Math Achievement Among Low-Income High School Students

• In Event: 31.091 - Roundtable Session 10
  In Roundtable Session: 31.091-10 - Assessment in Cross-Cultural Settings: Issues, Challenges, and Successes

Abstract

Research has demonstrated that students with stronger math skills are more likely to enroll in college and more likely to have better labor market outcomes. However, low-income students tend to exhibit lower math achievement than middle- and upper-income students. This study uses math assessment data collected from 17,798 public high school students, first in ninth grade and again in eleventh grade. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between low socioeconomic status and math ability when controlling for other student- and school-level factors. Results indicate significant differences exist in the math abilities of students living within 185 percent of the poverty line compared to students living beyond 185 percent of the poverty line.

Authors

• Randolph Adrian Ottem, Research Triangle Institute

• Laura Burns Fritch, Research Triangle Institute

• Jill Dever, Research Triangle Institute