Abstract

The purpose of this improvement science study was to increase mathematics readiness for the Texas Success Initiative Assessment 2.0 (TSIA2) among high school seniors in a South Texas border community. The study addressed persistently low TSIA2 mathematics passing rates, particularly among Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students. Guided by the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) framework, two improvement cycles were conducted using an embedded mixed-methods design. In Cycle 1, the Texas College Bridge (TCB), a self-paced platform built on NROC’s EdReady and the only Texas Education Agency–approved program for TSIA preparation, was implemented as the baseline intervention. Quantitative analysis indicated an 11.5% pass rate for the 2023–2024 senior cohort. Qualitative teacher survey data reported challenges with student engagement, instructional alignment, and fidelity of use. In Cycle 2, ChalkTalk, an interactive, teacher-mediated platform with embedded diagnostics, was introduced to address the challenges identified in Cycle 1. Quantitative results showed a statistically significant increase in pass rates to 33.2% for the 2024–2025 senior cohort, X²(1, N = 457) = 30.70, p < .001, Cramer’s V = .26. Teacher feedback emphasized the role of daily integration, adaptive features, and structured facilitation in supporting mathematics readiness. Integration of quantitative and qualitative findings indicated that intervention effectiveness was closely associated with implementation fidelity and teacher mediation. Although findings are not generalizable to all Texas schools, they are transferable to schools along the U.S.–Mexico border that serve majority Hispanic, low-income, and newcomer populations. This study contributes to improvement science research by documenting how iterative testing and mixed-methods integration were applied to refine mathematics readiness interventions and address local TSIA2 outcomes.

Date of publication

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Language

english

Persistent identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/10950/4896

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