Rising ninth-grade on-track rates did not negatively affect schools' average ACT scores¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r1 · q2
Currency · newest study 2014 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? ACT scores remained close to prior levels even though more students, including many with weaker incoming skills, took the ACT in junior year. → Roderick 2014

Evidence¶

Roderick 2014¶

Roderick, M., Kelley-Kemple, T., Johnson, D.W., and Beechum, N.O. (2014). Preventable Failure: Improvements in Long-Term Outcomes when High Schools Focused on the Ninth Grade Year. UChicago CCSR Research Summary. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/preventable-failure-improvements-long-term-outcomes-when-high-schools-focused-ninth

q2 · i? · causal · r1

Analysis of average ACT scores in early-mover schools before and after on-track improvements. The summary reports scores "remained very close to what they were before," meaning average growth from EXPLORE to ACT stayed the same or increased.

"Increasing ninth grade on-track rates did not negatively affect high schools' average ACT scores—despite the fact that many more students with weaker incoming skills made it to junior year to take the test. ACT scores remained very close to what they were before on-track rates improved"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• On-track gains were largest for students with the lowest incoming skills and for African American males — related
• Freshman OnTrack remains a strong predictor of high school graduation even as on-track rates have risen — related
• Outcome differences between CHSRI new-start and redesigned schools were not statistically significant after accounting for incoming student differences — related