Beating the odds in Mississippi: Identifying schools exceeding achievement expectations

Title:	Beating the odds in Mississippi: Identifying schools exceeding achievement expectations
Description:	The purpose of this report was to determine which Mississippi public schools perform better than could be predicted, considering demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Additionally, this study identified profiles of schools within Mississippi, or groups of schools with similar socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. This study identifies Mississippi public schools as "beating the odds" when they outperform their predicted level of performance on standardized tests given school demographics using a multiple linear regression approach. The study identified distinct socioeconomic and demographic profiles of schools using latent profile analysis. Results indicate that 18 schools are beating the odds in English language arts and 19 schools are beating the odds in mathematics. Seven schools (about 3 percent) are beating the odds in both English language arts and mathematics. Four distinct demographic profiles of schools were identified, with the majority of schools having a profile consisting of high percentages of minority and low socioeconomic status students. The results of this study can inform decisions related to the improvement of low performing schools in Mississippi.
Online Availability:	Download, view and print the report as a pdf file. (386KB)
Cover Date:	February 2017
Web Release:	February 14, 2017
Print Release:	February 14, 2017
Publication #:	REL 2017213 General Ordering Information
Center/Program:	REL
Associated Centers:	NCEE
Authors:	Mark A. Partridge and Sharon Koon: Florida State University
Type of Product:	What's Happening
Keywords:	Achievement Schools • characteristics of • school improvement
Questions:	For questions about the content of this What's Happening, please contact: Amy Johnson.