Date of Award
2000
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
National EdD Program for Educational Leaders
Advisor
Maureen Fitzpatrick
Committee Member
Charles L. Faires
Keywords
career awareness, courses, Freshman Connection, freshman year, functional tests, high school, intervention, ninth grade, program evaluation, school failure, staff development, student assessment, student success, teacher training, teachers, testing, transition to high school, academic performance, advanced courses, alternative schedule, parents, repeating ninth grade, school year, student performance, students, success strategies
Abstract
The purpose of this practicum was to develop, implement, and assess a plan for reducing the number of freshmen at the high school who failed the grade, with failure being defined as the inability to earn 4 credits within 1 year. From the 1993-1994 school year until the 1997-1998 school year, an average of 17.7% of the 9th-grade class had to repeat the grade. Through the year-long implementation of the plan called the Freshman Connection program, the researcher hoped that the failure rate of 21.9% in 1998 would be reduced to 10.0% in 1999.
The Freshman Connection program entailed (a) a program that provided all incoming freshmen with an alternative schedule, (b) courses that assisted students in passing functional tests and in areas of known difficulty for previous 9th graders, (c) plans to review the Freshman Connection program after implementation, (d) ongoing assessments of the new program, (e) staff development for teachers, (f) preparation for staff and students, and (g) career awareness for students. With the information that was gathered during the practicum period, the researcher determined that the Freshman Connection program was implemented as designed. Teachers reported that they had more time to teach subject matter, and students seemed prepared for more advanced courses at the end of the term. Parents reported that they were aware of their children's performance. Students reported that they had more time to master concepts taught by teachers.
The Freshman Connection program was working. However, the number of students repeating 9th grade was not reduced to 10.0%, but there was a 1.7% decrease from the 1998 school year. There were several positive outcomes from the intervention including the fact that the entire school implemented plans to ensure student success by adopting the Freshman Connection program strategies. Staff at the high school had agreed to continue implementing the Freshman Connection program during the 1999-2000 school year with hopes of continuing to decrease the number of students who fail.