FY16 Summative Evaluation Report
Regarding
Dodge County Middle/High Schools
21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant
June 2016
Prepared by:
Norris Consulting Group, Inc.
(External Evaluator)
Post Office Box 8332
Warner Robins, GA 31095
Phone 478.923.2955
Fax 478.923.2956
Table of Contents
I. Overview and History
II. Student Attendance and Enrollment...... 4
III. Program Operation
IV. Quality of Staffing
V. Objective Assessment
VI. Other Observations
VII. Progress Towards Sustainability
VIII.Overall Recommendations
Appendices
Appendix A: Data Tables by Site...... 31
Appendix B: Annual Student Satisfaction Surveys
Appendix C: Annual Family Satisfaction Survey
Appendix D: Family ProgramSurvey
Appendix E: Annual Staff Satisfaction Survey...... 51
Appendix F: Staff Training Survey...... 56
Appendix G: Focus Group Summary
Appendix H: Classroom Teacher Survey...... 66
Appendix I: Quarterly Worksheets
21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant
Summative Evaluation Report
I.Overview and History
In July 2014, the Dodge County Board of Education and the joint applicant, the Dodge Connection: A Communities in Schools Approach, Inc. received funding through to support the Dodge County 21st CCLC Initiative. The Dodge Middle/High School 21st CCLC Initiative grant award funded the program at the Dodge County Middle School and the Dodge County High School.
The target population is 100 at-risk students in grades 6 - 12 and their family members. The Initiative will provide services for 12 hours per week, Monday – Thursday, for at least 26 weeks (104 days) per year during the regular school year and 16 hours per week, Monday – Thursday, for four weeks (16 days) per year during the summer. The students are from two Title I schools, Dodge County Middle School and Dodge County High School. Our proposed programming will include tutoring and academic remediation activities (focusing on each student's individualized needs including credit recovery at the high school); recreation activities focusing on physical fitness and nutrition; other enrichment activities such as book club, creative writing, fine arts, arts and crafts, service projects and college and career readiness activities; telecommunications and technology education activities; and character education programs. All activities are aligned with the regular school day curriculum, individualized and are designed to ensure improvement in core academic content areas. It is our expectation that participants will benefit from the Initiative by having improved: academic performance; regular school attendance; homework completion; class participation; behavior; and family involvement.
II.Student Attendance and Enrollment
Number of Students EnrolledAfter School Program Site
2015 – 2016 School Year
Site / Number Enrolled / Percent of Total
Dodge County Middle / 80 / 50%
Dodge County High / 81 / 50%
Total / 161 / 100%
During the 2015-2016 school year, the Initiative had an enrollment of 161 at-risk students. These students were served at one of two sites: Dodge County Middle School and Dodge County High School.
Number of Sessions Attended by Participating Youth2015 – 2016 School Year
Number of Sessions / Number of Students / Percent of Total
1 – 9 sessions / 16 / 10%
10 – 19 sessions / 11 / 7%
20 – 29 sessions / 7 / 4%
30 – 39 sessions / 14 / 9%
40 – 49 sessions / 10 / 6%
50 – 59 sessions / 13 / 8%
60 – 69 sessions / 6 / 4%
70 – 79 sessions / 7 / 4%
80 – 89 sessions / 5 / 3%
90 – 99 sessions / 9 / 6%
100 – 109 sessions / 13 / 8%
110 – 110 sessions / 29 / 18%
120 or more sessions / 21 / 13%
Total / 161 / 100%
Avg. # of sessions/student / 71 sessions/student
Sessions began September 17, 2015 at the middle school site and September 22, 2015 at the high school site, and ended April 29, 2016. A total of 128sessions were provided at the middleschool site and 126 sessions were provided at thehigh school site. After school sessions were offered Monday – Friday for 2.5 hours daily. The average number of sessions attended per student was 71, with a total of 11,435 contacts for all students. The average daily attendance was 61at the middle school site and 29 at the high school site.
Race and Gender: Fifty-fourpercent (54%) of participating students are African American, 35% are Caucasian, 4% Hispanic, and 7% are of another ethnicity. This is compared to a school system profile of 34% African American; 58% white; 4% Hispanic, 3% other. Regarding gender, 46% of our students are male and 54% are female.
