ERIC ED547238: A Relationship between the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test 2.0 Mathematics Scores and Racial and Ethnic Concentration when Considering Socio-Economic Status, ESOL Student Population, and School Climate

2013·1.2 MB·English

by  ERIC

FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
Miami, Florida

A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE FLORIDA COMPREHENSIVE
ASSESSMENT TEST 2.0 MATHEMATICS SCORES AND RACIAL AND
ETHNIC CONCENTRATION WHEN CONSIDERING SOCIO-ECONOMIC
STATUS, ESOL STUDENT POPULATION, AND SCHOOL CLIMATE

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of
the requirements for the degree of
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
in
CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION
by
Marilys Galindo

2013
To: Dean Delia Garcia
College of Education

This dissertation, written by Marilys Galindo, and entitled A Relationship Between the
Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test 2.0 Mathematics Scores and Racial and Ethnic
Concentrations when considering Socio-Economic Status, ESOL Student Population, and
School Climate, having been approved in respect to style and intellectual content, is
referred to you for judgment.

We have read this dissertation and recommend that it be approved.

_______________________________________
Maria Lovett
_______________________________________
Benjamin Baez
_______________________________________
Teresa Lucas
_______________________________________
Maria Fernandez, Major Professor

Date of Defense: November 8, 2013

The dissertation of Marilys Galindo is approved.

_______________________________________
Dean Delia Garcia
College of Education

_______________________________________
Dean Lakshmi N. Reddi
University Graduate School

Florida International University, 2013
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© Copyright 2013 by Marilys Galindo
All rights reserved.

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DEDICATION
I dedicate this dissertation to my husband, parents, brother, and grandparents.
Without their support, understanding, patience, and love, the completion of this degree
would not have been possible. I am who I am today, thanks to you all!

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Completing this education journey is a true blessing! To my Heavenly Father,
thank you for being my shining light in the journey to this grand accomplishment.
To my husband, Fred Hernandez, a wholehearted thank you for inspiring me to
travel this journey. Your infinite support, patience, and encouragement in this endeavor
made it all possible. You always believed in me and offered reassurance throughout the
process when I felt I would not finish. You gave me the strength and clarity to keep
going. I could not have done this without you!
To my parents, Raul and Julie Galindo, thank you for your unwavering love and
support throughout my life. From an early age, you instilled in me a desire to learn and
achieve high, always giving me strength to reach for the stars and chase my dreams.
To my brother, Raul Galindo, thank you for being the reason to set an example.
You were always there to listen and comfort me. Your endless support was priceless.
To my grandparents, Humberto and Esther Navarro, and Maria Berta Galindo,
thank you for your prayers, which have helped make this dream a reality. To my late
grandfather, Gilberto Galindo, thank you for blessing me from the heavens above.
To my ancestors, especially Dr. Juan Santiago Michelena, thank you for your
inspiration and blessings from the heavens above that helped me accomplish this study.
To the professors who assisted me along the way, Dr. Maria Fernandez, Dr.
Teresa Lucas, Dr. Maria Lovett, Dr. Benjamin Baez, Dr. Linda Bliss, Dr. Isodore
Newman, and Dr. Mohammed Farouk, thank you for your leadership during this journey.
Finally, to my dog, Luna, thank you for your snuggles and kisses when I needed
encouragement.
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ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION
A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE FLORIDA COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT
TEST 2.0 MATHEMATICS SCORES AND RACIAL AND ETHNIC
CONCENTRATION WHEN CONSIDERING SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS, ESOL
STUDENT POPULATION, AND SCHOOL CLIMATE
by
Marilys Galindo
Florida International University, 2013
Miami, Florida
Professor Maria Fernandez, Major Professor
From the moment children are born, they begin a lifetime journey of learning
about themselves and their surroundings. With the establishment of the No Child Left
Behind Act of 2001, it mandates that all children receive a high-quality education in a
positive school climate. Regardless of the school the child attends or the neighborhood in
which the child lives, proper and quality education and resources must be provided and
made available in order for the child to be academically successful.
The purpose of this ex post facto study was to investigate the relationship between
the FCAT 2.0 mathematics scores of public middle school students in Miami-Dade
County, Florida and the concentrations of a school’s racial and ethnic make-up (Whites,
Blacks, and Hispanics), English for Speakers of other Languages (ESOL) population,
socio-economic status (SES), and school climate. The research question of this study
was: Is there a significant relationship between the FCAT 2.0 Mathematics scores and
racial and ethnic concentration of public middle school students in Miami-Dade County
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when controlling SES, ESOL student population, and school climate for the 2010-2011
school year?
The instruments used to collect the data were the FCAT 2.0 and Miami-Dade
County Public Schools (M-DCPS) School Climate Survey. The study found that
Economically Disadvantaged (SES) students socio-economic status had the strongest
correlation with the FCAT 2.0 mathematics scores (r = -.830). The next strongest
correlation was with the number of students who agreed that their school climate was
positive and helped them learn (r = .741) and the third strongest correlation was a school
percentage of White students (r = .668). The study concluded that the FCAT 2.0
mathematics scores of M-DCPS middle school students have a significant relationship
with socio-economic status, school climate, and racial concentration.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 1
Rationale ....................................................................................................................... 3
Statement of the Problem .............................................................................................. 6
Purpose of the Study ..................................................................................................... 6
Research Questions ....................................................................................................... 7
Definition of Terms....................................................................................................... 8
Conceptual Framework ............................................................................................... 13
Delimitations ............................................................................................................... 16
Organization of the Study ........................................................................................... 16

II. LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................. 18
History......................................................................................................................... 18
United States ............................................................................................................... 18
Florida ......................................................................................................................... 25
Educational Policies .................................................................................................... 26
Title I ........................................................................................................................... 26
English for Speakers of Other Languages .................................................................. 27
No Child Left Behind.................................................................................................. 28
School Choice ............................................................................................................. 30
Vouchers ..................................................................................................................... 31
Magnet Programs ........................................................................................................ 33
Charter Schools ........................................................................................................... 35
Academic Achievement and School Segregation ....................................................... 37
Dominant Culture........................................................................................................ 38
Educational Attainment .............................................................................................. 40
Tracking ...................................................................................................................... 41
Social Segregation ...................................................................................................... 43
Residential Segregation .............................................................................................. 46
Neighborhood ............................................................................................................. 49
Poverty ........................................................................................................................ 52
Homeownership .......................................................................................................... 53
Parental Influences ...................................................................................................... 54
Parent Involvement ..................................................................................................... 54
Parents’ Education ...................................................................................................... 55
Family Structure.......................................................................................................... 56
Perceptions of Education ............................................................................................ 59
Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 61

III. METHODS ................................................................................................................. 64
Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................... 64
Research Questions ..................................................................................................... 64
The Setting and Subjects for the Study ....................................................................... 65
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Miami-Dade County ................................................................................................... 65
Subjects ....................................................................................................................... 67
Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) ..................................................... 68
School Climate Survey ............................................................................................... 70
Research Design.......................................................................................................... 72
Instruments .................................................................................................................. 73
Procedures for Data Collection ................................................................................... 75
Data Analysis .............................................................................................................. 76

IV. FINDINGS .................................................................................................................. 82
Relationship between FCAT 2.0 Mathematics Scores
and Racial and Ethnic Concentration when controlling
Socio-Economic Status, ESOL Student Population and
School Climate ............................................................................................................ 83
Blacks, SES, ESOL and School Climate .................................................................... 83
Blacks, Whites, ESOL and School Climate ................................................................ 96
Whites, Hispanics, ESOL and School Climate ......................................................... 108
Hispanics, ESOL and School Climate ...................................................................... 119
Whites, ESOL and School Climate ........................................................................... 130
Relationship between Schools’ Racial and Ethnic
Concentration and FCAT 2.0 Mathematics Scores when
controlling ESOL Student Population ...................................................................... 141
Whites, Hispanics and ESOL .................................................................................... 141
Whites, Blacks and ESOL......................................................................................... 148
Relationship between FCAT 2.0 Mathematics Scores
and Socio-Economic Status ...................................................................................... 155
Relationship between FCAT 2.0 Mathematics Scores
and Socio-Economic Status when controlling Racial
and Ethnic Concentrations ........................................................................................ 158
Whites, Hispanics and Socio-Economic Status ........................................................ 158
Whites, Blacks and Socio-Economic Status ............................................................. 165
Relationship between School Climate and FCAT 2.0
Mathematics Scores when controlling Racial and
Ethnic Concentrations ............................................................................................... 172
Whites, Hispanics and School Climate ..................................................................... 172
Whites, Blacks and School Climate .......................................................................... 181

V. SUMMARY, DISCUSSION, AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................. 191
Summary of Relationship between FCAT 2.0 Math
Scores and Racial and Ethnic Concentrations,
Socio-Economic Status, ESOL Student Population,
and School Climate ................................................................................................... 193
Discussion and Implications for Improving Student
Performance on the FCAT 2.0 Mathematics Test .................................................... 207
Socio-economic Status .............................................................................................. 207
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School Climate .......................................................................................................... 210
Racial and Ethnic Concentration .............................................................................. 212
Recommendations for Improving Student Performance
on the FCAT 2.0 Mathematics Test ......................................................................... 214
Recommendations for Future Research .................................................................... 218
Conclusion ................................................................................................................ 220

REFERENCES ............................................................................................................... 224

APPENDIX I .................................................................................................................. 237

APPENDIX II ................................................................................................................. 241
Relationship between FCAT 2.0 Mathematics Scores and
Racial and Ethnic Concentration when controlling
Socio-Economic Status, ESOL Student Population and
School Climate .......................................................................................................... 241
Blacks, SES, ESOL and School Climate .................................................................. 241
Blacks, Whites, ESOL and School Climate .............................................................. 245
Whites, Hispanics, ESOL and School Climate ......................................................... 249
Hispanics, ESOL and School Climate ...................................................................... 252
Whites, ESOL and School Climate ........................................................................... 256
Relationship between Schools’ Racial and Ethnic Concentration
and FCAT 2.0 Mathematics Scores when controlling ESOL
Student Population .................................................................................................... 259
Whites, Hispanics and ESOL .................................................................................... 259
Whites, Blacks and ESOL......................................................................................... 262
Relationship between FCAT 2.0 Mathematics Scores and
Socio-Economic Status ............................................................................................. 266
Relationship between FCAT 2.0 Mathematics Scores and
Socio-Economic Status when controlling Racial and
Ethnic Concentrations ............................................................................................... 267
Whites, Hispanics and Socio-Economic Status ........................................................ 267
Whites, Blacks and Socio-Economic Status ............................................................. 271
Relationship between School Climate and FCAT 2.0
Mathematics Scores when controlling Racial and
Ethnic Concentrations ............................................................................................... 275
Whites, Hispanics and School Climate ..................................................................... 275
Whites, Blacks and School Climate .......................................................................... 278
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