ABSTRACT—Student level data were used in this study to examine the relationship between student performance on ACT Mathematics and course-taking in mathematics. The purpose is to tease out earlier achievement, coursework and later achievement. In order to achieve the objective, students’ ninth grade ITED Mathematics results four years prior were used as a baseline measure to control for achievement levels and subsequent course-taking patterns were assessed to determine the impact on ACT scores. An effort was made to study the education opportunities and outcomes of students from different subgroups and schools in different sizes. The results support that higher level mathematics courses taken has a strong impact on ACT Mathematics scores for all students in study across all achievement levels.

In 1997, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) revised the standard of classifying race and ethnicity for federal data. These new standards separated race and ethnicity and also allow respondents to choose more than one race. States must report using the new guidelines by the 2010-2011 school year. Iowa implemented the changes for the 2009-2010 school year, re-identifying all students in the fall of 2009.

Background—The Iowa Department of Education (IDE) has collected individual student level data since 2004-2005 through Project EASIER (Electronic Access System for Iowa Education Records). In the EASIER system, each student has an assigned unique state student identification number.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America’s students know and can do in various subject areas. While the assessment is essentially the same from year to year, subtle differences occur over time in administration and subgroup composition. These differences have affected Iowa’s results.

The purpose of this project was to build a historical record of schools and districts placed on the SINA list, in accordance with NCLB. Such a record provides a tool to monitor trends in the number of schools and districts not meeting AYP requirements for two or more years. A secondary purpose was to build a timeline of significant events in Iowa’s AYP history, which will establish a context for interpreting the historical trend.