Grade Levels: Our participating students are enrolled in grades 6 – 12.
Free and Reduced Lunch: Seventy-eight (78%) percent of the students receive free or reduced lunch pricing, while 22% are not eligible.
III.Program Operation
Daily Programming Schedule for After School Programs:
The after school program ran from 3:15 – 5:45 P.M., Monday thru Friday. It began immediately after school with a healthy snack and discussion of character education. Afterwards, students transitioned into homework completion and credit recovery (high school students). Academic enrichment and instruction focusing on tutoring and technology is also a vital part of the program. Students are also offered recreation activities including music, board games, art, drama, and dance.
Success StoriesStudents are actively engaged and participated in the program. The Dodge County High School 21st Century program had a corn-hole tournament for the Lights On After Dark event that was awesome. Students competed against after school teachers and were very competitive. The students won! (Project Director, Quarter 2)
Students are actively engaged and participating in the program. (Project Director, Quarter 3)
We have several students graduating this year. More specifically, we have one student who received a full scholarship to Georgia Military College. (Project Director, Quarter 4)
Since the program began I have seen some students improve academically and behaviorally. Students have access to extra teacher support by participating in the program and receive the help they need to be successful. (DCMS Site Coordinator, Quarter 1)
There have been small improvements in a student academics, social skills, and some behavior problems have diminished. We offered a parent event and we had several parents that attended and we were able to provide them with some valuable information. (DCMS Site Coordinator, Quarter 2)
We provide parent events and we have some that attend, but it would be great if we could have 100% parent participation. We will continue to provide opportunities as expected and have information available to parents that would be a great help to them. (DCMS Site Coordinator, Quarter 2)
Parents have been pleased with the services offered to the students in the after school program because many of them are unable to help their child with their homework. Many of them are also pleased that we provide character education to reinforce what they are being taught at home. (DCMS Site Coordinator, Quarter 3)
There are some students that were having extreme difficulty in their academic subjects, but the design of the after school program has increased the number of students turning in their homework and they have a better understanding of the concepts. Many parents have been thankful for us being able to offer this help to their child/children because they were unable to help them. (DCMS Site Coordinator, Quarter 4)
The students in the program who attend regularly have been very successful in the 1st nine weeks' grading period. These results solidify the idea that the after school program helps students maintain academic success. (DCHS Site Coordinator, Quarter 1)
The program hosted a corn hole tournament for the parents, students, and staff of the after school program. (DCHS Site Coordinator, Quarter 2)
Dodge County High School held its first Valentine's Day luncheon for parents. Over 50 parents were in attendance. We plan to make this a yearly event. (DCHS Site Coordinator, Quarter 3)
Two of our 9th grade participants entered in the school talent show. These students are usually so reserved and quiet. They performed a praise dance and won 2nd place. (DCHS Site Coordinator, Quarter 4)
Family Literacy and Related Educational Development Activities
A total of 8 family literacy activities were held during the school year, totaling 11.5 hours of programming, with an average of 23 adults and 25 students attending. A total of 81 parents attended at least one activity, resulting in 138total parent contacts.
Family Literacy Activities2015 – 2016 School Year
Site / Event / Date / Time Offered / # of family members / # of students
DCMS / Open house / 8/17/15 / 5:00 – 7:00 P.M. / 51 / 56
Title I parent meeting / 9/17/15 / 5:00 – 6:00 P.M. / 44 / 48
Parent orientation / 9/17/15 / 5:30 – 6:00 P.M. / 44 / 48
Thriller Thursday / 10/29/15 / 5:00 – 7:00 P.M. / 11 / 15
Leap Into Learning / 2/29/16 / 5:00 – 7:00 P.M. / 20 / 22
DCHS / Title I parent meeting session 1 / 9/22/15 / 6:00 – 7:00 P.M. / 1 / 1
Senior parent meeting / 11/16/15 / 6:00 – 7:00 P.M. / 1 / 1
Title I parent meeting session 2 / 11/19/15 / 5:00 – 7:00 P.M. / 10 / 10
Total / 8 activities / 7 days / 11.5 hours / 23 parents per event / 25 students per event
IV.Quality of Staffing
Our initiative employed a total of 35 staff members. This includes: a Project Director, Middle School Site Coordinator (certified teacher), High School Site Coordinator (certified teacher), 17 other certified teachers and 16certified paraprofessionals and other staff members. The staff demographic profile is as follows: 77% female and 23% male; 81% white; 14% African American and 5% other. Our student:staff ratio for academic activities is no more than 10:1. Our student:staff ratio for other non-academic activities is no more than 15:1.
