Date of Award

7-2022

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

School of Education

First Advisor

Karen Buchanan, Ed.D.

Second Advisor

Gary Sehorn, Ed.D.

Third Advisor

Greg Aldred, Ed.D.

Abstract

School disruptions impacted public schools in Oregon for fifteen months. As a result, mathematical performance may have been impacted. School districts, educational leaders, and policymakers need information on how and to what extent disruptions to in-person learning have affected student mathematical performance. This was a non-experimental, post-hoc quantitative causal-comparative study. Existing i-Ready data was used to explore if there was evidence of significant differences in mathematical performance within and between gender and ethnicity- based groups of fifth-grade students as a result of the pandemic. The results of this study revealed that differences in students’ mathematical performance did change during the pandemic, and it may have been related to school closures. Latina, Latino, white female, and white male students experienced statistical and practical differences in mathematical performance during school disruptions. However, this study revealed that, in isolation, neither gender nor ethnicity seemed to shape students’ mathematical achievement; Latino male and white female students experienced higher-than-expected growth, whereas Latina and white male students experienced lower-than-expected growth. Understanding how mathematical performance changed during the pandemic at the intersectionality of gender and ethnicity can support the national calls to provide an equitable education to all students. School leaders can benefit by fostering conversations about equity, and understanding the mathematical trends of sub-groups of students could limit the likelihood of tracking students into low-level math groups and support excellence for all students. Teachers can foster equity in the classroom by supporting student agency, capacity, and belonging. Teachers should also teach grade-level content to all students while promoting accelerated learning pathways for all students as a way to ensure students are not tracked and placed into lower-level math classes.

Download

Share

COinS