34 in a high percentage of test items. For instance, third grade students must achieve a scale score of 1585 in Reading and 1589 in Math, corresponding to correctly answering 74% and 72% of test items, respectively. The current study measured campus performance by analyzing the percentage of Hispanic and EB students achieving the Meets Grade Level performance standard or higher on STAAR assessments. For each campus, grade level, and subject area, this calculation involved identifying the total number of Hispanic or EB students tested, determining how many scored at or above the Meets Grade Level scale score, and computing the percentage of students meeting the standard (Texas Education Agency, 2023d). This systematic approach ensured consistent measurement across all participating campuses. The scale scores and corresponding percentages of correct items required for Meets Grade Level performance served as the benchmark for evaluating student achievement in the current study. Data were collected from 3,719 elementary campuses via the Texas Academic Performance Reports (TAPR; Texas Education Agency, 2024). Schools were categorized based on whether their principal held both principal and bilingual teacher certification, verified via the Texas Education Agency’s Public Information Request system as shown in Table 1. The final sample, as shown in Table 1, consisted of 3,719 elementary campuses across all 20 Education Service Center (ESC) regions in Texas, ensuring broad geographic representation and statewide relevance. Among these campuses, 2,028 (54.53%) were led by principals with bilingual certification, while 1,656 (45.47%) were led by non-certified principals. This near-even distribution of bilingual-certified leadership provided a strong foundation for statistical comparison and added rigor to the current study’s design. The fact that a slight majority of campuses were led by certified principals reflects an emerging shift in Texas toward valuing linguistically and culturally responsive leadership, particularly in light of the state’s increasingly diverse student population. To maintain the integrity of the dataset, specific exclusion criteria were applied. Campuses were removed if they served primarily special populations, lacked complete STAAR performance data, or had fewer than five Hispanic or EB students in the relevant tested grades. This refinement ensured the reliability of the findings and their applicability to the target population. Research Questions The research questions that guided the current study are as follows: Research Question 1 (RQ1) Is there a difference in STAAR math performance for Hispanic students in Grades 3, 4, and 5 between campuses led by principals with and without bilingual teacher certification? Jesús Luján, Ed.D. Table 1 Bilingual Certification Status of Principals Bilingual-Certified Principal Number of Campuses % of Campuses in Sample No 1,656 45.47% Yes 2,028 54.53% Total 3,719 100.0% The final sample, as shown in Table 1, consisted of 3,719 elementary campuses across all 20 Education Service Center (ESC) regions in Texas, ensuring broad Figure 1 Bilingual Certification Status of Principals
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