An Evaluation of Freshman students that failed Global Perspectives at Tualatin High School in 2011

Kevin T. McManamon

EDTECH 505-4172Dr. Ross Perkins

Boise State UniversityJuly 26, 2011

Table of Contents Learning Reflection............................................................. 3Executive Summary.............................................................4Purpose of the Evaluation....................................................5Background Information.......................................................6Description of Evaluation Design.........................................8Results & Discussions.......................................................12Conclusions & Recommendations.....................................19Appendices..........................................................................21

Learning Reflection

Evaluation is inescapable. We surround ourselves in a world that measures, weighs, compares, estimates, appraises, criticizes, rates and forms decisions based on some criteria. It allows us to process and learn from feedback. That feedback (formative) can then be used to improve the quality of a program or process while it is occurring. It can also provide numerous measurements (summative) after a process has been completed compared to preselected criteria. Evaluation makes possible the assessment of the efficiency, effectiveness and/or impact of a program. Decisions regarding future funding, processes, goals, outcomes, the clients that are served, methodologies, and rationale for a program all stem from information gleaned from evaluations.

Evaluations are capable of providing all of this information that would be useful in making an informed decision. However, caution must be exercised when creating an evaluation. The development of how the problem is framed is crucial to what information an evaluation ultimately delivers to it’s intended audience. A poorly framed problem to be evaluated will leave the audience no closer to making an informed judgement than prior to the study being carried out. In fact, it could severely mislead them and cause greater confusion about the reality of the program in question.

It is my professional desire to apply what I have learned in this course and also to make use of this evaluation and its findings for the improvement of the student experience in Global Perspectives in the long range. I intend to continue to collect data relative to this class, inquire into the reasons behind student failure rates, and access other sources of data not available to me during the time in which this evaluation was conducted so as to lessen the failure rate among freshman who take this class in the future.

As an educational technologist, I must be constantly aware of personal biases I may have when designing instruction for the classroom. School districts are continually acquiring new technologies for class room use. Technology acquisition on a grand scale comes with incredible promise and potential for exciting and meaningful student outcomes. Infused into these potentially positive and well-intentioned expectations are biases, both for and against, technology itself. I must apply the skills and insights gained in this class to effectively design instruction that includes elements of technology for undeniable and valid reasons. Effective use of the methods of evaluation will guide my instructional design to include formative and summative feedback, valid and reliable data collection tools and assessments, the proper use of sampling methods and rubrics that appropriately measure either the content, construct or criteria of student outcomes utilizing the technology made available to them.

Executive Summary

This evaluation was conducted in order to determine the causes of student failure in a

freshman level course at Tualatin High School. Global Perspectives is a required class of all freshman students at Tualatin High School. It has been taught exclusively by the Social Studies department since 2009. It is designed to fulfill certain state requirements (career exploration and planning along with future academic planning for both high school and beyond) as well as provide a successful and smooth transition to the expectations of high school and embed core research skills students will apply in future Social Studies classes.

Tualatin High School administrators and teachers valued the importance of a smooth and successful transition from middle school to high school by supporting the creation and development of the Global Perspective curriculum to achieve those ambitions. As such, failure to pass this class by any freshman student greatly jeopardized future academic success. Determining the causes of student failure could help reduce this prospect. This evaluation investigated the causes of student failures in Global Perspectives in the 2010-2011 school year. This was carried out in order to help teachers understand the reasons behind such outcomes and provide them future guidance so as to avoid similar outcomes.

The evaluation collected qualitative feedback from teachers involved in the Global Perspectives class, other members of the Social Studies department, and other teachers and administrators at Tualatin High school after the conclusion of the 2010-2011 school year. Interviews were conducted in late June and early July 2011. Additionally, data was collected on freshman grades (including Global Perspectives as well as the core classes of English/Language Arts, Science and Math) from 2010-2011, attendance information, and state test scores from their 8th grade year.

The interviews strongly link student success in this class with attendance. The higher the number of absences, the more likely a student was to fail. Teachers responded that attendance was the biggest factor behind student failure. This was corroborated by the evaluation of attendance data in that it showed a direct relationship between declining attendance percentages and declining grades in Global Perspectives. Another finding of the data was a high percentage of failures among Hispanic students, which could be attributed to those students not making a personal connection with the class content. Teacher interviews stressed this component of the class (making a personal connection to the content) as being secondarily important for student academic success.

