THE RELATIONSHIP OF CERTIFICATION AND MATHEMATICS BACKGROUND OF TEACHERS AND PUPIL PERFORMANCE ON THE NCCT-M AFTER REMEDIATION

The purpose of this study was to investigate within the Secondary Remediation Programs in Southeastern North Carolina the relationship between pupil performance on the mathematics portion of the North Carolina Competency Test after remediation and each of four teacher variables--subject level of certification, grade level of certification, predominant type of mathematics studied, and number of semester hours of mathematics formally studied after high school.;For each of the school years, 1979-80, 1980-81, and the two-year period, 1979-81, the relationship between each of the four teacher variables and the numbers of pupils having score gains below and score gains equal to or above the mean gain and the numbers of pupils passing and failing the NCCT-M was tested using chi square. A significance level of .05 was used for all tests.;The findings suggested that of the four teacher variables, only number of semester hours of mathematics formally studied by the teacher made a significant difference in pupil performance on the NCCT-M. An analysis of the data reflected the tendency of teachers studying 21-36 hours to have (1) the largest proportion of pupils exhibiting score gains equal to or above the mean gain and (2) the largest proportion of pupils passing the NCCT-M after remediation.;It was concluded that the mathematics background of the teacher is of importance when that teacher provides instruction in secondary remedial mathematics. Therefore, this variable should be a factor when employing teachers not certified in secondary mathematics to teach secondary remedial mathematics. Suggestions were made for further study on a state-wide scale, using combinations of many different teacher variables, and using different random samples of teachers, including teachers of 7th grade mathematics, 8th grade mathematics, and General Mathematics.;Data were obtained for 498 nonhandicapped eleventh-grade pupils and 16 teachers in 16 public high schools in Southeastern North Carolina for the two-year period, 1979-81. Teacher variable data were obtained through questionnaire. Pupil scores on the North Carolina Competency Test - Mathematics (NCCT-M) were procured through the Division of Research, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.