Math Achievement Test Scores Research Articles

Nonsignificance of Sleep Relative to IQ and Neuropsychological Scores in Predicting Academic Achievement

The goal of the study was to determine the relative importance of sleep, IQ, neuropsychological, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) scores in predicting academic achievement. Objective overnight polysomnograph sleep scores, parent ratings of sleep problems, IQ, neuropsychological test scores, and parent ratings of ADHD were used to predict academic achievement in a general population sample of 412 elementary schoolchildren, 6 to 12 years of age with IQs of 71 to 147. Using stepwise linear regression analysis, IQ was the best single predictor of reading and math achievement test scores. The most powerful combined predictors of achievement were IQ and some of the neuropsychological test scores. Subjective parent-reported sleep problems and objective polysomnograph scores (apnea-hypopnea index, mean oxygen saturation and lowest saturation percentage during sleep, snoring frequency and severity, sleep latency, minutes to rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, arousal index, number of awakenings, sleep efficiency, and percentage of stage 1, 2, 3, 4, and REM sleep) did not contribute significantly more to the prediction of achievement. Children with and without sleep problems did not differ from each other in achievement. IQ, neuropsychological test scores, and ADHD ratings were all significantly related to achievement, but correlations between achievement and objective and subjective sleep scores were all nonsignificant. There may be individual children for whom sleep problems affect achievement, but for a large group of community children, sleep was not significantly related to academic functioning. In contrast, IQ and neuropsychological test scores were powerful predictors of achievement.

Effects of Nurse Home Visiting on Maternal and Child Functioning: Age-9 Follow-up of a Randomized Trial

Our goal was to test the effect of prenatal and infancy home visits by nurses on mothers' fertility and children's functioning 7 years after the program ended at child age 2. We conducted a randomized, controlled trial in a public system of obstetric and pediatric care. A total of 743 primarily black women <29 weeks' gestation, with previous live births and at least 2 sociodemographic risk characteristics (unmarried, <12 years of education, unemployed), were randomly assigned to receive nurse home visits or comparison services. Primary outcomes consisted of intervals between births of first and second children and number of children born per year; mothers' stability of relationships with partners and relationships with the biological father of the child; mothers' use of welfare, food stamps, and Medicaid; mothers' use of substances; mothers' arrests and incarcerations; and children's academic achievement, school conduct, and mental disorders. Secondary outcomes were the sequelae of subsequent pregnancies, women's employment, experience of domestic violence, and children's mortality. Nurse-visited women had longer intervals between births of first and second children, fewer cumulative subsequent births per year, and longer relationships with current partners. From birth through child age 9, nurse-visited women used welfare and food stamps for fewer months. Nurse-visited children born to mothers with low psychological resources, compared with control-group counterparts, had better grade-point averages and achievement test scores in math and reading in grades 1 through 3. Nurse-visited children, as a trend, were less likely to die from birth through age 9, an effect accounted for by deaths that were attributable to potentially preventable causes. By child age 9, the program reduced women's rates of subsequent births, increased the intervals between the births of first and second children, increased the stability of their relationships with partners, facilitated children's academic adjustment to elementary school, and seems to have reduced childhood mortality from preventable causes.

Gender and Mathematics Achievement in China and the United States

This study examines the relationship between gender and mathematics achievement among students in China and the United States, with an emphasis on the gender gap among mathematically talented students. The results show that in neither the US nor China are there gender differences in eighth grade math-achievement test scores. In China, there are no gender differences in mean college entrance examination math scores among high-school seniors, while in America, the mean SAT-Math score among male high-school seniors has been consistently higher than those of their female counterparts. In both the US and China, there are gender differences among the top math performers on college entrance examinations; boys are over-represented. The Chinese national mathematics curriculum, well-trained teachers, beliefs by students and their parents that academic achievement is more a product of effort than of natural ability, a gender-neutral parental expectation for children’s education, and generous family spending on the education of girls are suggested as possible factors underlying the comparable performance of the Chinese female and male students. The sorting system at Chinese secondary school level and a cultural stereotype favoring boys in mathematics are suggested as possible contributors to the math-achievement gender gap found among the top Chinese high school seniors.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS' EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES: THE EFFECTS OF PARTICIPATION ON ACHIEVEMENT AND TEACHERS' EVALUATIONS

ABSTRACT I use data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study to examine both the number and the types of extracurricular activities in which elementary school students participate and find significant differences in participation patterns by gender, race, and class. The number of activities in which students participate during kindergarten and first grade affects their gains in reading achievement test scores between first and third grade and third grade teachers' evaluations of mathematics skills, but does not affect gains in math achievement test scores or teachers' evaluations of language arts skills. Dance lessons, athletic activities, and art lessons, in particular, affect one or more of the dependent variables. With one exception, interactions of extracurricular activities with socioeconomic status show that less-privileged children benefit more from participation in activities than do more-privileged children, providing evidence against Bourdieu's theory of cultural capital and social reproduction.

