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The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of the differences between6th grade student achievement in reading and mathematics by the grade configuration ofthe school in which students were enrolled. An additional purpose was to examine theextent to which 6th grade student academic achievement was affected by ethnicity,socioeconomic, and special education classifications of the schools that included 6thgrade students in the state of Missouri, using the Missouri Assessment Program (MAP)communication arts and mathematics data during the 2012-2013 school year.The results of this study showed no significant differences in academicachievement in communication arts or mathematics among grade configurations.However, the results of this study did indicate a marginally statistically significantinteraction effect of ethnicity and grade configuration on academic achievement, asmeasured by the MAP communication arts assessment, and a statistically significantinteraction effect of ethnicity classification and grade configuration on academicachievement, as measured by the MAP mathematics assessment. Additionally, SES didhave a statistically significant main effect on academic achievement of 6th grade studentsin Missouri public schools.The results of this study add to the current research on grade configuration. Theresults of this study suggest that academic achievement does not differ by gradeconfiguration. Therefore, grouping 6th grade students into a particular gradeconfiguration should not be a factor when districts are determining how to ensure higheracademic achievement. Results of this study showed that ethnicity and gradeconfiguration had an effect on academic achievement. As a result, administrators need to consider the percentage of ethnicity in each grade configuration to ensure high academicachievement. Additionally, analyses showed that SES did have a significant main effecton student achievement, which suggest that administrators need to analyze the specificneeds of the SES groups that are in their buildings and implement best practices to meetthe needs of these students. Additionally, administrators would want to assign students todifferent buildings to ensure a more balance percentage of low SES students are in allbuildings in the district.Additional research is needed due to the mixed results of the current study. Sincethere were no significant differences in academic achievement on the MAPcommunication arts and mathematics assessments among grade configurations, exploringother variables could provide valuable insight. Therefore, it is recommended to conducta study to examine the effects of grade configuration on attendance, grade point average,and behavior referrals. |
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