Systems, Suspensions, and Scores: Predicting Math Performance from Early School Experiences

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Wednesday 3:45pm
  In Poster Session: (Re)Defining and Operationalizing Research Historically and Contemporarily in Urban Spaces

Abstract

This study uses multigroup path analysis to examine how fourth-grade academic achievement, exclusionary school discipline, and socioeconomic status predict seventh-grade mathematics performance among Texas public school students. Grounded in Ecological Systems Theory, we explore how microsystem and mesosystem factors interact and differ across racial and ethnic groups. Drawing on a dataset of over 450,000 students, the study finds that early math and reading scores are strong predictors of later math success. Exclusionary discipline is negatively associated with performance, particularly for Black and Latino students. The findings highlight how early school experiences influence long-term academic outcomes and emphasize the need for equitable discipline policies and culturally responsive supports.

Authors

• Micayla Gooden, Texas A&M University

• Aminah Crawford, Texas A&M University

• Virginia S. Redwine Johnson, Texas A&M University