Is Student Performance Associated With School District Estimated Cost per Student For Facility Condition Plus Facility Suitability?
Click to see Literacy Performance Level(2004)
Click to see Mathematics Performance Level(2004)
The Literacy and Mathematics maps represent district-level classifications based on estimated facilities condition plus facilities suitability cost per student and performance on the Arkansas Benchmark and End-of-Course Exams. Districts with a higher percentage of students proficient than the state average are colored green, and those with a lower percentage of students proficient are colored red. The shade of each color represents the estimated cost per student to for facilities condition plus facilities suitability: the lighter the shade, the lower the cost per student estimated for facilities condition plus facilities suitability.
Methodology
For each district, the total number of non-mobile students proficient on the 4th, 6th, 8th Grade Benchmark Exam and the Algebra, Geometry, and Literacy End-of-Course exams was identified. This number was divided by the total number of non-mobile students in the district attempting these exams to produce a district-level Percent Proficient for both literacy and mathematics. This calculation was repeated at the state level to determine the Arkansas Mean Percent Proficient in both Literacy and Mathematics. Districts were categorized as above (green) or below (red) the state mean by comparing the Percent Proficient for district to the Arkansas Mean Percent Proficient for each subject area.
Additionally, school districts were categorized as having low, moderate, or high estimated cost per student for facilities condition plus facilities suitability. The average estimated cost per student for facilities condition plus facilities suitability in Arkansas was $7,112 (Task Force to Joint Committee on Educational Facilities, 2004). If a school district had an estimated cost per student less than $5,467* (one-half a standard deviation below the state mean), it was assigned a light shade. If a school district had an estimated cost per student of $5,467 to $8,757 (within one-half standard deviation from the state mean), it was assigned a moderate shade. Finally, if a school district had an estimated cost per student more than $8,757 (one-half a standard deviation above the state mean), it was assigned a dark shade.
*$1,645 is approximately one-half of a standard deviation from the state mean.
Examples
1) A school district performing below the Arkansas Mean Percent Proficient that spent $1645 or more less than the Arkansas average per student to meet facility suitability funding will be colored light red on the map.
2) A school district performing above Arkansas Mean Percent Proficient that requires more than $1645 per student above the Arkansas average to meet facility suitability funding requirements will be colored dark green on the map.
Interpretation of the Literacy and Mathematics Charts
No specific trends exist in either the location of school districts or performance related to the estimated cost per student for facilities condition plus facilities suitability cost per student. Districts spending above the mean are distributed throughout Arkansas, and performance is not clearly linked to one region of Arkansas based on the estimated cost per student. More specifically, an association of performance based on estimated cost per student is not clearly evident in the Literacy or Mathematics graphs.
Click to see Literacy Performance Level(2004)
Click to see Mathematics Performance Level(2004)
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