Staff and volunteer training continues to be a major focus throughout the program. A total of 14 opportunities were offered during the year with an average of 39 participants attending.
Staff and/or Volunteer Training2015 - 2016 School Year
Site / Date of Training / Description of Training Provided / Number of Participants
DCMS / 8/14/15 / Monthly staff meeting / 50
9/14/15 / Monthly staff meeting / 51
9/22/15 / 21st CCLC staff meeting / 17
10/14/15 / Monthly staff meeting / 49
11/17/15 / Monthly staff meeting / 53
12/15/15 / Monthly staff meeting / 51
1/19/16 / Monthly staff meeting / 49
2/17/16 / Monthly staff meeting / 50
3/15/16 / Monthly staff meeting / 51
5/17/16 / Monthly staff meeting / 49
DCHS / 9/1/15 / Professional development staff meeting / 16
12/7/15 thru 12/9/15 / School response program / 12
3/4/16 thru 3/10/16 / College student volunteer / 40
5/19/16 / Professional staff meeting / 8
V.Objective Assessment
The goals of the project include: (1). Improve academic performance; (2). Improve student attendance, behavior, homework completion and class participation.; and (3). Increase family involvement.
Gathering Results Level Indicators:
Short-Term:
Annual surveys were distributed to participating students, their parents and teachers at the end of the 2015-2016 school year. The contact information was obtained from the Cayen Afterschool 21 database.
Intermediate:
The initiative obtained the students’ grades, test scores, attendance, behavior, classroom participation, homework completion and year-end status information regarding the 2015-2016 school year.
Long-Term:
The drop-out and high school graduation information regarding these students are long-term indicators and will be tracked in upcoming years.
Evaluation Element / Result LevelShort / Intermediate / Long
Indicators / How many of these students attended the after school program at least 30 days?
How were these students’:
-outlook on life
-feelings about relationships
affected by participation in this program?
To what extent did their adult family members participate in literacy and related education development activities? / To what extent were:
-academic achievement (grades and test scores)
-attendance
-discipline
-behavior
-class participation
-homework completion
-year-end status
affected by participation in this program? / Did participants decide to remain in school (i.e. not drop out)?
Did participants graduate from high school on-time?
Instruments / -21st Century Annual Student, Family and Classroom Teacher Surveys
-Cayen Afterschool 21 database (student and parent contact information) and worksheets. / -School records
-Annual Family Surveys
-Annual Classroom Teacher Surveys. / -School records (dropout and graduation).
Administration / -Quarterly (contact information)
-End of school year (survey information) / -End of school year / -End of school year.
(future years)
Analysis / Descriptive statistical analysis / -Comparison of grade information for the first and last grading period
-Analysis of the number of students who have missed 15 or less days of school
-Analysis of year-end academic status
-Analysis of family and teacher surveys regarding their perceptions of improved student behavior, homework completion, and class participation. / -Percentage of participating students who subsequently dropout of school
-Percentage of participating students who subsequently graduate on-time.
The evaluation data was collected by the identified staff members. Demographic, contact and grades data and regular classroom teacher surveys relevant for the state’s Cayen Afterschool 21 database was subsequently entered into the Cayen Afterschool 21 database by our Data Collector. Additional data collection tools (e.g. additional worksheets, student surveys, parent surveys, after school program staff surveys and key stakeholder focus group sessions) and key results data (scores, attendance, discipline and year end promotion records) were forwarded directly to our evaluator (Norris Consulting Group). Norris Consulting Group staff subsequently downloaded relevant demographic, student and parent contact and grades information from the Cayen Afterschool 21 database and combined it with the other identified data to establish a county evaluation database. They utilized the information from this customized local database; an analysis of the student, parent, regular classroom teacher and after school program staff surveys; and a compilation of other relevant quantitative and qualitative information to prepare this report.
