By Rachael N. Becker, Meredith Paige Richards, Alexandra E. Pavlakis, Kessa Roberts (Southern Methodist University)
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This study examines the relationship between Hurricane Harvey and the COVID-19 pandemic on AP Statistics students in Houston Independent School District (HISD). Specifically, this study utilizes AP Statistics participation and achievement data from 2011-2020 to evaluate the influences of a natural disaster and a global pandemic on students within HISD. An interrupted time series approach was used to evaluate the publicly available data. The data suggests that Harvey corresponded to increased participation on the AP Statistics exam in HISD, while COVID-19 aligns with decreased participation. Inversely, Harvey had a negative relationship with student achievement in HISD when compared to national pass rates and COVID-19 had a positive relationship with student achievement in HISD when compared to national pass rates.