Max Rady College of Medicine

Concept: Grade 12 Language Arts (LA) Test Performance Outcomes by Socioeconomic Status (SES)

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Concept Description

Last Updated: 2014-09-16

Introduction

    This concept describes the methods reported in MCHP research to measure the performance of grade 12 students on the Language Arts Standards Test, and how the performance relates to socioeconomic status. The concept focuses on the two methods used to measure test performance outcomes related to socioeconomic status (SES) in different research projects.

    By comparing results based on the methods for measuring student performance on the Language Arts Standards Test, a significantly different story unfolds.

Methods for Measuring Grade 12 Language Arts Test Performance

    Two different methods have been used at MCHP to measure the performance of students on the Grade 12 Standards Tests / Achievement Tests in Language Arts.

    1. Those Who Wrote the Test - the first method looks at the students who wrote the test and measures the pass/fail rate of this group.

    2. Population-Based - the second method looks at the eligible population who should be writing the test, based on their age and expected level in school, and measures different outcomes for this group. The outcome measures using this method include those who:
      • pass
      • fail
      • are withdrawn from school / not enrolled
      • are in grade 11 or lower
      • are in grade 12 but no test result, or
      • dropped/absent/exempt/incomplete

    For more information on this population-based perspective, please read the Grade 12 Provincial Exam Performance glossary term.

Measuring Socioeconomic Status (SES)

Comparison of Methods Measuring Test Performance

    The following two studies have investigated and compared the two methods of measuring grade 12 Language Arts test performance and socioeconomic status (SES). These studies include:

1. Brownell et al. (2004)

    In the How Do Educational Outcomes Vary With Socioeconomic Status? Key Findings from the Manitoba Child Health Atlas 2004 deliverable by Brownell et al. (2004), they investigated and compared the two methods of measuring Language Arts test performance. For an SES measure, they developed a 4-category scale based on socioeconomic characteristics of neighbourhoods, including unemployment rates, lone-parent households, high school completion, and female workforce participation. The characteristics are similar to the characteristics of the Socioeconomic Factor Index - Version 2 (SEFI-2), but differ slightly by including "female workforce participation" instead of "average household income". The four categories of SES in this research included: Low, Low-Mid, Middle and High.

    The results of the comparison of test performance measures are presented in Figure 3 - Grade 12 (S4) Performance, by Winnipeg SES Group, Language Arts Standards Test, 2001/02.

    From the figure, one can see that the bar chart on the left hand side of the image reflects what is seen when the performance measures only the students who have taken the tests. The numbers presented on the left however do not tell the whole story from a population perspective - they just report results for those who are in school, in grade 12 and writing the tests. The bar chart on the right focuses on who should be writing the test, and clearly shows a different picture based on the method of measuring performance. This picture is one that is available to Manitobans because of MCHP's ability to work with different datasets and look at things from a population perspective.

    For more information, please read the section titled High School Performance and Completion in this deliverable.

2. Roos et al. (2010)

Measuring Test Performance from a Population Perspective

    The following two studies investigate and measure the grade 12 Language Arts test performance using the method that looks at the entire population. These studies include:

1. Brownell et al. (2008)

2. Brownell et al. (2012)

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References 

  • Brownell M, Chartier M, Santos R, Ekuma O, Au W, Sarkar J, MacWilliam L, Burland E, Koseva I, Guenette W. How are Manitoba's Children Doing? Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2012. [Report] [Summary] [Updates and Errata] [Additional Materials] (View)
  • Brownell M, Roos NP, Fransoo R, Guevremont A, MacWilliam L, Derksen S, Dik N, Bogdanovic B, Sirski M. How Do Educational Outcomes Vary With Socioeconomic Status? Key Findings from the Manitoba Child Health Atlas 2004. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2004. [Report] [Summary] [Additional Materials] (View)
  • Brownell M, De Coster C, Penfold R, Derksen S, Au W, Schultz J, Dahl M. Manitoba Child Health Atlas Update. Winnipeg, MB: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, 2008. [Report] [Summary] [Additional Materials] (View)
  • Roos NP, Roos LL, Brownell M, Fuller EL. Enhancing policymakers' understanding of disparities: Relevant data from an information-rich environment. Milbank Quarterly 2010;88(3):382-403. [Abstract] (View)


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