Leveling the Education Playing Field for Disadvantaged Youth
Purpose:
To level the education playing field for disadvantaged youth (Organizational Mission).
Method:
We will focus J2W resources and capacity, using multiple platforms, that work in synergy to address the targeted challenges (Program Strategy).
End State:
Disadvantaged youth have measurable improvements in post-high school productivity (Impact Measurement).
Strategy to Achieve Theory of Change Work to ensure more access to quality early childhood education programs, coupled with supplemental after-school/summer programs throughout elementary school, to better ensure students are on-level by 3rd grade. Students on-level by 3rd grade regularly attend school, feel connected, and have higher on-time graduation rates.
Community-Level Impact Measures of Performance
Data Analysis
- Goal: To demonstrate community-level academic and social emotional learning impact in all three geographic service areas.
- Method: From 2021-2031, evaluate key academic and social emotional learning indicators within the entire elementary school (pre-kindergarten through 5th grade) student body for each district.
- Results:
- In 2021, we looked to establish baselines for evaluation.
- For pre-kindergarten developmental milestones, we looked at Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) testing in Virginia and Early Learning Assessment (ELA) testing in Maryland.
- For kindergarten readiness, we looked at Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program (VKRP) testing in Virginia and Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) testing in Maryland.
- For 3rd grade on-level math and reading, we looked at Standards of Learning (SOL) testing in Virginia and the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) testing in Maryland.
- For elementary school attendance, we are measuring a reduction in chronic absenteeism rates.
- For out of school time and social emotional learning readiness, we are measuring a reduction in short and long-term in-school suspensions.
- As expected, the most recent standardized testing resulted in significant decreases in student performance when comparing 2018-2019 pre-COVID results against 2020-2021 post-COVID numbers.
- As expected, the most recent standardized testing resulted in significant decreases in student performance when comparing 2018-2019 pre-COVID results against 2020-2021 post-COVID numbers.
- We expect to test our overall theory in change by beginning to compare these impact metrics starting in 2022.
- In 2021, we looked to establish baselines for evaluation.