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Illinois State Board of Education 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program: State-Level Program Evaluation 2015-2016
Year Published: 2017
A statewide evaluation of Illinois’ 21st CCLC programs during the 2015-16 school year found that based on teacher surveys, a strong majority of students attending a program for 30 days or more saw improvements in their academics, behavior, and engagement in school. For example, teachers reported that regularly participating students made improvements in their academic performance (elementary schoolers- 64 percent, middle/high schoolers- 59 percent), behavior in class (elementary schoolers- 60 percent, middle/high schoolers- 52 percent), motivation to learn (elementary schoolers- 64 percent, middle/high schoolers- 56 percent), and regular school day attendance (elementary schoolers- 57 percent, middle/high schoolers- 50 percent).
Program Name: Illinois 21st Century Community Learning Centers
Program Description:
Illinois’ 21st Century Community Learning Center program, which is federally-funded through the 21st CCLC Initiative, provides academic enrichment opportunities for children at high-poverty and low-performing schools. During the 2014-15 program year, 123 grantees operated 387 sites and served 43,162 students.
Scope of the Evaluation: Statewide
Program Type: Afterschool
Location: Illinois
Community Type: Rural, Urban, Suburban
Grade level: Elementary School, Middle School, High School
Program Demographics:
All schools served by Illinois’ 21st CCLC programs are Title I eligible, meaning more than 40 percent of students qualify for Free and Reduced Price Lunch (FRPL). In both the 2013 and 2015 cohorts, more than 85 percent of students qualified for FRPL. (See Figure 13 in the report for more details)
Program Website: https://www.isbe.net/Pages/21st-Century-Community-Learning-Centers.aspx
Evaluator: Goodyear, L., Mansori, S., Cox, J., & Rodriguez, S. EDC.
Evaluation Methods:
This evaluation collected data through a spring and fall survey of sub-grantees and local evaluation reports completed by grantees. Due to the discontinuation of the federal reporting system, the Profile and Performance Information Collection System (PPICS), some data were not available to include, such as student federal proficiency levels. Additionally, due to changes in standardized testing in Illinois, the availability of test scores at the time of evaluation, and changes in grading systems and reporting systems, only a subset of programs were able to provide data on changes in students’ grades.
Evaluation Type: Non-experimental
Summary of Outcomes:
The evaluation of Illinois’ 21st CCLC programs during the 2015-16 school year found that based on teacher surveys, a strong majority of students regularly participating in programs (attending a program for 30 days or more) saw improvements in their academic performance and behavior and engagement in school.
As reported by school day teachers, more than 6 in 10 elementary schoolers regularly participating in 21st CCLC programs improved their academic performance (64 percent), homework completion (64 percent), and ability to turn in homework on time (62 percent). More than half of regularly participating middle and high schoolers improved their academic performance (59 percent), completing their homework on time (60 percent), and ability to turn in homework on time (59 percent). Among grantees that submitted data on students’ reading and math proficiency (less than 40 percent of sites), among pre-K through 5th grade students regularly participating in the program, 16.1 percent improved to “proficient” or above in math and 11.4 percent improved to “proficient” or above in reading. Among 6th through 12th grade students regularly participating in the program, 16.7 percent improved to “proficient” or above in math and 16.5 percent improved to “proficient” or above in reading.
Teachers reported that a majority of students regularly participating in Illinois 21st CCLC programs made improvements in their ability to get along well with others (elementary schoolers- 67 percent, middle/high schoolers- 52 percent), their behavior in class (elementary schoolers- 60 percent, middle/high schoolers- 52 percent), and their classroom attentiveness (elementary schoolers-58 percent, middle/high schoolers- 52 percent). Teachers also reported that regular attendees increased their motivation to learn (elementary schoolers- 64 percent, middle/high schoolers- 56 percent), classroom involvement (elementary schoolers- 59 percent, middle/high schoolers- 52 percent), and regular school day attendance (elementary schoolers- 57 percent, middle/high schoolers- 50 percent).
Associated Evaluation: https://www.isbe.net/Documents/statewide_report_1516.pdf
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