Mathematics course -taking and the SAT score gap: A case study of 151 Los Angeles County public high schools

The large racial/ethnic SAT score gap concerns educational policymakers who fear that Latinos will have an increasingly difficult time gaining admission at the nation's most selective universities. This dissertation analyzes the relationship between mathematics course-taking and SAT math scores among college-bound seniors to understand differences in academic preparation among racial/ethnic groups. Although Latinos have made gains in advanced mathematics course-taking, they continue to trail White and Asian students. These findings are important because many studies link mathematics course-taking with higher standardized test scores and future educational opportunities.;Despite the belief in the link between course-taking and standardized test scores, little is known about Latino mathematics course-taking in Los Angeles County (LAC), a multi-ethnic metropolitan area with the nation's highest concentration of Latino students. In this study, I use data from the College Board's 1996 Student Data Questionnaire (SDQ) to examine the relationship between mathematics course-taking and SAT math scores in a sample of 18,169 college-bound seniors in 151 LAC public high schools. I use OLS multiple regression to explore the variation in SAT math scores across LAC schools.;Although my principal interest concerns Latino students, my research investigates Black, White, and Asian students. The first question examines variation in student SAT math scores across LAC public high schools. The second question examines whether the remaining "within-school" variation in SAT math scores is associated with course-taking choices that students have made. The third question investigates the differing effects of mathematics course-taking depending upon whether a student is enrolled in a school where average student achievement for their particular group ranks in the top, middle, or bottom third of the county.;This study yields important findings. First, there are significant differences in mean school SAT math scores across 151 LAC public high schools for all racial/ethnic groups. Second, patterns of mathematics course-taking significantly impact mean school SAT math scores. Third, the effects of mathematics course-taking on mean school SAT math scores differ significantly in schools with different average student achievement. Findings from this study are important to those interested in closing the large racial/ethnic SAT score in LAC public high schools.