twilight high school, 11152012 final - houston independent … · 2013. 1. 16. · the twilight...

RESEARCHE d u c a t i o n a l P r o g r a m R e p o r t

D e pa r t m e n t o f r e s e a r c h a n D a c c o u n ta b i l i t yh o u s t o n i n D e p e n D e n t s c h o o l D i s t r i c t

Twilight High School ProgramProgram Evaluation, 2011−2012

2012 Board of Education

Michael L. LuncefordPresident

Anna EastmanFirst Vice President

Juliet Stipechesecond Vice President

Rhonda Skillern-Jonessecretary

Greg Meyersassistant secretary

Paula HarrisLawrence MarshallHarvin C. MooreManuel Rodriguez, Jr.

Terry B. Grier, Ed.D.sUPerintendent oF scHooLs

Carla Stevensassistant sUPerintendentdePartMent oF researcH and accoUntaBiLity

Kenyatha V. Loftis, Ph.D.researcH sPeciaList

Harry M. SeligresearcH ManaGer

Houston Independent School DistrictHattie Mae White educational support center4400 West 18th streetHouston, texas 77092-8501

www.houstonisd.org

it is the policy of the Houston independent school district not to discriminate on the basis of age, color, handicap or disability, ancestry, national origin, marital status, race, religion, sex, veteran status, or political affiliation in its educational or employment programs and activities.

HISD Research and Accountability_______________________________________________________________1

TWILIGHT HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM 2011–2012

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Program Description

The Twilight High School program in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) offers opportunities for students to make progress toward completing high school and planning a career during non-traditional school hours. It offers coursework, credit recovery, and Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) preparation through the provision of online and in-person services. The Twilight High School program serves students who are seeking credit recovery and accelerated instruction as well as students who are at risk of not completing their educationthose who are overage, parents, minimally employed, unemployed with multiple grade failures, experiencing truancy problems, or were previously reported as dropping out. The Twilight High School program, which began operations in November 2010, is organized as the Advanced Virtual Academy. It is housed in satellite buildings at seven high schools which serve as virtual academic centers for online coursework: DeVry/Contemporary Learning Center, Jesse Jones, Kashmere, Charles Milby, George Scarborough, Sharpstown (main campus), and Evan Worthing high schools. The purpose of this evaluation is to report program outcomes in the second year of program implementation including the following:

Characteristics of program participants;

Participant assessment of the program;

Academic outcomes for the 2011–2012 school year in comparison to the 2010–2011 school year.

Highlights

A total of 1,610 courses were completed by 487 students during the 2011–2012 school year. In the 2010–2011 school year, 107 students completed 250 courses.

A total of 56 students enrolled in the Twilight High School program graduated between September 1, 2011 and August 31, 2012. This was equivalent to 16.1 percent of the participants enrolled in grade 11 and grade 12 who completed coursework.

Over the two years of program implementation, 77 students have graduated through the Twilight High School program.

The results of a voluntary survey indicated that most students enrolled in the Twilight High School program for the 2011–2012 school year to graduate or earn a diploma (92.6 percent) and to recover credit (18.5 percent).

Student survey respondents reflected positively on the program staff, and the overwhelming majority indicated that they would recommend the Twilight High School program to their friends.

TWILIGHT HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM, 2011–2012

HISD Research and Accountability______________________________________________________________2

Recommendations

1. As the Twilight High School program has been successful, program expansion is recommended. Expanding the program to additional satellite centers may increase the number of students the program is able to serve and graduate.

2. It is recommended that program staff assess the need for an increased number of teachers. Survey respondents' recommendations for increasing the teaching staff could have reflected a real perceived need or it could be a by-product of the small sample size.

3. To increase the number of students providing feedback on the program, it is recommended that the annual student survey be conducted through a paper-based format.

HISD Research and Accountability_______________________________________________________________3

Introduction The Twilight High School program in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) offers

opportunities for students to make progress toward completing high school and planning a career during non-traditional school hours. It offers coursework, credit recovery, and Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) preparation through the provision of online and in-person services. The Twilight High School program serves students who are seeking credit recovery and accelerated instruction as well as students who are at risk of not completing their educationthose who are overage, parents, minimally employed, unemployed with multiple grade failures, experiencing truancy problems, or were previously reported as dropping out. The Twilight High School program, which began operations in November 2010, is organized as the Advanced Virtual Academy and is housed in seven satellite locations which serve as virtual academic centers for online coursework.

