A quantitative study of gender, SES, and absenteeism and the effects on student eighth grade mathematics TAKS scores in Texas

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between student achievement in Texas, as measured by the eighth grade mathematics Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test and attendance rates of individuals, socio-economic status (SES), gender, and if the relationship varies between school size. This study separated schools into quartiles based on the size of the schools that housed eighth grade students for the 2008 – 2009 school year. Demographic and testing data were compiled from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for students who were administered the eighth grade mathematics test in Texas during the 2008 – 2009 school year. Inferential statistics were compiled using the data from TEA to get a description of the data sample. Data were analyzed by correlation and multiple regression analysis. The findings of this study indicated that students who have high absenteeism and are categorized as low socio-economic status have a higher likelihood of not meeting minimum requirements on the eighth grade mathematics TAKS test. This study also indicated that there is a minimal gap between genders in mathematics in the eighth grade. This study also revealed that students in larger junior high schools were performing higher on the mathematics TAKS test in eighth grade. Therefore, results of this study provide data to schools and policy makers regarding the significance of attendance, SES, gender, and school size on student achievement.