Relationship of Surgical Approach to Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome

Two strategies for surgical management are used for infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), primary heart transplantation and the Norwood procedure. We sought to determine how these 2 surgical approaches influence neurodevelopmental outcomes at school age. A multicenter, cross-sectional study of neurodevelopmental outcomes among school-aged children (>8 years of age) with HLHS was undertaken between July 2003 and September 2004. Four centers enrolled 48 subjects, of whom 47 completed neuropsychologic testing. Twenty-six subjects (55%) had undergone the Norwood procedure and 21 (45%) had undergone transplantation, with an intention-to-treat analysis. The mean age at testing was 12.4 +/- 2.5 years. Evaluations included the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals, Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, and Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration. The mean neurocognitive test results were significantly below population normative values. The mean full-scale IQ for the entire cohort was 86 +/- 14. In a multivariate model, there was no association of surgical strategy with any measure of developmental outcome. A longer hospital stay, however, was associated significantly with lower verbal, performance, and full-scale IQ scores. Aortic valve atresia was associated with lower math achievement test scores. Neurodevelopmental deficits are prevalent among school-aged children with HLHS, regardless of surgical approach. Complications that result in prolonged hospitalization at the time of the initial operation are associated with neurodevelopmental status at school age.

Developmental and individual differences in pure numerical estimation.

The authors examined developmental and individual differences in pure numerical estimation, the type of estimation that depends solely on knowledge of numbers. Children between kindergarten and 4th grade were asked to solve 4 types of numerical estimation problems: computational, numerosity, measurement, and number line. In Experiment 1, kindergartners and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders were presented problems involving the numbers 0-100; in Experiment 2, 2nd and 4th graders were presented problems involving the numbers 0-1,000. Parallel developmental trends, involving increasing reliance on linear representations of numbers and decreasing reliance on logarithmic ones, emerged across different types of estimation. Consistent individual differences across tasks were also apparent, and all types of estimation skill were positively related to math achievement test scores. Implications for understanding of mathematics learning in general are discussed.

Foreign Language Study in Elementary Schools: Benefits and Implications for Achievement in Reading and Math

Educators and policy makers in many countries have been expressing concern about how to improve students’ achievement in reading and math. This article explores and proposes a solution: introduce or increase foreign language study in the elementary schools. Research has shown that foreign language study in the early elementary years improves cognitive abilities, positively influences achievement in other disciplines, and results in higher achievement test scores in reading and math. Successful foreign language programs for elementary schools include immersion, FLES, and FLEX programs.

The academic achievement of African American students during early adolescence: an examination of multiple risk, promotive, and protective factors.

This study examined the effects of multiple risk, promotive, and protective factors on three achievement-related measures (i.e., grade point average, number of absences, and math achievement test scores) for African American 7th-grade students (n = 837). There were 3 main findings. First, adolescents had lower grade point averages, more absences, and lower achievement test scores as their exposure to risk factors increased. Second, different promotive and protective factors emerged as significant contributors depending on the nature of the achievement-related outcome that was being assessed. Third, protective factors were identified whose effects were magnified in the presence of multiple risks. Results were discussed in light of the developmental tasks facing adolescents and the contexts in which youth exposed to multiple risks and their families live.

School Performance at Ten Years in Infants ≤ 31 Weeks' Gestational Age† 1263

The impact of prematurity on school performance was assessed in a 10 year prospective study of all 125 surviving infants ≤31 weeks' gestation born 7/1/85 to 6/30/86. Each preterm infant was matched at birth with a term infant for sex (57% male), race (86% Caucasian), and maternal age (25 ± 6 yr), education (12 ± 2 yr) and marital status (67% married). At 10 years, school performance was categorized for 120/125 preterm and 119/125 term children as either satisfactory (no grade retention, no special classroom help, normal achievement test scores in math, reading and spelling and teacher ratings of academic and intellectual functioning in the top 70% of peers) or poor (any above criteria not met). Preterm children were significantly less likely than term children to have satisfactory school performance (34% vs 61%, p<.001). Preterm children with satisfactory and poor school performance did not differ for neonatal variables including gestational age (28 ± 2 wk, both groups), severe IVH (5 vs 15%), BPD (34 vs 28%) or length of hospitalization (61 ±28 vs 67 ± 34 days). Preterm children reared in a stable family constellation (custodial make-up unchanged) and who experienced few moves were significantly more likely to have satisfactory school outcome: Table Preterm children with regular contact with both biological (or early adoptive) parents were twice as likely to have satisfactory school outcome (33/77, 43%) than were those with single parent contact (8/41, 20%; p<.01). The influence of family structure on school outcome was not significant for term children. In conclusion, while neonatal morbidities predict school outcome poorly, the family structure in which preterm children develop has a significant impact on school outcome at 10 years.

Academic underachievement in ADHD subtypes.

