Title of Study:  The Relationship Between Reading Fluency and Reading Comprehension for Third-Grade Students

 Author:  McConnaughhay, Carla M., Teacher, Nantucket Elementary School

There appears to be a statistically significant relationship between reading comprehension performance levels, as measured by the Grade 3 AACPS Reading Comprehension Benchmark II Assessment, and categories of reading fluency, as measured by the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS).  

Mrs. Carla McConnaughhay, a teacher at Nantucket Elementary School, completed her action research study as a graduate student at Goucher College and found that there is a statistically significant relationship between reading comprehension performance levels, as measured by the Grade 3 AACPS Reading Comprehension Benchmark II Assessment, and categories of reading fluency, as measured by the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS).  

Instructional Implications:

Student performance on the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) may be an early indicator of reading performance in the primary grades.  Used diagnostically, this information may be instructionally useful in identifying and prescribing appropriate reading instruction for students.  

Title of Study: Predicting Student Performance on the SAT using MSA

Author: Wang, Mei-Hui, Research Specialist, Division of Accountability,  Assessment, and Research, AACPS 

The Maryland School Assessments (MSA) may be an early indicator of student performance on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).  In an ongoing effort to identify students as early as possible who might be candidates who are successful on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), the Research Office was asked to conduct a study to determine the degree of relationship between student performance at the advanced level on the MSA reading and mathematics and their later performance on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).  An analysis of the 2007-08 SAT results among students who also scored at the advanced level on the Maryland School Assessments in grade 8 indicated the following:

• Students in grade 8 who scored at the advanced level on the MSA mathematics had a 94.9% chance of obtaining a score between 500 and 800 on the mathematics portion of the Scholastic Aptitude Test. (SAT).

• Students who scored at the advanced level on the reading portion of the MSA             have an 86.8% chance of scoring between 500 and 800 on the verbal portion of SAT. 

• Students who scored at the advanced level on the MSA reading portion of the MSA have an 82.9% chance of scoring between 500 and 800 on the writing        portion of the SAT.

Instructional Implications:

• Providing middle school students with the content knowledge and skills to perform at the advanced level on the Maryland School Assessments may significantly increase the number of students who are successful on the Scholastic Aptitude Test.

• Student performance on the Maryland School Assessments in middle school may be an early identifier of students who should be encouraged to take College Board exams such as the SAT in high school.

                        Requester(s):  Dr. Kevin Maxwell, Superintendent of Schools 

Title of Study: The Effect of Instrumental Music Instruction on the Standardized Mathematics Assessment Achievement of Elementary School Students in Grades 3 through 5 - Word Document version

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Author: Gillmeister, Kristina  STEM Program Coordinator 

There appears to be a significant relationship between student participation in mathematics education programs and achievement in mathematics. Ms. Kristina Gillmeister, STEM program coordinator, recently completed a study involving students at several AACPS elementary schools which investigated the relationship between student participation in elementary music education programs and student achievement in mathematics.  Kristina’s study involved third, fourth and fifth graders at selected elementary schools.  The results of Kristina’s study suggest that for students who participated in instrumental music education programs at their school, their average score on the mathematics portion of the Maryland School Assessments were consistently higher than those of students who did not participate in an instrumental music education program.  Kristina’s results also suggest that this difference not only occurs in year 1, but continues in years 2 and 3. 

Instructional Implications:

The significant contribution of music education programs to improved student performance in a core discipline subject such as mathematics is stressed in this study.  

Within Grade Comparisons

Ms. Gillmeister reported within grade comparisons which indicated that the average scale scores and subscores were higher in all cases for those students who received instrumental music instruction versus those who did not.  Instrumental music instruction showed the greatest impact on the mathematics achievement of students in the third grade, however.  She surmises that “perhaps the greatest benefit of students receiving music instruction occurs [in grade 3] as they master the mathematical skills and concepts when they are initially introduced and then there is an opportunity with successive lessons on the same topics for students not receiving music instruction to narrow the achievement gap.  For example, students in grade 3 with music instruction might receive the greatest benefit as new topics (multiplication, division, fractions, etc.) are fully taught for the first time.  Similarly, students in grade 5, where the second greatest impact of music instruction occurred, are introduced for the first time to decimals, integers, equations, and other novel topics and their instrumental music participation seemed to again benefit these students who were seeing a mathematical concept for the first time. 

Between Grade Comparisons

The results of across grade comparisons suggest that the mean fifth grade total test scale scores and sub-scores showed incremental improvement as total years of music instruction increased.  The mean scores of students who had three years of instrumental music instruction by the fifth grade saw statistically significant differences of an additional 18 to 27 points on their scale score or sub-scores over those who had zero years of music instruction and an additional 19 to 25 points over those who had one year of music instruction. 

Cautions:  The author notes that the student populations that were involved in this study were self-selected; i.e. the subjects and their families ultimately selected whether or not they would receive instrumental music instruction.

Title of Study:  The Correlation Between the PSAT and SAT

Author: Wang, Mei-Hui, Research Specialist, Division of Accountability,    Assessment, and Research, AACPS

 Background: Each year, high school students in grades 10 and 11 are administered the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT).  Traditionally, the PSAT has served a number of purposes:

1)      It has been a good “practice exam” for students who plan to take the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) in grades 11 and 12,

2)      It can identify students who qualify for a number of educational aid programs including the National Merit Scholarship program, and

3)      In recent years, it has also been used as an identifier of students who should be encouraged to take advanced placement courses in high school.

Several years ago, a study that was conducted in the Montgomery County Public School system concluded that students will have honor / AP potential if they score at least 44 on PSAT Verbal or 45 on PSAT Math.

 Results: The Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT), which has been used extensively in recent years to identify students who are potential candidates for advance placement courses in high schools, is also a good predictor of  how students will perform on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).  A recent analysis of countywide student data involving students who were administered the PSAT in grades 10 or 11 who also took the SAT in grades 11 or 12 suggests the following:

• The PSAT is a good predictor of how students will perform on the SAT

• A verbal score of 44 on the PSAT , a math score of 45 and a writing score of 47 correspond, with high probability to a score of 500 on the verbal, math and writing portions of the SAT, respectively.

The regression results show that 44 on PSAT Verbal and 45 on PSAT Math correspond to 500 on SAT Verbal and Math respective for AACPS students. As a rule of thumb, students who score at least 44, (45, 47) on the verbal (math, writing) portion of the PSAT have a high probability of scoring at least 500 on the verbal (math, writing) portion of the SAT, while students scoring lower than 44 (45, 47) are likely to score lower than 500 on the verbal (math, writing) portion of the SAT.

Instructional Implications: Results from the administration of the PSAT are early identifiers of individual students and each NCLB student group’s strengths and weakness. Appropriate instructional improvement strategies can be developed prior to students’ participations on the SAT. 

Contact person: Don Counts, AP/College Preparation Specialist.