Purpose of the Evaluation

This evaluation was conducted to determine the reasons students at Tualatin High School failed a required freshman class, Global Perspectives. What was the purpose of doing this particular evaluation?

The purpose of this evaluation was to determine the causes of student failures in Global Perspectives. It is a required course and as such, teachers assigned to teach it, as well as the school administration, agreed that the goal of the class was to promote a successful transition from middle school to high school. It is hoped that this will build a strong foundation upon which future high school academic successes would be built by the students who successfully completed the Global Perspectives course. What were the central questions to be answered through the evaluation?

The central questions to be answered by this evaluation are what are causes a student to fail Global Perspectives? What is the profile of the student that fails Global Perspectives? What correlative data can be systematically assembled to provide future teachers of this course with a profile of students at risk of failing this class? Additionally, by interviewing the teachers of this class, an attempt will be made to determine what the coordinated teaching team was doing well as far as getting students to succeed academically in Global Perspectives. Who would be most impacted by the results of the evaluation?

Several groups will be most impacted by the results of this evaluation. The first group will be the instructors assigned to teach Global Perspectives in the immediate future. They will be provided with qualitative feedback from teachers who have experienced teaching the class and the beneficiaries of what their professional assessments are of the reasons behind students failing the course. Secondarily, the students enrolled in the class in the coming semesters will be impacted by this evaluation. They will be instructed by teachers who will be made aware of the reasons behind student failures. By those teachers having gained insight into the causes of failures in Global Perspectives, the indicators of possible failures will not go unnoticed and hopefully be directed toward remediation. Teachers of other freshman classes will be given similar awareness, through the efforts of the Global Perspectives teaching team, of what may be the factors that lead to failure in their respective classes. Counselors of freshman students, parents and school administrators will all be made aware of the correlative links of at risk students in their freshman year of high school as well.

Background Information

Tualatin High School is one of two high schools in the Tigard-Tualatin School District. The district also has an alternative high school completion facility, three middle schools, ten elementary schools, and cooperating agreement with a K-8 charter school. The school was opened in 1992 and is situated on a 64 acre campus in Tualatin, OR.The school operates on an alternating block schedule of 90 minute classes of four blocks that meet every other day. Students take eight classes each semester.

Tualatin High School had approximately 1,825 students, over 80 staff members and over 50 support staff for the 2010-2011 school year. The graduation rate has held steady at over 97% for the past decade. The district provides all students the opportunity to take the ACT test free of charge and the school routinely scores just above the national average of a 21. The four year college attendance rate was 52% for the 2010 school year, with a community college attendance rate adding another 26% for the same year.

The student body composition for the 2010-2011 school year was as follows: White 74.3%, Latino 14.9%, Asian 6.6%, African American 2.4% and Native American .7%. Students identified as Talented and Gifted (TAG) was 21.76%, students with 504 plans 1.9%, Special Education 7.2%, Limited English Proficient (LEP) 3.54%, Free and Reduced lunch 31% and Economically Disadvantaged 22.63%.

What was the origin of the program?

The Global Perspectives class was known as “Freshman Focus” up until the 2009-2010 school year when the decision was made to adopt a name change to more adequately reflect the class content. The class was incorporated, mostly wholesale, from another area high school with an eye toward providing freshman with a class specifically geared to the needs of the student transitioning from middle school to high school. What are the standards and/or goals of the program?

A number of goals evolved for this program over the years it has been taught at Tualatin High School. These were very specifically geared to the needs of freshman students. Some of these address state mandated instruction and experiences, others are academic skills chosen by staff members that would benefit the students in their remaining years at Tualatin High School and provide a framework for post high school planning for the students as well. These are as follows:

● A transition from middle school expectation to high school expectations.● Understanding graduation requirements.● Knowing how to access school-wide support systems.● Providing guidance to will enrich their high school experiences academically, socially

and personally.● Career information and exposure to resources to plan an educational path that aligns

with chosen career goals. Sub goals include- conducting a career self-interest survey, career exploration, create a resume, and participate in a mock job interview.

