Socioeconomic Status and Mathematics: A Critical Examination of Mathematics Performance in Grades Three through Eight by Mathematical Objective

This quantitative research study examined TAKS mathematics performance data across socioeconomic identifiers and found statistically significant differences were observable in grade three across all objectives between students ’ not identified as economically disadvantaged and students ’ receiving free meals. The highest number of quantifiable differences occurred between the mean scores of students ’ identified as not economically disadvantaged scoring significantly higher on objective means than students ’ receiving free meals or identified as other economically disadvantaged. After students ’ move beyond the third grade, the number of statistically significant differences drastically reduces. By the eighth grade, statistical differences are difficult to locate. An examination of within group data did not identify any statistical significance