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21st Century Community Learning Centers 2015-2016: A Descriptive Evaluation (West Virginia)
Year Published: 2017
A statewide evaluation of West Virginia’s 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) programs–based on exam scores and teacher surveys–found that students attending a program for at least 30 days (regular attendees) experienced academic and behavioral improvements. The overwhelming majority of program participants either stayed the same or improved their performance level from the previous year on statewide exams in reading (elementary- 82 percent, middle school- 82.2 percent, high school- 83.5 percent) and math (elementary- 81.1 percent, middle school- 85.9 percent, high school- 83.1 percent). Teachers also reported improvements in students’ homework completion and class participation (69.1 percent) and overall behavior in the classroom (59.6 percent).
Program Name: West Virginia 21st Century Community Learning Centers
Program Description:
West Virginia’s 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 2015-16 program year, West Virginia’s 21st CCLC programs served 12,388 students.
Scope of the Evaluation: Statewide
Program Type: Afterschool
Location: West Virginia
Grade level: Elementary School, Middle School, High School
Program Demographics:
All schools served by West Virginia’s 21st CCLC programs are Title I eligible, meaning more than 40 percent of students qualify for Free and Reduced Price Lunch.
Program Website: https://wvde.state.wv.us/21stcclc/
Evaluator: Hammer, P.C., & Whisman, A. West Virginia Department of Education.
Evaluation Methods:
This evaluation uses responses from regular school-day teachers on the 21st CCLC Teacher Survey on changes in student behavior, and gathers student attendance data from the West Virginia Department of Education 21st CCLC database. The evaluation also gathers academic outcomes data from the West Virginia General Summative Assessment for students (grades 4-11) who participated in a program for at least 30 days (regular attendees). The math and reading scores of regular attendees are compared by grade level with a matching control group of nonparticipants who were selected using propensity score matching on specific criteria.
Evaluation Type: Experimental;Quasi-experimental
Summary of Outcomes:
A statewide evaluation of West Virginia’s 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) programs–based on exam scores and teacher surveys–found that students attending a program for at least 30 days (regular attendees) experienced both academic and behavioral improvements.
When looking at student performance on the West Virginia General Summative Assessment, the overwhelming majority of program participants either stayed the same or improved their performance level from the previous year in English language arts (Elementary- 82 percent, Middle School- 82.2 percent, High School- 83.5 percent) and math (Elementary- 81.1 percent, Middle School- 85.9 percent, High School- 83.1 percent). In addition, a comparison of regular program attendees and nonparticipants showed a statistically significant higher gain in math performance levels among participating high school students versus nonparticipating high school students.
Teachers responding to an end-of-year survey reported that a strong majority of regular program participants improved in the two areas of homework completion and class participation (69.1 percent) and overall behavior in the classroom (59.6 percent).
Associated Evaluation: https://wvde.state.wv.us/21stcclc/documents/21stCenturyCommunityLearningCenters2015-2016ADescriptiveEvaluation.pdf
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Date Added: December 13, 2018