● Ensure “technological literacy” through exposure to and continued use of current technologies provided by the school district.

● Support school-wide attempts at developing academic literacy through the use of non-fiction reading (primarily textbook reading skills).

● Provide a foundation in the correct methods of conducting a high school research project (identifying and selecting credible sources, using a database for source selection, proper note taking skills, documenting of sources, presentation of learning in papers, speeches and electronic presentations).

What did previous programs look like?

Previous incarnations of the class were scattered across many departments in the school. No coordinated school-wide planning was undertaken. Unfortunately, some sections of the class were assigned so as to fill holes in the teaching schedules of some staff members to bring them up to a full FTE. The experiences of students varied from teacher to teacher. Some staff members embraced the class and sought to make it a meaningful and engaging experience while others put minimal effort into planning for class activities. Uniformity of expectations, student expectations and end products suffered as a result from the disjointed approach the class. Sometimes staff members focused solely on technology instruction, others just career information and others still on whatever they were most comfortable teaching given their instructional experiences and backgrounds. The unfortunate byproduct of this was a negative view of the class by students, staff and parents at the school that effectively drowned out the few positive and engaging student experience in classes taught by highly motivated instructors.

The decision was made to put the class solely in the Social Studies department starting in the 2009-2010 school year. Four Social Studies department members volunteered to teach the class (myself included) so as to make Global Perspectives an enriching experience that prepared the students for their futures both at Tualatin High School and beyond. We adopted a mentality that sought to improve the perceived and actual usefulness of the Global Perspectives program in the eyes of the stakeholders involved (students, parents, staff members, administration, and community members). The Global Perspectives teaching team chose to narrow the curricular scope of the class to include the previously mentioned “career unit” along with using historical and current event studies as a basis for teaching accepted research methods. Who are the people involved in the program?

The staff members who were involved in teaching the Global Perspectives course starting in 2009 were Mr. Chris Lieuallen, Mrs. Sarah Lundy, Ms. Vanessa Tharp and myself. The school’s principal, associate principal for instruction and Social Studies department coordinators were all very supportive and involved in the development of the redesigned curriculum of the Global Perspectives course. The school’s counseling department and career

to work coordinator were also involved in the program, particularly in their outside efforts with the local business community. They supported the program by arranging local business volunteers for the mock job interview activity, which was the capstone activity of the career unit for the students in Global Perspectives. What are the characteristics of the program? Describe in detail.

Global Perspectives was incorporated fully under the domain of the Social Studies department starting with the 2009-2010 school year. Only four Social Studies teachers were assigned to teach the course, which allowed for close collaboration and unified lesson plans. All of these teachers volunteered to teach this class and it comprised a majority of their teaching assignments. Close collaboration was carried out informally on an almost daily basis between all four staff members in the Global Perspectives team. Communication in person or via email among the team was a constant activity since 2009. Formal collaboration among the Global Perspectives teaching team took place one a month in a common prep period set aside for curricular development.

The Global Perspectives course was designed to adhere to the following unit sequence:

● Transition from middle school to high school. High school graduation requirements.● A career explorations unit.● Exploring the historical roots of inequality and monitor global current events within the

context of modern history.● Use the following Social Studies units to introduce research methodologies while

exploring the current events of each region:

○ The interconnected world of the Globalized economy.○ Modern China.○ The “new” Middle East.○ Modern India and its comparative advantage through information technology.○ Sub-Sarahan Africa.○ Latin America and the Caribbean.

● Conduct a research project of their choosing and report to the class.

Description of Evaluation Design

The evaluation model chosen for this project was based upon the Goal-Free model. This model was chosen for two reasons:

A. The Global Perspectives course is not specifically aligned with state education benchmarks per se; the career unit, academic planning, writing samples, speech samples, and technological training are all state expectations but are not required to be

demonstrated in any one particular course. Since no specific state mandated criteria were available to evaluate in comparison to, this model seemed appropriate tool to evaluate the problem. B. Multiple factors regarding the Global Perspectives course needed to be accounted for and therefore fit best under the umbrella of a goal free model for evaluation. The class was designed to be, and has evolved to become, a class centered around “academic success” for freshman students. Academic success, as measured by our current system of school wide evaluation (“grades”) can only be uniformly assessed as getting a final grade of D (60%) or higher. Each of the four instructors at Tualatin High School, as previously indicated closely collaborative in their planning efforts, yet they still maintained a level of academic and curricular independence by individualized their instruction. The experiences were very similar but not identical as different materials were used to teach the same units, accordingly points of emphasis varied slightly from teacher to teacher. Some instructors developed units collaboratively, others were created independently of the planning team. One staff member required a long term substitute teacher for maternity leave in which modifications were made during that time period in which she was out. Two other staff members had student teachers during this time frame. They modified their curriculum slightly to adapt to the needs of their respective student teachers who were in different university systems and at different stages of their respective teacher training programs. One student teacher was required to teach for several weeks, the other was only required to observe and teach a few lessons they created with minimal guidance from their master teacher. Therefore, the only standardized measure of passing or failing was the final grade received by each student in their respective Global Perspectives class.

The goal free model seeks to evaluate what the actual effects of a program are. The

model allows the evaluator to be freed from a strict set standards or measurements, set down prior to conducting the program. This does not restrict the determination of how the targeted audience is being effected. The observer is allowed to collect and record any and all data relative to the population being served and determine the importance of each. As stated previously, the Global Perspectives course is not specifically aligned with state of Oregon education benchmarks, as such the goal free model is an apt tool to apply in this case.

Sources of data Two sources of data were selected to determine the reasons behind student failures

in this class. One was a detailed interview with all available Global Perspectives teachers yielding qualitative data, the other was a comprehensive report of final grades of the entire 2011 freshman class yielding quantitative data. Included in the grade data were the following:

● Final grade in Global Perspectives.● Final grade in Mathematics.● Final grade in English/Language Arts.

● Final grade in Science.● Cumulative grade point average.● Racial designation.● Special education status.● 504 status.● Limited English Proficiency status.● Attendance percentage.● 8th grade state reading test score from 2010.● 8th grade state writing test score from 2010.● 8th grade state mathematics test score from 2010.

A potentially problematic issue of my own personal bias, as I am directly involved with

this class, was addressed prior to any data being gathered (both the qualitative feedback from the teachers of the course and the freshman grade report). Efforts were made to minimize the potential of my own bias impacting the structure of the evaluation prior to its construction. Due to the fact that I am one of four staff members assigned to teach this class and have been very heavily involved in the development of the curriculum, the potential for my own predetermined judgements as to what may cause students to fail was great. After being counseled by Dr. Perkins, I was able to identify a problem and structure a set of evaluation objectives that did not reflect my own personal rush to judgement. Before conducting the interviews with the other teachers of Global Perspectives, several steps were taken to reduce my own personal biases. They were as follows:

● Before interviews questions were created or finalized, the grade report data was compiled by our school’s associate Principal.

● Several staff members and school administrators were solicited for suggested questions to ask of the Global Perspectives teaching team and areas of personal bias I should be wary to avoid.

● Once a preliminary draft of interview questions was created, they were submitted back to the same staff members and administrators for final approval.

● The finalized questions were then asked of the Global Perspectives teaching team, the approved script of questions were asked without deviation and in the same order.

● A synthesized summary of their answers was compiled by myself and returned to the interview subjects for their approval, corrections or edits.

● As my experiences were to be included in the teacher interviews, I was asked the questions by a non-educator, neutral third party who recorded and synthesized my answers. This was done after the Global Perspectives teaching team interviews were conducted by myself. The data collection took place in late June and early July of 2011. The school year had

been concluded by this time, therefor direct surveys of students was not possible. Additionally, one member of the Global Perspectives teaching team was traveling outside the country and was not available for the interviews. The sequence listed above was followed to minimize personal biases and should be viewed as a progressive order of events of this evaluation.

Finalized Evaluators Plan Description

Program: Global Perspectives course for high school freshman.

Focus: Summative

Evaluation Questions

Program Objective/Goals

Activities to Observe

Data Source

Why are 9th grade students failing the Global Perspectives course?

To ensure that 9th graders pass Global Perspectives.

Grades of 9th grade students enrolled in Global Perspectives.

Grade reports & attendance

What are the causes of 9th graders failing Global Perspectives?

