Academic College Readiness Indicators of Seniors Enrolled in University-Model Schools® and Traditional, Comprehensive Christian Schools

Abstract

This correlational study examined the relationship between type of high school a senior attends (University-Model SchoolRTM (UMS RTM) or traditional, comprehensive Christian) and academic college readiness, when controlling for prior academic achievement and gender. The study compared archival data from Christian school graduates from six schools located near Dallas, TX. Each took the Stanford-10 in their seventh, eighth, or ninth-grade years, which controlled for prior academic achievement. SAT and ACT scores measured academic college readiness. Results of three sequential multiple regressions, controlling for confounding, showed that prior academic achievement was significant in predicting SAT Composite, SAT Writing, and ACT Composite scores. Prior academic achievement and gender were statistically significant for the same three predictions. Gender was found to be a predictor of academic college readiness for SAT Writing. School type was found to be a statistically significant predictor for SAT Composite. The model that includes school type, while controlling for gender and prior academic achievement, was found to be significant for predicting academic college readiness for all three exams. The unstandardized regression coefficient for the SAT Composite yielded statistically significant results showing that UMSRTM seniors averaged higher scores on the SAT Composite exam than traditional, comprehensive Christian school seniors; however, the standardized regression coefficient did not find practical significance for the relationship between school type and academic college readiness. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone [phone]. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]