The Twilight High School program is aligned with HISD’s Core Initiative 3: Rigorous Instructional Standards and Supports and its goal that every student will have the rigorous instructional program required for college and career success. In support of HISD’s strategic direction, the Twilight High School program aims to decrease the dropout rate of HISD and to provide an opportunity for students to accelerate their educational careers.

The Twilight High School program combines components of several education models implemented

in the district: blended learning (e.g., the combination of online and face-to-face instruction), alternative instruction hours, and dropout recovery. Most coursework at Twilight High School is completed through APEX, an online learning portal. Teachers are available for face-to-face tutoring at the campuses during school hours for mathematics, English/language arts, science, Spanish, and for students who need special education services on a predetermined schedule. Students move through course work at their own pace. Once a student achieves a passing rate in a course, the student can enroll in additional courses. While the goal of the Twilight High School program is high school graduation, its staff sets students’ sights on college entrance and career preparation.

Method

Data Collection

Multiple sources of data were used in the evaluation of the Twilight High School program. The students of the Twilight High School program were the primary sources of information about the school in operation and students’ attitudes. Students were surveyed through Survey Monkey™. Students’ background and performance data were obtained through the Chancery Student Information System.

Data Limitations

Of the 791 students enrolled in the Twilight High school program over the course of the 2011–2012 school year, 487 of whom completed coursework, only 27 students responded to the voluntary student survey. This greatly limited the types of inferences that could be made from the survey responses and prevented drawing conclusions about the entire Twilight High School program population. However, the survey responses could be used to provide insight into how some program participants experience the program, creating a foundation for future exploration into program participants' experiences.



Results What were the characteristics and motivations of Twilight High School program participants?

In this section, only information about students for whom complete records are available is presented. A component of the Twilight High School program grading model is the repetition of courses until content mastery is achieved. Information on course enrollment and completion is available only after students have achieved content mastery. Therefore, only information about students who completed coursework is presented.

Over the course of the 2011–2012 academic year, 487 students enrolled in the Twilight High School program and completed coursework. A higher percentage of this population was female (51.7 percent, n=252) than was male (48.3 percent, n=235).

Enrollees who completed coursework were primarily of Hispanic and African American origin. Hispanics represented 48.9 percent (n= 238) of the population; African Americans represented 40.2 percent (n= 196); and whites represented 2.3 percent (n=11). The demographic composition of students who completed coursework in the 2010–2011 school year can be found in Figure 1.

Source: Chancery Management System, 2010–2011 and 2011–2012. Indicators of multiple racial/ethnic identities were not available.

The ages of Twilight High School program students ranged from 15 to 24 in the 2011–2012 school year as compared to ranging from 14 to 26 in the 2010–2011 school year. In the 2011–2012 school year, 169 students (34.7 percent of students completing coursework) were over the age of 18. In the 2010–2011 school year, 29 students (27.1 percent of students completing coursework) were over the age of 18. See Figure 2 (page 5) and Appendix A (page 16).

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Figure 1. Racial and ethnic backgrounds of Twilight High School program enrollees who completed coursework, 2010–2011 and 2011–2012



Note: Age is calculated as of September 1, 2010, for the 2010–2011 school year and September 1, 2011, for the

2011–2012 school year.

Students were enrolled in grades 9–12. In the 2011–2012 school year, 186 grade 12 students, 162

grade 11 students, 86 grade 10 students, and 53 grade 9 students were enrolled and completed coursework. The enrollment figures for students completing courses in the 2010–2011 school year can be found in Figure 3, page 6.

Figure 2. Ages of Twilight High School program enrollees who completed coursework, 2010–2011 and 2011–2012

0.4%(N=2)

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28.7%(N=140)

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18.3%(N=89)

6.4%(N=31)

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3.1% (N=15)

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2011–2012(N=487)

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2010–2011(N=107)

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Figure 5. Enrollment of students in the Twilight High School program by months,

2011–2012

Note: Start month for one respondent is not reported due to an error in data entry. Survey respondents were asked to report all sources from which they had heard of the Twilight High

School program. About 59 percent of respondents (n=16) heard about Twilight High School from a school counselor. Five respondents (18.5 percent) heard about the program from a friend. The HISD website, a truancy officer, and a parent/guardian each were the source of information about the Twilight High School program for 11.1 percent (three students). Other reported sources of information about the Twilight program were court mandate, an HISD high school principal, and administrators affiliated with a different school district. Unlike the 2010–2011 school year, no 2011–2012 respondents reported hearing about the program through an invitational letter. See Figure 6 below.

