Eighth-grade graduates fared better in the transition to high school over time, but Freshman OnTrack rates were not consistently higher than at similar schools¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2020 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Ninth-grade GPAs of NLCI eighth-grade graduates and Freshman OnTrack rates at Collins improved over time, narrowing but not closing the gap with district averages, and were not consistently higher than comparison schools. → Elaine M. Allensworth and Andrew Zou 2020

Evidence¶

Elaine M. Allensworth and Andrew Zou 2020¶

Elaine M. Allensworth and Andrew Zou. (2020). Supporting Neighborhood Schools from Pre-K through High School: Successes and Challenges of the North Lawndale Cluster Initiative. UChicago Consortium Research Report. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/supporting-neighborhood-schools-from-pre-k-through-high-school

q2 · i? · causal · r2

Cohort analysis of first-time ninth-graders at Collins Academy and of NLCI eighth-grade graduates' ninth-grade GPAs, compared with district averages and matched schools. The report finds improving ninth-grade GPAs and OnTrack rates but states they were "not consistently higher" than similar schools; no effect size printed.

"The NLCI Freshman OnTrack rates were not consistently higher than those at other schools serving similar populations of students, suggesting that the improvements largely resulted from other district efforts, rather than the initiative itself."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• GPAs were very similar for students who did and did not enter CPS as ELs, with a reading-grade gap that closed by seventh grade and similar Freshman OnTrack rates — related
• Elementary attendance and school climate improved over time at NLCI schools but not significantly more than at comparison schools — related
• NLCI high school outcomes were lower than those of similar students at other CPS schools for most years of the initiative — reports the opposite
• CPS Freshman OnTrack rates rose from 58 to 89 percent between 2007 and 2017 while graduation rates rose 19 percentage points — related
• CHSRI students graduated at significantly higher four-year rates than similar students, with differences of 7 to more than 9 percentage points across cohorts — related
• Displaced students' freshman on-track-to-graduate rates did not differ from comparison students, regardless of their grade at closing — related
• Successfully transitioning from intermediate school to secondary school is pivotal for students to remain on track to graduate — related
• Freshman OnTrack remains a strong predictor of high school graduation even as on-track rates have risen — a broader claim this one bears on
• Test scores in grades 2-8 at NLCI schools improved at rates similar to the district, so gains cannot be attributed to the initiative — related
• CPS students' core GPAs continue to decline between eighth and ninth grade despite steady improvement in both eighth- and ninth-grade grades — related
• After two years, fewer graduates attended career academies and neighborhood high schools and more attended charter schools; these shifts were no different from comparison schools — related
• High student mobility limited the vertical-integration strategy: only about one-third of the 2014-15 NLCI pre-k cohort remained at NLCI schools by second grade — related