Date of Award
2004
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Education
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate how third grade Mexican American language deficient students performed on the Indiana Statewide Test forEducational Progress (ISTEP) exam with a bilingual bicultural curriculum as compared to third grade Mexican American students in a monolingual curriculum. The eighty-eight students in the study attended Benjamin Franklin Elementary School in East Chicago, Indiana during the years 1999 through 2001. English and math ISTEP scores were collected from third grade teachers. The research determined the statistical difference of student scores as influenced by four independent factors: (1) curriculum placement, (2) students' first language, (3) mother'sEducation level, and (4) head of household. The use of a 2 (curriculum) x 2 (first language) x 2 (mother'sEducation) x 2 (head of household) analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to test the null hypotheses. In the area of English, significant differences were found on the factors of curriculum placement, student's first language, and head of household number. No significant differences were found between the various combinations of interactions of the four independent factors. In the area of math, significant differences were found on the factors of curriculum placement, student's first language, head of household number, and mother'sEducation level. Significant differences were found between the various combinations of interactions between the four independent factors. The results of this study should be of interest to district and school level administrators, as the Hispanic population has now become the largest minority in the United States according to the 2000 U.S. Census. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 ties federal funding to student performance on standardized tests. To assure accountability for all students, schools must report achievement scores for various subgroups, to include limited English proficiency, race, ethnicity, and language group. Schools that do not show progress in the area of student achievement over two consecutive years will face a range of consequences. The data suggests that language deficient students provided with a support system to learn a second language can have success on the Indiana Statewide Test forEducational Progress exam and similar standardized tests.
Recommended Citation
Abrego, Javier Manuel, "A Study Of The Performance Of Third-Grade Mexican American Students On The Indiana Statewide Test ForEducational Progress" (2004). All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 940.
https://scholars.indianastate.edu/etds/940