Relationship between Health Education on Mathematics Standardized Testing Performance and Academic Indicators for 11th Grade Students

High stakes testing is an increasingly powerful force in education with curricular decisions as one of the many factors influenced by this trend. A large number of districts and school leaders feel an increase in curriculum time for tested areas is the answer to America's academic shortcomings. The increase in instructional time for tested areas, such as mathematics, has caused a narrowing of the curriculum impacting non-tested areas. This study investigated the impact of one of the non-tested areas, health education, reduced or eliminated under the pressure of high stakes testing for Kansas high schools. The study examined the impact of health education in 9 th and 10th grades on student performance on the KAPs mathematics assessment, graduation rates and dropout rates for Kansas high schools. The statistical analysis (ANCOVA) showed no significance in the impact of health education on the percent of students meeting or exceeding expectations on the KAPs mathematics assessment. Descriptive statistics showed that students with more health education had higher means for graduation rates and the percentage of students meeting or exceeding expectations of the KAPs mathematics assessment and lower means for dropout rates. Inclusion of health education within the curriculum did not hinder success on the KAPs mathematics assessment. Schools with more health education included in 9th and 10 th grade showed higher mean for graduation rates, higher mean for students meeting or exceeding on KAPs mathematics assessment and lower dropout rates.