PROBLEM: This study investigated the effectiveness of the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) at Fairview High School. AVID’s mission is to close the achievement gap by preparing students for college readiness. The achievement gap is a phenomenon observed generally across American schools, and specifically at Fairview High School. The study answered the research question: What effect does participation in AVID at Fairview High School have on selected student performance indicators after at least one year of enrollment in the AVID elective class? METHOD: The study used a quasi-experimental design with a sample of 67 students who experienced AVID for at least one academic year and 69 students who did not. When comparing the two groups analyses controlled for student grade point averages prior to entry into the AVID program, prior standardized test performance, ethnicity, gender, and free or reduced lunch status. Regression analysis was used to estimate AVID’s impact on indicators of college readiness including the strength of student schedules, student grade point average (GPA), standardized test performance in Math and Language Arts, PSAT participation, PSAT scores, and attendance. FINDINGS: AVID’s estimated impact was statistically significant on 4 of 13 outcome measures. There was a statistically significant direct relationship between participation in AVID and the strength of a student’s schedule, student performance on the grade 11 Language Arts section of the HSPA, and participation in the PSAT. There was a statistically significant inverse relationship between participation in AVID and GPA. SIGNIFICANCE: The significance of the study is that it provides information to the Fairview High School site team on the extent to which the investment in the AVID program is producing its intended effects. The findings imply that certain aspects of AVID’s implementation are contributing to positive measured effects. However, the findings also demonstrate one negative effect and multiple outcomes without any measurable effect. The site team at Fairview High School will be able to use the results of this study to assess AVID’s impact as well as to determine areas of future study regarding AVID’s implementation and effects at Fairview High School.
Subject (authority = RUETD)
Topic
Educational Leadership
RelatedItem (type = host)
TitleInfo
Title
Rutgers University Electronic Theses and Dissertations
I hereby grant to the Rutgers University Libraries and to my school the non-exclusive right to archive, reproduce and distribute my thesis or dissertation, in whole or in part, and/or my abstract, in whole or in part, in and from an electronic format, subject to the release date subsequently stipulated in this submittal form and approved by my school. I represent and stipulate that the thesis or dissertation and its abstract are my original work, that they do not infringe or violate any rights of others, and that I make these grants as the sole owner of the rights to my thesis or dissertation and its abstract. I represent that I have obtained written permissions, when necessary, from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis or dissertation and will supply copies of such upon request by my school. I acknowledge that RU ETD and my school will not distribute my thesis or dissertation or its abstract if, in their reasonable judgment, they believe all such rights have not been secured. I acknowledge that I retain ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use all or part of this thesis or dissertation in future works, such as articles or books.