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2010–2011 2011–2012

Figure 6. Sources of information about the Twilight High School program, 2010–2011 and 2011–2012

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Students were asked to identify all of their motivations for enrolling in the Twilight High School program. They indicated their desires to graduate high school or earn a diploma (92.6 percent), recover credits (18.5 percent), return to high school after dropping out (14.8 percent), and recover attendance hours (11.1 percent). Respondents to the 2010–2011 student survey reported a broader range of motivations for program enrollment than 2011–2012 survey respondents. See Figure 7a and Figure 7b.

Figure 7a. Motivations for enrolling in the Twilight High School program,

2010–2011 and 2011–2012

Note: Respondents were able to select more than one motivation.

Note: Respondents were able to select more than one motivation.

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2010–2011 2011–2012

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Figure 7b. Motivations for enrolling in the Twilight High School program, 2010–2011 and 2011–2012

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to the instructional methods, changes to enrollees' work schedules, and some students' lack of motivation. See Figure 14, page 13.

Figure 14. Twilight High School students who completed coursework as a percentage of Twilight High School program enrollees, 2010–2011 and 2011–2012

A total of 1,610 courses were completed by Twilight High School enrollees in the 2011–2012 school year as compared to 250 courses being completed in 2010–2011. See Figure 15.

Figure 15. Number of courses successfully completed by students in the Twilight High School program by grade level, 2010–2011 and 2011–2012

1835

19

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162 186

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The total number of courses completed by a single student ranged from one to 16 in both program years. Students earned one-half credit for each completed course. See Figure 16.

Figure 16. Number of courses completed by students in the Twilight High School program,

2010–2011 and 2011–2012

The Twilight High School program graduated 56 students (16.1 percent of students who enrolled as

grade 11 and grade 12 students and completed coursework) in the 2011–2012 school year. In comparison, the Twilight High School program graduated 21 students (38.9 percent of students who enrolled as grade 11 and grade 12 students and completed coursework) in the 2010–2011 school year. See Figure 17.

59

14 10 10 5 71 1

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 15 16

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Number of Courses Completed

2010–2011 2011–2012

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50

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2010–2011 2011–2012

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2010–2011 2011–2012

Figure 17. Number of Twilight High School program graduates, 2010–2011 and 2011–2012



Participants in the Twilight High School program have graduated in December, June, and August of each program implementation year. Figure 18 reports the number of students who have graduated from high school through the Twilight High School program by graduation date.

Figure 18. Number of students who have graduated from high school through the Twilight High School program, 2010–2011 and 2011–2012

Discussion

The second year of Twilight High School program implementation has resulted in success. The number of students who enrolled in the program increased from 312 to 791, and the percentage of enrolled students who completed coursework increased from 34.3 percent to 61.6 percent. This suggests that the program not only grew, but that it also became more effective. Twilight High School students completed 1,610 courses during the school year, over six times the number of courses completed in the first year of program implementation. The number of students who graduated through the Twilight High School program also increased by more than 100 percent. In the 2010–2011 school year, 21 Twilight High School students graduated while 56 Twilight High School students graduated in the 2011–2012 school year.

As reported by a small sample of survey respondents, Twilight High School program participants were positive about their decisions to continue or to return to school through the Twilight High School program. Overall, they reported feeling empowered with a plan for their futures and supported by the Twilight High School program staff. Participation in the program was highly recommended by survey respondents. When asked how they would improve the program, survey respondents reiterated their satisfaction with the program and also recommended increasing the number of teachers affiliated with the program and increasing the number of course offerings.

1 11

10 9

15

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5

10

15

20

25

30

35

December 2010 June 2011 August 2011 December 2011 June 2012 August 2012

Nu

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Graduation Date

Grade 11 Grade 12

2010–2011 2011–2012



Appendix A Ages of Twilight High School program enrollees who completed coursework,

2010–2011 and 2011–2012

Age 2010–2011 school year 2011–2012 school year 15 5 2 16 7 39 17 22 140 18 21 137 19 15 89 20 7 31 21 4 24 22 2 15 23 1 5 24 – 5

Unknown 23 –

twilight high school, 11152012 final - houston independent … · 2013. 1. 16. · the twilight...

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