Avinash Thakur

How do student achievement scores in Pennsylvania pre-, during, and post-NCLB vary among different demographics, compare to national averages, and relate to state standards?

Started Feb. 25, 2022

Abstract or project description

Over the years, the United States federal government has played a larger role in education. In 2010, the Common Core State Standards Initiative outlined national education standards for math and language arts for states to adopt. With regards to the best way to improve student achievement, this question has not been a new one. In fact, the Common Core arguably emerged, in part, as a response to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. NCLB, signed by President Bush in 2002, placed measures on states to institute their own standards and administer testing in reading and mathematics. Schools were held accountable for student performance and were expected to show progress each year, but if a school district failed to meet performance goals, they faced consequences. This bipartisan piece of legislation has gained increased criticism over its harsh requirements. For the purpose of this study, Pennsylvania has been chosen for analyzing the effects of NCLB. Pennsylvania did not have test-based accountability measures prior to NCLB, so it is assumed to have largely been affected by the act (States with school-accountability policies pre-NCLB have been observed to have remained largely unchanged). In addition, Pennsylvania has the second worst funding gap in the country according to Funding Gaps 2015 (The largest of states that did not have test-based accountability measures prior to NCLB) and one of the worst achievement gaps by economic status, race-ethnicity, and parent education. This paper investigates how student achievement scores in Pennsylvania pre-, during, and post-NCLB compare to national averages and vary among different demographics (race, students with disabilities, free/reduced lunch students, LEP/ELL). The analysis is conducted through the use of data on student test scores (8th grade mathematics) from the Nation’s Report Card, exploring the years 1996, 2000, 2005, 2009, and 2015. Finally, the paper examines how these relationships relate to state standards and Pennsylvania’s education system. A series of linear regression models are used to predict student achievement from other variables. The results of this research would be valuable in helping suggest tangible policy recommendations targeted at fostering student achievement within Pennsylvania.