Middle School Student Mathematics Learning: An Analysis of a Student Population in Texas

Introduction

We examined the population of students who participated in the seventh-grade year 1 randomized controlled experiment in Texas designed to test the effectiveness of SimCalc in improving student mathematics learning in middle school. This population consisted of approximately half Hispanic1 and half non-Hispanic Caucasian students. Our analysis of the demographic data showed that,
consistent with national and statewide Texas data, the Hispanic students in our study were primarily in schools that have a large population of low-SES students. Our analysis of assessment data showed that although the Hispanic students in this study had lower prior achievement, their learning gains were indistinguishable from those of the Caucasian students. On the basis of a set
of detailed analyses designed to determine role of ethnicity and SES on prior achievement and learning gains, we conclude that the SimCalc program was effective for the diversity of students in our sample.