Research shows that there are correlations between a students demographic group and their performance on the MCAS. Is the same true with growth?
Not necessarily. The relationship between demographics and growth is complex, much more so than the relationship between demographics and performance. For instance, because there are numerous studies that have established a correlation between economic disadvantage and performance level, one might expect that low income students would perform at a lower level than students without such economic disadvantages. However, it is not so clear that low income students should grow slower once you’ve taken performance level into account, given the way we calculate growth.
Not necessarily. The relationship between demographics and growth is complex, much more so than the relationship between demographics and achievement. For instance, because there are numerous studies that have established a correlation between economic disadvantage and achievement level, one might expect that low income students would achieve at a lower level than students without such economic disadvantages. However, it is not so clear that low income students should grow slower once you’ve taken performance level into account, given the way we calculate growth.
