Factors affecting student achievement in mathematics in select Texas high schools

Mastering mathematics has become more important than ever before in the United States. Students with a strong background in mathematics have an advantage over those students who struggle, when competing for jobs. In the job market, workers who have a strong mathematics and science background are more likely to be employed and earn more than those with lower achievement, even if they have not gone to college. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationships between the level of instructional spending per pupil, the teacher's average years of experience, student attendance rates, and student achievement on the mathematics portion of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) in select Texas high schools. Texas high schools selected for the study cohort met the criteria for a large school with a student population of 900 to 1,999 students and at-risk student population percentages equal to or greater than 60 The high schools also housed grades nine through twelve within a single campus. The findings from this study provided educational leaders in Texas high schools with factors impacting student achievement on the mathematics portion of the TAKS test.;The study utilized a Pearson's r correlation coefficient test statistic to examine the relationship between student achievement in mathematics on the TAKS tests from each selected high school with the level of instructional funding per pupil, the average years of teacher experience, and student attendance rate for each campus to determine if there was a statistically significant relationship. Findings indicated a non-significant negative correlation between TAKS math achievement and the level of instructional funding per pupil. Findings indicated statistically significant relationships between mathematics achievement on the TAKS test and the average years of teacher experience and the attendance rate of students. Teacher experience and attendance is vital to student achievement and the results of this study suggest school districts and educational leaders must find ways to recruit and keep highly qualified teachers and search for programs or incentives to increase student attendance.