The Impact Of A Ninth Grade Academy Program On Student Achievement
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Date
2016
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Department
Advanced Studies, Leadership, and Policy
Program
Doctor of Education
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This item is made available by Morgan State University for personal, educational, and research purposes in accordance with Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. Other uses may require permission from the copyright owner.
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Abstract
The performance of ninth graders has remained a topic of focus in the educational arena, given the observation that performance in this critical year is linked to success or failure in future educational outcomes. In response to this recognition, many school districts have implemented programs to make the transition to high school a less problematic one. One such initiative that has gained much popularity is the Ninth Grade Academy. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether or not there was a significant difference in the attendance, behavior, and achievement of students who did, or did not participate in a Ninth Grade Academy Program. Using a framework developed from the small learning communities construct, and its perceived relationship to the social capital theory, the study employed a causal-comparative research design. Attendance, suspension, and Grade Point Average (GPA) data from a single school site were compared over a two-year period. The t-test of independent samples was used in the analysis of attendance, and GPA data. The chi-square test was applied in the analysis of the suspension data. At the alpha level of .05, the findings revealed that there was no significant difference between the attendance and GPA of the two groups of students. A significant difference was found between the suspension rates of the two groups in favor of students who participated in the Ninth Grade Academy Program. Based on the findings, recommendations were made for future research.