Formal testing versus teacher identification: Models of access to advanced learning opportunities in mathematics

This research study investigated the achievement levels of elementary students identified for an advanced learning program by a school district's categorical model using a combination of ability and achievement testing, or by teachers with a developmental model using classroom performance and teacher observation. The purpose was to examine if there are differences in the students identified by the two models.;The study occurred in a public elementary school in the Northwestern United States. It examined the achievement of 373 students in first through fifth grades who were identified for advanced math classes using a categorical model of formal testing or a developmental model using teacher identification. Students' fall and spring MAPRTM test scores were collected from district servers and analyzed using paired t tests and ANOVA based on available demographic, grade level, and longitudinal data.;The results of the study show that both the categorically identified students and developmentally identified students increased their mean percentile rankings significantly during the study, demonstrating that these groups had benefitted from the advanced math classes. In addition, both groups of students showed significant increases in their mean percentile rankings at the fourth and fifth grade level as well as in the later years of the study, indicating that students may benefit from being in advanced math for longer time periods. Furthermore, using the developmental model, teachers were able to identify an ethnic population for the advanced math program that closely paralleled the school's population.;The data provide evidence that the developmental model may be an effective way to identify students for advanced learning opportunities, either alongside or in place of the categorical model. Further study on programs that use a developmental model to identify students may help to increase the range of key characteristics that can be used to effectively identify a diverse range of students who may benefit from advanced learning programs.