Status of Achievement of Goals and Objectives:
Goal #1: Improve Academic Performance
Objective #1.1: Each year of the grant, a minimum of 70% of the students actively participating (attending at least 30 sessions) in the program will improve or maintain their reading grades.
Did Not Meet Objective #1.1: 63% of the regularly participating students improved or maintained their reading grade during the 2015-2016 school year. Fifteen (15) of these students improved by at least one letter grade and three students raised a failing grade to at least a “C”.
Objective #1.2: Each year of the grant, a minimum of 70% of the students actively participating in the program will improve or maintain their language arts grades.
Did Not Meet Objective #1.2: 62% of the regularly participating students improved or maintained their language arts grade during the 2015-2016 school year. Forty-six (46) of these students improved by at least one letter grade and 18 students raised a failing grade to at least a “C”.
Objective #1.3: Each year of the grant, a minimum of 70% of the students actively participating in the program will improve or maintain their math grades.
Did Not Meet Objective #1.3: 53% of the regularly participating students improved or maintained their math grade during the 2015-2016 school year. Twenty-seven (27) of these students improved by at least one letter grade and 12 students raised a failing grade to at least a “C”.
Objective #1.4: Each year of the grant, the percentage of the actively participating students meeting or exceeding the state standard on the reading section of the CRCT/EOCT will be a minimum of 75%.
Did Not Meet Objective #1.4: 50% of the regularly participating students scored at the Developing Learner or higher on the ELA/reading section of the Georgia Milestones Assessment.
Objective #1.5: Each year of the grant, the percentage of the actively participating students meeting or exceeding the state standard on the language arts section of the CRCT/EOCT will be a minimum of 75%.
Did Not Meet Objective #1.5: 50% of the regularly participating students scored at the Developing Learner or higher on the ELA section of the Georgia Milestones Assessment.
Objective #1.6: Each year of the grant, the percentage of the actively participating students meeting or exceeding the state standard on the math section of the CRCT/EOCT will be a minimum of 70%.
Did Not Meet Objective #1.6: 56% of the regularly participating students scored at the Developing Learner or higher on the math section of the Georgia Milestones Assessment.
Objective #1.7: Each year of the grant, the percentage of the actively participating students meeting or exceeding the state standard on the science section of the CRCT/EOCT will be a minimum of 75%.
Did Not Meet Objective #1.7: 42% of the regularly participating students scored at the Developing Learner or higher on the science section of the Georgia Milestones Assessment.
Objective #1.8: Each year of the grant, the percentage of the actively participating students meeting or exceeding the state standard on the social studies section of the CRCT/EOCT will be a minimum of 75%.
Did Not Meet Objective #1.8: 61% of the regularly participating students scored at the Developing Learner or higher on the social studies section of the Georgia Milestones Assessment.
Goal #2: Improve student attendance, behavior, homework completion and class participation
Objective #2.1: Each year of the grant, a minimum of 80% of the students actively participating in the program will be absent from school for 15 days or less.
Met Objective #2.1: During the 2015-2016 school year, 99% of the regularly attending students were absent 15 days or less.
Objective #2.2: Each year of the grant, a minimum of 75% of students actively participating in the program will demonstrate improvement in homework completion.
Met Objective #2.2: During the 2015-2016 school year, of those needing to improve, 98% of students demonstrated improvement in homework completion.
Objective #2.3: Each year of the grant, a minimum of 75% of students actively participating in the program will demonstrate improvement in class participation.
Met Objective #2.3: During the 2015-2016 school year, of those needing to improve, 99% of students demonstrated improvement in class participation.
Objective #2.4: Each year of the grant, a minimum of 75% of students actively participating in the program will demonstrate improvement in behavior.
Met Objective #2.4: During the 2015-2016 school year, of those needing to improve, 82% of students demonstrated improvement in behavior.
Objective #2.5: Each year of the grant, a minimum of 85% of students actively participating in the program will be promoted to the next grade level.
Met Objective #2.5: During the 2015-2016 school year, 89% of the regularly attending students were promoted to the next grade level.
Goal #3: Increase family involvement
Objective #3.1: Each year of the grant, a minimum of 80% of the parents/guardians who attend at least one family related sessions will state that they have gained increased knowledge regarding encouraging and supporting their child's academic success.