Abstract
Persistent failure on the STAAR English End-of-Course assessments places thousands of Texas secondary students into remediation courses whose structures are rarely examined in their own right. This study evaluated an existing, locally developed secondary remediation system at one comprehensive high school, examining how its instructional and organizational structures related to STAAR retest outcomes across three testing cycles (Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025). Using a single revelatory case study within an explanatory sequential mixed methods design, framed by an improvement science perspective, the study first analyzed district-generated quantitative outcome data comparing STAAR English I and II retesters enrolled in the remediation course to retesters who were not enrolled. Qualitative analysis then examined fourteen instructional and organizational artifacts using a deductive coding framework organized around four system-level domains, interpreted through three improvement-science mechanisms: production, transfer, and stability. Findings indicated that students enrolled in the remediation course demonstrated higher STAAR pass rates than non-enrolled retesters across both English I and II, a pattern that largely persisted when outcomes from later testing administrations were included. Artifact analysis showed that production, transfer, and stability mechanisms were embedded throughout the course's design: literacy instruction extended beyond assessment preparation, a recurring routine connected remediation to students' core English coursework, and instructional materials and the documented monitoring routine remained stable across testing cycles. Some coding domains, notably monitoring and feedback, were thinly evidenced, a finding discussed in relation to what artifact-based methods can and cannot capture. The study's descriptive design does not permit causal claims; its findings instead document that favorable outcomes and a coherent instructional system coexisted within the bounded case. Implications for instructional practice, educational leadership, and state accountability policy are discussed, along with recommendations for evaluating secondary remediation systems longitudinally and designing them to persist beyond individual practitioners.
Date of publication
Summer 7-17-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Language
english
Persistent identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/10950/5215
Committee members
Yanira Oliveras Ph.D., Christopher Thomas, Ph.D., Forrest Kaiser Ed.D.
Degree
EdD in School Improvement
Recommended Citation
Davis, Danielle E., "EXAMINING INSTRUCTIONAL STRUCTURES IN A SECONDARY STAAR RETESTER REMEDIATION COURSE: AN EXPLANATORY SEQUENTIAL MIXED METHODS CASE STUDY" (2026). Education Theses and Dissertations. Paper 53.
http://hdl.handle.net/10950/5215