This correlational, explanatory, longitudinal study sought to determine the combination of community and family-level demographic variables found in the 2010 U.S. Census data that most accurately predicted a New Jersey school district’s percentage of students scoring proficient or above on the 2010, 2011, and 2012 NJ ASK 7 in Language Arts and Mathematics. Analysis included simultaneous multiple linear regression and hierarchical linear regression. The population for this study included 100% of New Jersey school districts containing at least 25 valid NJ ASK scores in Language Arts and Mathematics for the years 2010-2012 and complete 2010 census data for the communities each district serves. Charter school districts, technical schools, regional school districts, and school districts not containing seventh grade students were excluded from the study. The results of this study revealed that using the (a) percentage of all people under poverty, (b) percentage of community members with a bachelor’s degree, and (c) percentage of families with an income of $200,000 or more, which account for an individual’s community and family social capital, the percentage of students scoring Proficient or above, at the district level, were accurately predicted within the standard error of the estimate for 72.3% to 76.8% of the total districts’ Language Arts portion and 71.0% to 74.3% of the total districts’ Mathematics portions for the 2010-2012 NJ ASK 7. This study is unique in that the same three community and family-level demographic variables combined to predict assessment results over a three-year period. Moreover, the results from this study contribute to the existing research and demonstrate multiple measures should be used to make high-stakes decisions in education.
","abstract_html":"<p>This correlational, explanatory, longitudinal study sought to determine the combination of community and family-level demographic variables found in the 2010 U.S. Census data that most accurately predicted a New Jersey school district’s percentage of students scoring proficient or above on the 2010, 2011, and 2012 NJ ASK 7 in Language Arts and Mathematics. Analysis included simultaneous multiple linear regression and hierarchical linear regression. The population for this study included 100% of New Jersey school districts containing at least 25 valid NJ ASK scores in Language Arts and Mathematics for the years 2010-2012 and complete 2010 census data for the communities each district serves. Charter school districts, technical schools, regional school districts, and school districts not containing seventh grade students were excluded from the study. The results of this study revealed that using the (a) percentage of all people under poverty, (b) percentage of community members with a bachelor’s degree, and (c) percentage of families with an income of $200,000 or more, which account for an individual’s community and family social capital, the percentage of students scoring Proficient or above, at the district level, were accurately predicted within the standard error of the estimate for 72.3% to 76.8% of the total districts’ Language Arts portion and 71.0% to 74.3% of the total districts’ Mathematics portions for the 2010-2012 NJ ASK 7. This study is unique in that the same three community and family-level demographic variables combined to predict assessment results over a three-year period. Moreover, the results from this study contribute to the existing research and demonstrate multiple measures should be used to make high-stakes decisions in education.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Wolfe, Adam"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"EdD Education Leadership, Management and Policy","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Education Leadership, Management and Policy","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Christopher Tienken, Ed.D","Gerard Babo, Ed.D.","Luke Stedrak, Ed.D"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2016,"date_issued":"2016-02-24T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2016-02-24T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:33:15Z","subjects":["Demographic Variables and Achievement","Standardized","High Stakes","Achievement","NJ ASK Achievement","Predictive Test Results","Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarship.shu.edu/dissertations/2157","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Christopher Tienken, Ed.D","Gerard Babo, Ed.D.","Luke Stedrak, Ed.D"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Wolfe, Adam"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2016-04-25T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Education Leadership, Management and Policy"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["EdD Education Leadership, Management and Policy"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Demographic Variables and Achievement","Standardized","High Stakes","Achievement","NJ ASK Achievement","Predictive Test Results","Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarship.shu.edu/dissertations/2157"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This correlational, explanatory, longitudinal study sought to determine the combination of community and family-level demographic variables found in the 2010 U.S. Census data that most accurately predicted a New Jersey school district’s percentage of students scoring proficient or above on the 2010, 2011, and 2012 NJ ASK 7 in Language Arts and Mathematics. Analysis included simultaneous multiple linear regression and hierarchical linear regression. The population for this study included 100% of New Jersey school districts containing at least 25 valid NJ ASK scores in Language Arts and Mathematics for the years 2010-2012 and complete 2010 census data for the communities each district serves. Charter school districts, technical schools, regional school districts, and school districts not containing seventh grade students were excluded from the study. The results of this study revealed that using the (a) percentage of all people under poverty, (b) percentage of community members with a bachelor’s degree, and (c) percentage of families with an income of $200,000 or more, which account for an individual’s community and family social capital, the percentage of students scoring Proficient or above, at the district level, were accurately predicted within the standard error of the estimate for 72.3% to 76.8% of the total districts’ Language Arts portion and 71.0% to 74.3% of the total districts’ Mathematics portions for the 2010-2012 NJ ASK 7. This study is unique in that the same three community and family-level demographic variables combined to predict assessment results over a three-year period. Moreover, the results from this study contribute to the existing research and demonstrate multiple measures should be used to make high-stakes decisions in education.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Predictive Influence of Family and Community Demographic Variables on Grade 7 Student Achievement in Language Arts and Mathematics"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Christopher Tienken, Ed.D","Gerard Babo, Ed.D.","Luke Stedrak, Ed.D"],"dc:creator":["Wolfe, Adam"],"dc:date.available":["2016-04-25T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This correlational, explanatory, longitudinal study sought to determine the combination of community and family-level demographic variables found in the 2010 U.S. Census data that most accurately predicted a New Jersey school district’s percentage of students scoring proficient or above on the 2010, 2011, and 2012 NJ ASK 7 in Language Arts and Mathematics. Analysis included simultaneous multiple linear regression and hierarchical linear regression. The population for this study included 100% of New Jersey school districts containing at least 25 valid NJ ASK scores in Language Arts and Mathematics for the years 2010-2012 and complete 2010 census data for the communities each district serves. Charter school districts, technical schools, regional school districts, and school districts not containing seventh grade students were excluded from the study. The results of this study revealed that using the (a) percentage of all people under poverty, (b) percentage of community members with a bachelor’s degree, and (c) percentage of families with an income of $200,000 or more, which account for an individual’s community and family social capital, the percentage of students scoring Proficient or above, at the district level, were accurately predicted within the standard error of the estimate for 72.3% to 76.8% of the total districts’ Language Arts portion and 71.0% to 74.3% of the total districts’ Mathematics portions for the 2010-2012 NJ ASK 7. This study is unique in that the same three community and family-level demographic variables combined to predict assessment results over a three-year period. Moreover, the results from this study contribute to the existing research and demonstrate multiple measures should be used to make high-stakes decisions in education.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarship.shu.edu/dissertations/2157"],"dc:subject":["Demographic Variables and Achievement","Standardized","High Stakes","Achievement","NJ ASK Achievement","Predictive Test Results","Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration"],"dc:title":["The Predictive Influence of Family and Community Demographic Variables on Grade 7 Student Achievement in Language Arts and Mathematics"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Education Leadership, Management and Policy"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["EdD Education Leadership, Management and Policy"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:33:15Z"}