Identify the characteristics of students who fail Global Perspectives in 2011.

Grades of 9th grade students enrolled in Global Perspectives. Survey responses.

Qualitative data from teacher surveys and follow up interview; grade reports, 8th grade state test results & 9th grade attendance data.

What are actions taken by teachers that can diminish the failure rate among 9th graders in Global Perspectives?

Explore possible steps teachers can take to mitigate 9th grade failures in Global Perspectives.

Survey responses. Survey responses and follow up interviews.

Population/Sample Design Data Analysis Audience

Global Perspectives teaching team; 2010-2011 freshman class enrolled in Global Perspectives.

Grades from 2nd semester for Global Perspectives, Math, English and Science.

Descriptive analysis. The Global Perspectives teaching team and other freshman teachers.

Global Perspectives Grades from 2nd Descriptive analysis. The Global

teaching team; 2010-2011 freshman class enrolled in Global Perspectives.

semester for Global Perspectives, Math, English and Science.

Perspectives teaching team and other freshman teachers.

Staff members & school administrators.

Survey of staff members using personal interviews.

Descriptive analysis. The Global Perspectives teaching team and other freshman teachers.

Results & Discussions

The results of this evaluation will be presented as a synthesis of the qualitative feedback from the Global Perspective teaching team and of the quantitative data of the 2011 freshman grade results. Feedback from Global Perspectives teaching team:

The consensus among the teachers interviewed was that overall, freshman students at Tualatin High School are motivated, eager to participate, and very adept at understanding the basics of “how to pass” a class. One teacher characterized freshman as existing along a continuum, with varying levels of academic skills and or outside support that correlate to comparable successes in their first year of high school. Another teacher voiced concern that many students are not interested in deeper learning, that accumulating points in order to pass a class was the prime motivator of their academic lives. But by and large, they agreed that most freshman students have relatively good attendance patterns and that they have a desire to complete the work assigned to them to meet the expectations established by their teachers. In general, the teachers interviewed felt that while not all freshman students are ready for the adjustments required of them in high school at the beginning of the school year, the vast majority will be capable of passing all of their classes in their freshman year well before it is feasible to do so.

The teachers indicated that the Global Perspectives course is predicated upon providing a gentle introduction to the demands of high school. They agreed that the course curriculum is well suited to fostering a longer view of what they may be interested in future schooling or a career and finally providing basic training in the skills needed to conduct research projects in future high school courses.

Of the students who have completed the Global Perspectives course, all teachers indicated that at a minimum they should be adept at locating an electronic database containing credible articles useful for researching most any high school topic. They should be able to discern if their chosen articles are applicable to their assigned task, to cite it properly, take notes from it and generate some type of report (either oral, multimedia or written) in which they demonstrate subject mastery of the content. If students are unable to perform these tasks, in in

the judgement of the teachers interviewed, they stood very little chance of receiving a passing grade in Global Perspectives.

In the opinion of the teachers of the class, students who are successful usually have high attendance rates. They unanimously agreed that the more frequent contact they had with students, they less likely they were to be in jeopardy of failing the class. Being in class on a regular basis avoided confusion of class expectations, provided opportunities to work with peers and to seek clarification from the instructor. According to the teachers this lead to another factor of success, that of student engagement in at least one of the many units taught in the class. Teachers remarked that for most students that were successful in Global Perspectives, they exhibited a genuine fascination with at least one unit (more often, many units) covered in the class. A strong personal connection to content was cited as a correlated factor for students getting passing grades in Global Perspectives.

The interviews yielded feedback that points to higher than average absenteeism as being directly related to academic difficulty with the class. When asked to identify the number one reason students end up failing and the dominant characteristic of students who fail Global Perspectives, all teachers responded that non-attendance was central to both questions. Some teachers indicated that there may be a relationship with outside social factors (family discord, interpersonal relationships, lack of same-age friendships, etc.) that could be contributing factors in the puzzle of student absences. Overall, respondents indicated that if the student was absent, despite the best efforts of the teacher to overcome that (posting assignments on a class blog, emails sent home, homework sent to the office for family pick up, phone calls home, etc.) there was a high probability that they would score very poorly (if at all) on those given assignments. Thus a high rate of absenteeism likely resulted in not accumulating enough points to pass the class.

