Relationship Between Opportunity to Learn and Student Performance on English and Algebra Assessments

The purpose of this study was to examine how various opportunity to learn (OTL) variables impact student outcomes and whether these effects are consistent across different subject areas. In this study, we examined the impact of OTL variables on student performance on English and algebra assessments. Despite the differences in the subject areas, 3 consistent findings emerged. First, we found a significant positive relationship between teacher expertise and student performance. Teacher expertise in this study is defined specifically as expertise and knowledge within the content areas covered in the standards and the district assessment, rather than overall expertise in the subject area. Our study also showed that content coverage was positively correlated with student performance in English and algebra. Finally, consistent with previous findings, our study indicated that the socioeconomic status of the classroom has a significant impact on student performance.

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