Are Title I schools helping students make the grade? A comparison of grade 4 standardized test scores in Title I and non-Title I schools in West Georgia

The No Child Left Behind Act has established guidelines that are in place to ensure student academic achievement. In Georgia, the Criterion Reference Competency Test (CRCT) is the summative assessment that determines if schools have made Adequate Yearly Progress by raising achievement scores of students. Federal Title I funding is given to schools with a significant amount of students who are in the lower economic strata. The study determined if there was a difference in the CRCT scores for students in Grade 4 in Title I and non-Title I schools. Specifically, the content areas of reading and math scores were analyzed for 19 elementary schools located in a West Georgia school system. The study was quantitative and ex post facto. The data were collected from the 2008 CRCT. The results of the study showed that students who were in NonTitle I schools outperformed their counterparts in Title I schools in both reading and math with regard to the proportion of students meeting or exceeding on the CRCT. These differences were statistically significant. However, in comparing economically disadvantaged students in Title I schools to only economically disadvantaged students in NonTitle I schools the performance was relatively similar despite the additional funding and resources given to the Title I funded schools. Based on these conclusions, it is recommended that federal funding for Title I schools be reexamined. Suggested areas for future study include replicating this study within similar districts to determine causality by conducting a controlled quasi or true experimental design in order to assess what areas of Title I funding are not making an impact on student education.