Finally, the surveys revealed that teachers believe that students who lack a personal connection to the school (participating in extra-curricular activities, language or cultural barriers, little or no social network of same-age friends, etc.) were at risk of failing Global Perspectives. Teachers responded that if the student didn’t establish a connection to the general propose of the class (as a launch pad for future academic success in high school), due to absenteeism or other factors, the potential for failure was greatly increased. 2011 Freshman grade synthesis:

After collecting the data of final grades for the freshman class in 2011, a picture emerged of the characteristics of the student that fails Global Perspectives. One objective of this evaluation is to determine a profile of the student who has failed Global Perspectives and therefore may heighten the awareness of teachers in the near future of students who may be at risk of failure. This evaluation of the quantitative data has yielded the following numerical picture of the freshman class in 2011.

While the overwhelming majority of students received an A or a B in Global Perspectives (46.2% and 24.1% respectively), 7.9% of the 457 freshman failed the class. Those that failed had an average total GPA of 1.04. Grade distribution for Global Perspectives and overall GPA are presented in the tables below.

Figure 1

Figure 2

An emerging picture of students who fail Global Perspectives further develops when linked with attendance data. The Global Perspectives teacher interview responses stressed the relationship between attendance and the rate of failures of freshman. As the graph below will demonstrate, a correlation between attendance percentage and grades in Global Perspectives can be seen. Students who received an A had attendance rates slightly over 97% while students who received an F had attendance rates just below 86%. This was an area specifically identified by the the Global Perspectives teaching team as having the strongest potential to cause students to fail the class.

Figure 3

The data also revealed a telling relationship between failing Global Perspectives and the other “core classes” they took in their freshman year. Core classes are Math, Science and English/Language Arts. Of the students who failed Global Perspectives, 4 students failed at least one core class, 18 failed at least two other core classes and 10 failed three other core classes. As indicated in the table below, students failing Global Perspectives also had very low GPA averages in core classes.

GPA averages in Core Classes of Students Failing Global Perspectives

Students Failing Global Perspectives

Average Math GPA 1.06

Average Science GPA .53

Average English/Language Arts GPA .16

Figure 4

This is significant in that the teacher surveys indicated that the majority of the Global Perspectives class is centered around academic skill building. These skills, while not identical or coordinated with the Science, Math or English/Language Arts departments, are exceedingly similar in their nature and application in all four classes. Difficulty with a skill in one class could

lead to similar difficulties in Global Perspectives (non-fiction reading, determining relevance of sources, analyzing skills, writing, reading and oral presentation skills).

All respondents to the interviews suggested a potential for failure might stem from the student not establishing a personal connection with the content. One responded indicated that cultural and/or linguistic barriers might be a cause of this, others responded that interference of outside forces in the students personal lives might be to blame for this lack of connection. While unable to survey student’s attitudes due to school not being in session at the time of this evaluation, one aspect of the data was interpreted to reveal a statistical anomaly formed along racial identification of the freshman student. A disproportionally higher rate of Hispanic students made up the pool of those who failed Global Perspectives (see Figure 5 below). Although they comprise only 15% of the general population at Tualatin High School, Hispanic students failed Global Perspectives at a rate just over 20%. Only 2 students failed Global Perspectives that were classified as Limited English Proficient (LEP), yet the cultural and linguistic subtleties of the course might prove to be a barrier to the larger Hispanic student population. This also applied to students identifying as Asian students as well, their failure rate was over 9% despite only numbering just 6% of the school population.

Percent of Racial Groups Failing Global Perspectives 2011

Racial Group Percentage of Students Failing Global Perspectives

White 3.57%

Hispanic 20.2%

Asian 9.09%

Figure 5

The grade data revealed another picture of the student who fails Global Perspectives,

that of state test scores on Math, Reading and Writing tests recorded in their 8th grade year. As demonstrated in Figures 6 and 7 below, a strong relationship exists between test scores and the grade received in Global Perspectives one year later. Students earning a grade of D or higher in Global Perspectives performed better on the state tests taken in their 8th grade year than did students who failed the class. While scoring an average of approximately 1% lower on Math and Reading tests, students who fail Global Perspectives scored an average of 5% lower on the Writing test than students who have a D or higher.

