July 2024 Research Rundown
By Madie Spartz
For July’s Research Rundown—our curated list of recent, relevant research we think is worth adding to the education equity conversation—we’re sharing articles about:
- The effects of a statewide ban on school suspensions,
- Teachers’ perceptions of chronically absent students, and
- Pros and cons of possible updates to standardized testing
The Effects of a Statewide Ban on School Suspensions
Annenberg Institute at Brown University, July 2024
This study examines the impact of Maryland’s statewide PK-2 suspension ban, the first of its kind nationwide, passed in 2017. Under the policy, students in prekindergarten through second grade cannot be suspended, unless an administrator and mental health professional can agree that their behavior poses an “imminent threat” that cannot be mitigated through other methods. The researchers explored the effects of the ban on both impacted grades and older students not subject to the ban, whether there was any evidence of schools circumventing the policy, and if the ban was effective at reducing the discipline disparities that previously existed in Maryland.
They found that the suspension ban significantly reduced suspensions in the intended grades but did not eliminate them completely. Furthermore, they did not find evidence of any strategic attempts by schools to work around the ban. While some wondered if the PK-2 ban would reduce suspensions for older students as well, the research did not bear this out. Older children in the same schools did not see any reduction in suspensions. Finally, the ban failed to address disparities in exclusionary discipline practices. While Black and Latino students experienced fewer suspensions overall, they were still suspended at higher rates relative to the student population as a whole, as they were before the ban. Moreover, special education students saw an increase in the disproportionality of their suspension rates.
Why This Matters in Minnesota
The evidence from Maryland provides a possible preview to the impacts of Minnesota’s PK-3 suspension ban, passed in the 2023 legislative session and enacted in schools statewide this past school year. Minnesota’s policy was the result of several years of advocacy and troubling findings from the Department of Human Rights on disparities in suspensions and expulsions, particularly for Black students, Indigenous students, and students with disabilities. While it will take a few years of high-quality data collection and analysis to understand the impacts of Minnesota’s suspension ban, if our results echo Maryland’s, lawmakers will need to consider adjustments to the policy to ensure any disparities are remedied and all students receive the supports they need to stay in class.
Do Teachers Perceive Absent Students Differently?
American Educational Research Association, June 2024
While the relationship between student absenteeism and academic outcomes has been explored, there is little research on the link between student-teacher relationships and attendance rates. This study explored teachers’ perceptions of absent students in early elementary grades, an age group with some of the highest rates of absenteeism. Researchers asked teachers about their relationships with absent students, as well as how they perceive those students’ academic and social skills compared to students who attend class more regularly.
They found that teachers feel less close to students who are absent, and that effect is greater the more students are absent. They also rate absent students’ social skills lower than their peers, and they perceive their math and language skills to be lower as well. These results are significant in the context of other research that shows negative perceptions of students by their teachers lead to lower outcomes.
Why This Matters in Minnesota
We’ve written extensively about Minnesota’s rates of chronic absenteeism in the years since COVID-19, which goes hand-in-hand with our state’s stagnant or decreasing test scores. This study raises another area of concern with absenteeism and shows how important attendance is for student success, both academically and socially. If Minnesotans are serious about improving student outcomes, we need to approach the attendance crisis with targeted solutions and ample resources. Policymakers took notice this year and funded a student attendance pilot program and a legislative task force – a good start, but it’s likely that much more is needed to meaningfully improve statewide attendance rates.
Multiple Choices: Weighing Updates to State Summative Assessments
Bellwether, June 2024
This report analyzes positives and drawbacks of several possible changes to statewide testing models. Citing growing concern over the role of standardized testing in education, the authors weigh six different approaches to changing large-scale testing. These approaches fall under two policy umbrellas that steer the testing conversation today: “reducing the testing footprint” and “increasing instructional relevance.” These are not mutually exclusive and many advocates and educators would like to see both goals achieved, but some strategies have tension between them.
Under the goal of reducing the testing footprint, one idea is reducing test time, which would open up more time for instruction, but could negatively impact the precision of results, since students would be tested on fewer skills. Other policy ideas under this umbrella include grade band testing, which reduces the number of grades in which students are tested, and matrix sampling, where students are tested on a sample of skills and the results are aggregated to the school level. Both of these approaches mean more time in the classroom, but individual student scores may become less meaningful.
The second policy goal, improving instructional relevance, includes approaches that would rethink the way in which students are tested. Instead of sitting for multiple-choice exams, they could do a performance assessment, where students answer an open-ended writing prompt or complete a math problem and are scored on a rubric. This has the benefit of measuring higher-order thinking and integrating multiple content areas into one task, but testing time and logistical burdens would likely increase. Another idea is the through-year assessment, where one end-of-year test is replaced with multiple assessments throughout the year. This brings more opportunities for remediation and measuring growth, but would also increase testing time and administrative costs.
Why This Matters in Minnesota
The Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA), our state’s annual test administered in every district, measures whether students have mastered state standards in reading, math, and science. While the content of the test, how the data is reported to families and the public, and how it is used for policy and school improvement has evolved over time, the nationwide policy debates described in the report have also been taking place in Minnesota for years. Some states, like Louisiana, have begun the process of re-thinking their assessments, and it’s likely that other states will follow suit soon. Policymakers and advocates should pay close attention to opportunities and pitfalls of approaches developing across the country to ensure our tests offer the most meaningful data possible about student outcomes, how they vary, and ongoing barriers.