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Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Charles E. Heerman / This statewide study examined the relationship between building income level and performance level percentage distribution, using 502 schools that earned a 2005-06 Kansas Standard of Excellence (SOE) building-wide award for reading or math. It originated from the premise that excellence is excellence, no matter the setting or income level of a school. A new baseline of data began in 2005-06 due to changes in the Kansas assessments, including more grades being tested than in previous years. The much larger database more accurately reflected the achievement of low-income students in Kansas. Decades of literature were reviewed, addressing influences on the development of Kansas standards, assessments, and the SOE award; the lifelong significance of income levels and achievement; high achievement for low-income students; and the pursuit of excellence through equitable educational reform. For purposes of this study, SOE schools were sorted into six designated types of buildings based on percentages of students eligible for free and reduced lunches, assessed grade levels, and SOE subject award. Results were reported using aggregate building groups as the unit of analysis. A two-way, repeated-measures, mixed design ANOVA general linear model served as an appropriate method to examine means for significant differences. Low-income SOE schools were noticeably fewer than medium- or high-income schools, especially at the senior high level. Three types of buildings showed some significant mean differences, but generally income did not appear to be a major factor. High-income buildings appeared to have a slight advantage; in the Exemplary category, high-income buildings outperformed the others; in the lower performance categories, high-income buildings had significantly lower means. The mean differences for high-income middle school/junior high buildings showed mainly moderate to large differences; other significant differences were rated as small to moderate. SOE schools of a given educational level and of varying income levels generally had similar performance scores in most of the performance level categories. Overall, major differences in performances were not evident among the different income levels of SOE buildings.

The focus of this research was to investigate the use of a district created formative benchmark assessment in reading to predict student achievement for 10th-grade students on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) in one county in north central Florida. The purpose of the study was to provide information to high school principals and teachers to better understand how students were performing and learning and to maximize use of the formative district benchmark assessment in order to modify instruction and positively impact student achievement. This study expanded a prior limited study which correlated district benchmark assessment scores to FCAT scores for students in grades three through five in five elementary schools in the targeted county. The high correlations suggested further study. This research focused on secondary reading, specifically in 10th grade where both state and targeted county FCAT scores were low in years preceding this research. Investigated were (a) the district formative assessment in reading as a predictor of FCAT Reading scores, (b) differences in strength of correlation and prediction among student subgroups and between high schools, and (c) any relationships between reading formative assessment scores and Mathematics FCAT scores. An additional focus of this study was to determine best leadership practices in schools where there were the highest correlations between the formative assessment and FCAT Reading scores. Research on best practices was reviewed, and principals were interviewed to determine trends and themes in practice. Tenth grade students in the seven Florida targeted district high schools were included in the study. The findings of the study supported the effective use of formative assessments both in instruction and as predictors of students' performance on the FCAT. The results of the study also showed a significant correlation between performance on the reading formative assessment and performance on FCAT Mathematics. The data indicated no significant differences in the strength of correlation between student subgroups or between the high schools included in the study. Additionally, the practices of effective principals in using formative assessment data to inform instruction, gathered through personal interviews, were documented and described.