Figure 6

Figure 7 How good were the results of the program?

Since one of the informal goals of the program was to promote academic success for

freshman, with a failure rate just over 7% the results of the Global Perspectives program could be categorized as “promising.” This is not to imply that the failure of any student should be accepted but when compared to school’s overall trend of graduation rates being in the 97% range for the last decade (a 3% failure rate), the success rate of the Global Perspectives program could be acceptable given the much lower stakes present as compared to graduating high school. Additionally, it is generally accepted that freshman are less mature than seniors, are more prone to rash behavior and less likely to seriously contemplate the long-term consequences of their actions. As a result, a success rate of 93% could understandably be considered promising, admittedly with room for improvement. Are there any other possible explanations of the program results?

Having not worked closely with middle school teachers or administrators, it is possible that some success could be, and more than likely is, attributed to the academic training and exposure these students received as 8th graders and before. District writing and reading programs at the middle school level are unknown to the evaluator and may account for a solid basis upon which the research skills and other academic requirements of the Global Perspective curriculum are situated upon. Additionally, specific writing and reading skills taught in the freshman English/Language Arts class are also unknown to the evaluator and may have contributed to some of the academic success of the students. What are the benefits associated with the program?

Benefits of the program are as yet hard to quantify, but clearly perceptible. The course is the closest thing to a “freshman homeroom” experience for these students. Numerous school districts have struggled with ways to successfully transition students from middle school to high school. The academic, social, and emotional changes in expectations can be very challenging for some freshman. A goal of the Global Perspectives course is to minimize the stress and anxiety of entering high school. This is difficult to quantify without extensive student surveys and tracking of grade data as well as social and emotional surveys throughout their high school careers. However, based upon feedback from the teachers interviewed and my own personal experiences in teaching the class, it can be said that Global Perspectives is generally a safe, shared experience for freshman in which they can express their concerns and experience the transition to high school securely among their peers.

Conclusions & Recommendations Part I Immediate Conclusions Attendance issues

● Attendance is a strong correlative factor for being at risk of failing Global Perspectives. Students with excessive absences (4 to 5 days missed in a semester) are in jeopardy of failing the class.

● Open lines of communication between teacher and parents of students who are prone to absenteeism. Alert school counselors and administrators of concerns over specific student attendance rate.

● Work with school Attendance office to clarify absences as being either excused or unexcused. After two unexcused absences, make parent contact and enlist support of associate Principal for Student Affairs.

Hispanic students and Academic Achievement● Identify Hispanic students who may be struggling early in the semester so as to avoid

the possibility of failure.● Once the Hispanic students in need of extra academic support are identified, alert the

school based “Strategic Tutor” to work individually with them over the course of the semester to improve their grade in Global Perspectives as well as any other classes needing assistance.

Core class failures/low grades● Closely monitor minority students with low grades in any core classes; refer to Strategic

Tutor for academic support.● Create a bi-weekly grade check activity as a part of the class curriculum as taught by all

Global Perspective teachers. Use this activity to identify students early in the semester with low grades in core classes.

8th Grade State Test Scores● Gather 8th grade State test scores for Writing, Reading, and Math and alert the school’s

Strategic Tutor to monitor students with low scores. ● Alert counseling department to the students identified with low state test scores to be

sensitive to early dips in their overall GPA.● Pay particular attention to low Writing scores as the data from 2011 freshman indicated

a larger gap in scores between students who earned a D in Global Perspectives and those who failed. Establish contact with the English/Language arts teacher of students with low Writing scores for strategies that may be helpful in helping students with the required writing aspects of the class.

Part II Long-Range Planning

● It is recommended to establish an monthly attendance report so as to identify students who may be heading toward a critical point deficit as a result of excessive absences that may prove to be impossible to correct in time to avoid a failing grade.

● In an attempt to mitigate the negative effects of student absences, urge teachers of Global Perspectives to create a simple web page or blog in which absent students and/or parents could be made aware of assignments and activities they may have missed. Advertise this feature extensively to the parents of freshman students (notices sent home, in the signature of school email account, on school web page, in school news letter, handouts at open house and parent conferences).

