Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Programs for Higher Education
Advisor
Harvey Sadoff
Committee Member
Donald Lueder
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Keywords
academic performance, afterschool programs, Bibb County Public School System, computer technology, Georgia High School Graduation Assessment, high schools, language arts, mathematics, organizational skills, problem-solving skills, science, social studies, student achievement, study skills, summer programs, technology, test performance, writing
Abstract
This applied dissertation was designed to improve the academic performance of students in the Bibb County Public School System taking the Georgia High School Graduation Assessment through the use of technology. An analysis of test results over the last 3 years showed a failure rate of 53% on the Georgia High School Graduation Assessment with the majority of the 1st-time test takers having repeated 1 or more of the Graduation tests.
After reviewing the Spring 2001 Georgia High School Graduation Assessment results, the students’ academic history, and feedback from the faculty and student interviews, the writer implemented an afterschool and summer program utilizing computer technology beginning in the Spring 2002. The primary goals for the afterschool and summer programs were to help students develop problem-solving skills; to familiarize the students with the sample test items in the areas of language arts, science, social studies, math, and writing; and to help them develop organizational and study skills.
An analysis of the data revealed that the performance of students in language arts, math, and social studies was nearly the same in 2001 and 2002. Students retested in language arts and social studies had a higher passing rate during 2002 than in the 2001 school term. There was a 1-2 percentage-point variation in the percentage of students who passed all 3 tests and the percentage of students who passed 1 test.