Although a relationship between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and academic underachievement has been widely reported, the nature of this relationship has not been specified. The present investigation addresses this relationship directly by comparing 24 students (20 males and 4 females) with ADHD and 20 students (15 males and 5 females) with attention-deficit disorder without hyperactivity (ADD/noH) referred to a university-based diagnostic clinic for comprehensive neuropsychological assessment. The students ranged in age from 6 years 0 months to 12 years 10 months. Consistent with previous reports, this study found that math achievement test scores for students with ADD/noH were significantly lower than those for students with ADHD. These findings support previous research suggesting the ADD/noH may represent a distinct ADD subtype. It is hypothesized that inattention interferes with students' ability to master abstract symbol systems, especially in the acquisition of basic arithmetic skills in the primary grades.

Increasing interest and achievement in mathematics through children's literature

This study was designed to test the hypothesis that using children's literature to teach mathematics concepts to kindergarten children improves their math achievement test scores, increases their interest in mathematics, and increases the number of times they use mathematical vocabulary during free play. The subjects consisted of 61 kindergarten children from two school districts in north-central Arkansas. The children were divided into experimental and control groups. The intervention was children's literature incorporated into the mathematics curriculum of the experimental group for 5 months. The control group used a traditional mathematics curriculum. Results from the Test of Early Mathematics Ability and the Metropolitan Readiness Test, and observations of vocabulary usage during free play, showed improvement in all three areas under study—achievement, interest, and vocabulary usage in mathematics.

A Meta-Analysis of the Relation between Class Size and Achievement

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of Indiana's project PRIME TIME on reading and math achievement test scores of second graders who had completed 2 years of a state-supported reduced-class-size program. PRIME TIME reduced class sizes in grades K-3. The results of 10 studies yielding a total of 24 comparisons (3,967 scores) of PRIME TIME (small) and pre-PRIME TIME (large) classes were combined using Fisher's inverse chi-square procedure. Large classes averaged 26.4 students and small classes averaged 19.1 students. The results of this meta-analysis were significant at the .001 level. 10 comparisons (1,148 scores) were combined in a second meta-analysis for a control group in which class size was not reduced, and these results were not significant. The effect size for the PRIME TIME group was .34 standard deviations. This suggests that PRIME TIME students had higher achievement in basic skills after 2 years than did their cohorts in larger classes and indicates that primary children learn more effectively in smaller classes.

Predicting School Failure and Assessing Early Intervention with High-Risk Children

This study focuses on school performance in a sample of 90 children identified at birth as being at high risk for school failure based on social and economic variables. The high-risk children were randomly assigned in infancy to preschool intervention or a control group. At kindergarten, children were again randomly assigned to a school-age intervention or a control group. In addition, a comparison group of average-risk peers was randomly selected from the same schools as the high-risk children. High-risk children experienced 3.8 times the rate of grade failure (50%) of their average-risk peers (13%). Educational intervention reduced the incidence of grade failure most successfully when delivered as both a preschool and a school-age program (16%). Achievement test scores in reading and math show a parallel beneficial effect from intervention. These data support the use of early intervention programs targeted to high-risk children as a means of reducing their rate of school failure.

Kindergarten screening results as predictors of academic achievement, potential, and placement in second grade

The ability of a battery of kindergarten screening measures to predict educationally relevant criteria was investigated. Subtest scores on The Vane Test of Language and The Vane Kindergarten Test administered at the beginning of kindergarten were examined and compared to the Metropolitan Achievement Test scores in reading and math, The Otis-Lennon School Ability Test index, and placement into special education or high achievement programs at the end of second grade. A weighted combination of subtests accurately predicted 77% of the children classified as special education students. The same battery also predicted 73% of the children who were classified as high-achieving students.

Perceptions of classroom environment and their relationship to children's mood, achievement, popularity and adjustment

This study examines relationships between: (a) teacher perception and (b) student-teacher convergence of perception of environment, and student mood, achievement, popularity and adjustment, for students in general and for "problem" (i.e., acting-out, anxious, and unpopular) subgroups. Subjects included 511 5th and 6th graders, and their 23 teachers, from 4 suburban schools. A short form of the Classroom Environment Scale (CES) was used to assess teacher and student perception of the classroom. Students also completed mood adjective checklists and peer sociometric ratings. Reading and math report card grades and achievement test scores were recorded for the school year, and teachers submitted adjustment ratings for all students. Since students and teachers saw their classrooms differently, the two perspectives were studied separately. The four CES scales, based on teacher perceptions and student-teacher convergence that best predicted positive mood, peer popularity and teacher rated adjustment were Involvement, Order and Organization, Affiliation, and Rule Clarity. Findings were directionally similar for the average class and problem students, though stronger for the latter.

The Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test as a Predictor of Academic Achievement

The purpose of this study was to investigate the predictive validity of the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test as it relates to achievement in reading and math. Fifty-one third grade pupils' reading and math achievement test scores were separated into top and bottom 27% and were compared with the Bender Gestalt test (BVMGT) scores. No significant differences were found for total Bender Gestalt test performance. Integration errors were significantly more prevalent in the low reading achievement groups. The validity of using the Bender Gestalt test as a predictor of reading and math achievement for regular third grade pupils was further challenged.