● Collaborate with the Middle Schools from which Tualatin High School gets most of their freshman from to identify Hispanic students who struggled academically up through the 8th grade.

● Work in concert with the counseling office and the online grading system present in the school district, to monitor student grades in other core classes in order to identify students at risk of failing Global Perspectives. Work with district IT department personnel to create a notification system of student grades entering the critical zone of less than 70% in any class (the school is generally on standard 90% 80% 70% 60% grading system).

● Establish collaborative planning activities between teachers of Global Perspectives and English/Language Arts teachers to work on common strategies concerning reading and writing skills to bolster students skills in those respective areas as the two classes share many academic traits (and a corresponding failure rate- refer to Figure Four).

Part III Evaluation Insights

Given the opportunity to conduct this evaluation again, I would undertake it while school was in session. Not having any opinion or attitudinal feedback from the students enrolled in Global Perspectives was a limiting factor in determining all of the likely causes of student failures. Surveys could be conducted using a Likert scale to gauge student opinions and attitudes relative to the class. Students could be interviewed using sampling techniques (simple random samples or perhaps strategic sampling based upon 8th grade test scores or current grades in Global Perspectives if carried out after a significant passage of time) to determine their views of the class while it is progress. Other surveys could be conducted of former students (current 10th, 11th, or 12th graders) who had previously taken Global Perspectives. Data could be collected as to how well the research skills they were exposed to have retained by them, as well as tracking their grade from Global Perspectives and what they have earned in successive Social Studies and English/Language Arts classes.

Taking advantage of school being in session would also allow me to survey the rest of the Social Studies department, other teachers of freshman classes, the counseling department, the entire administrative team, and parents of current and former freshman. Gaining their feedback on what may cause freshman to fail in general may be illuminating when trying to focus on why freshman students fail this class in particular.

Appendix A.

Finalized Timeline Date Day Task

● 6/27/2011 Collect data with Asst. Principal● 6/30/2011 Create qualitative data survey● 7/1/2011 Create qualitative data survey● 7/4/2011 Get feedback on Survey● 7/5/2011 Get feedback on Survey ● 7/7/2011 Finalize interview questions and submit back to survey recipients for approval.● 7/11/2011 Administer interview to GP teaching team members.● 7/12/2011 Administer interview to GP teaching team members. ● 7/14/2011 Provide synthesized summary to interview subjects for edits/corrections.● 7/15/2011 Be interviewed by neutral 3rd party.● 7/16/2011 Align and analyze Student data and Staff feedback.● 7/17/2011 Align and analyze Student data and Staff feedback.● 7/18/2011 Align and analyze Student data and Staff feedback.● 7/19/2011 Purpose & Background sections● 7/20/2011 Methodology section● 7/21/2011 Results section● 7/22/2011 Discussion & Conclusion sections● 7/23/2011 Conclusions & Recommendations section ● 7/25/2011 Executive Summary section● 7/26/2011 Revise & proof read● 7/27/2011 Final project ● 7/29/2011 Submit Final project

Appendix B

Interview Questions for Global Perspectives Teaching Team

1. Describe the typical freshman student.2. How would you describe what the GP course is?3. If you were asked to specify them, what are the objectives of the GP course?4. What is the scope and sequence of the way you taught GP?5. is your grading system based on a cumulative assignment grade or proficiency?6. What things, specific to GP, should a student be able to demonstrate at the end of the

school year?7. If a student cannot perform a majority of those things by the end of the class, what is the

likelihood they will pass GP?8. What are the characteristics of the typical student that is successful in GP?9. Are the factors of successful students in GP as a result of course content or what they

bring to the class?10. If you had to choose the number one reason why students are successful in GP, what

would that be and why?11. What are the characteristics of the typical student that is unsuccessful in GP?12. What do you think are the causes of student failing GP?13. In your opinion, were more failures a result of non completion of course content or poor

performances?14. In your opinion, were more failures a result of non completion of major project(s) or from

poor performance on the major project(s)?15. If you had to choose the number one reason that cause students to fail GP, what would

that be and why?16. If you asked most students who failed your GP course “why” they failed, what would they

say?17. What other school related indicators would you identify as being predictive of students

who may be at risk of failing GP?18. Any individual comments, insights or suggestions?