Identifying Growth Indicators for Low-Achieving Students in Middle School Mathematics

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the technical adequacy of potential indicators of growth in mathematics at the middle school level. Correlation and regression analyses were used to investigate the reliability and criterion validity of four measures in mathematics. One hundred students from a racially and socioeconomically diverse urban middle school completed 4 measures (1 involving basic facts and 3 involving estimation) twice in a 1-week period. Criterion measures included grades in school, standardized test scores, and teacher ratings. Results indicated the measures are reliable and possess acceptable levels of criterion validity; thus, they may prove to be useful as indicators of mathematics proficiency for middle school students.