Project Proficiency: Assessing the Independent Effects of High School Reform in an Urban District

ABSTRACT.

The authors sought to determine if an urban school district's effort to fundamentally change teaching, assessment, and intervention practices increased student achievement and decreased achievement variation among classrooms in 11 high schools. They examined Grade 11 mathematics achievement data from the 2009–2010 and 2010–2011 Kentucky Core Content Test. The sample consisted of 2,451 students in 11 high schools that implemented an initiative called Project Proficiency. The study used hierarchical linear modeling to determine if changes in instructional practices yielded academic gains, while controlling for individual and school socioeconomic status (SES) and prior student achievement. The analysis revealed that Project Proficiency had a significant impact on state mathematics achievement and reduced classroom variation by 55% in the final model, as opposed to 16% in the control group. Results also indicated that a school's SES had a greater influence on student achievement than an individual student's SES.

Keywords:

• district reform
• school composition
• school effectiveness
• school improvement
• school turnaround

Notes

¹Although it is theoretically impossible for true variance increase, estimated variance increases can occur. For more detailed discussions of the theoretical and technical aspects of variance estimate increases see page 19 of Snijders and Bosker (1999).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Glenn S. Baete

Glenn S. Baete was a former high school principal in Jefferson County Public Schools, where he serves as the Evaluation and Transition Coordinator. He earned his EdD from the University of Louisville.

Craig Hochbein

Craig Hochbein is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at Lehigh University. His research utilizes quantitative analyses to examine the longitudinal development of school performance, specifically investigating factors associated with declining academic achievement and the effectiveness of policies intended to improve school performance.