP-related schools using Management Information System data with the Annual K-12 District Survey. First, changes in percentages of students (at or above) proficient on state assessments in math and science were investigated by gender, ethnicity, special education, and students with limited English proficiency using schools for which data were available for all three years. The results indicated that MSP schools continued to show improvement in student math and science proficiency over the three-year period. Second, schools were examined by frequency and effect size of increase, decrease, or no change in student math and science proficiency from the “start” (2002–03) to the “end” (2004–05) of the period for this study. The schools with positive changes were in much higher numbers and higher mean effect size of change compared to schools with negative (or no) changes in student math and science proficiency. Third, the relationship between the schools' targeted teacher participation in MSP-related activities over the entire period of three years and the student math and science proficiency at the “end” year of this period (2004–05) was also investigated. It was found that this relationship was positive and significant for the elementary and high schools, but there was no evidence for its significance at the middle school level.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

This study is one in a series of substudies for the Math and Science Partnership Program Evaluation (MSP-PE) conducted for the National Science Foundation's MSP Program. The MSP-PE is conducted under Contract No. EHR-0456995. Since 2007, Bernice Anderson, Ed.D., Senior Advisor for Evaluation, Directorate for Education and Human Resources, has served as the National Science Foundation Program Officer. The author from George Mason University, is Dimiter M. Dimitrov.

The MSP-PE is led by COSMOS Corporation in current partnership with George Mason University (GMU) and Brown University. Robert K. Yin (COSMOS) serves as Principal Investigator and Jennifer Scherer (COSMOS) serves as one of three Co-Principal Investigators. Additional Co-Principal Investigators and their collaborating institutions (including discipline departments and math centers) are Patricia Moyer-Packenham (USU, formerly, GMU) and Kenneth Wong (Brown).

Notes

∗∗ p < .01