Comparing English Language Arts (ELA) and Math scores of Yeshiva, Public and Catholic parochial schools

Abstract

There has been a strong push over the last ten years to close the achievement gap amongst school-age children. In line with the federal government's No Child Left Behind Act, states and local governments have mandated the use of regular formative assessments to monitor the progress of students in the areas of reading and math, as well as research-based instructional methods to support students in learning to read and acquire mathematical mastery. Some have utilized technology in this effort.;In New York State, the English Language Arts (ELA) and Math tests are administered yearly to monitor that schools meet the state's performance standards.;This study examined the relationship between the fourth grade ELA and Math percentage scores of schools, located in a large urban center of New York State that met or exceeded the state-wide benchmarks during the 2003-2007 school years.;Based on the research objectives, data included close to 5,000 public school students that represented 47 schools, approximately 500 Catholic parochial school students representing 24 schools and 28 yeshiva schools with over 1,200 students reported taking each test.;The first set of research questions considered whether there is a difference in ELA and Math scores for different types of schools (Yeshiva, Public, Catholic). To explore this question, a one-way Analysis of Variables was used to determine whether there are significant differences. Data analysis confirmed that there are no differences in ELA scores for the different types of schools studied and that Math scores for Yeshiva schools were statistically significantly higher in 2003 and 2007 and in 2004-2006 no statistical differences were noted.;The second set of research questions considered whether there is a difference in ELA and Math scores for yeshiva schools using computer aided instruction compared with those yeshiva schools not using computer aided instruction. An Analysis of Co-Variance was used while controlling for hours of instruction, teacher preparation, teacher attendance, and class size, which, based on prior research, influences achievement.;The data analysis yielded no statistical differences in the ELA and Math scores for Yeshiva schools that used computer assisted instruction from those that did not.