How acoustics in California high performance schools relate to student achievement

This project seeks to determine if students at K-12 schools that have received High Performance Incentive (HPI) grants in the state of California in the United States do evidence higher scholastic achievement, based on publicly available results on state-wide standardized tests. Since its inception in 2006, the HPI grant program has provided supplemental funds for school districts to build school buildings with high performance attributes. The attributes are assessed by a High Performance Rating Criteria (HPRC), modeled after criteria set forth by the California Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS). The criteria for indoor environmental quality include assessments of the building's thermal, air quality, lighting and acoustic conditions. In this project, data on these conditions as submitted by schools receiving HPI grants, particularly related to acoustic conditions, will be analyzed against that school's Academic Performance Index (API). The API is based on student achievement results from the California Standardized Testing and Results Program (STAR), which includes both English/Language Arts and Math topic areas. Specifically, this paper will report results of statistical analyses to determine if there are significant differences on API and STAR student achievement results between HPI and non-HPI schools with similar demographics.