ACTION BASED RESEARCH & REVIEW

OF EFFECTIVENESS OF ACADEMIC
INTERVENTIONS AT COON RAPIDS
HIGH SCHOOL

BY MAL EDWARDS
INTERVENTIONS
Grades 9-12
147 students
4.5 staff positions devoted 100% to intervention
3 SAA and 1 Indian Ed position partially devoted.
 Data gathered shows GPA for tri when student was referred.
Most 10-12 grade students were referred 2017-2018 school year or before.
Data also gathered from GPA of Trimester 1 fall 2018.
Also gathered average credits earned for each grade level 10-12.
9th grade students only had first Trimester grades and no comparison set at the time of Data pull.
Gender data shows male and female students.

Credit averages per grade

9th grade - 1.1 * One trimester gathered
10th grade - 7.7
11th grade - 14.56
12th grade - 20.65
9th grade intervention
(52 students)
Gender

No data to compare all students began monitoring 1 trimester

10th grade intervention
(37 students)

37 students
11th grade intervention
(36 students)

36 students
12th grade intervention
(31 students)

31 students
Data gathered shows GPA student while on Intervention and GPA after leaving intervention.
Most 10-12 grade students were referred 2017-2018 school year or before.
Data also gathered from GPA of Trimester 1 fall 2018 - 2019 school year.
Also, gathered average credits earned for each grade level 10-12 for students no longer being supported by intervention. 63
student sample size.

Credit average per grade

9th grade- NA
10th grade - 9.26
11th grade - 17.33
12th grade - 21.96
 WHAT I LEARNED:

ACADEMIC INTERVENTIONS INCREASED

GPA SCORES FROM TRIMESTER ONE TO
TRIMESTER THREE IN GRADES TEN AND
ELEVEN DURING THE 2018-2019 SCHOOL
YEAR AT COON RAPIDS HIGH SCHOOL
 ►Action Based Research
Problem: Does having a
Student Achievement Advisor
increase academic success
with at risk youth at Coon
Rapids High School.

By Mal Edwards
Background of the Problem: At- PERSON INTERVIEWED: John Young, Achievement Coach
risk youth face mental CORE COMPENTENCIES: I. Instructional Management for the success of all
health issues, poverty, can learners. 3. Demonstrate the ability to utilize data for instructional decision
making.
be transient and face
homelessness, have poor L. Judgement and Problem analysis. 6. Demonstrate an understanding of and
utilize appropriate technology in problem analysis.
attendance, face
language and cultural barriers, DESCRIBE YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THE DATA WONK: He was able to share the
many different place data is gathered and how it drives decision making at
lack of social support, and often
the school on the administrative level.
have high
disciplinary action. etc...Creatin KEY LEARNINGS: Teachers---reading and math levels for each student in
class helps organize seating charts. Compare test scores across the school
g barriers to academic success. district to identify weak areas, test scores by demographics, classes that have
low test scores, build in interventions based on Free/Reduces levels in
DATA AT CRHS class. Admin---attendance and discipline records. Apply alternative
Master placement and SPED referrals based on performance.
Manager DATA INFORM MY UNDERSTANDING OF DATA DRIVING DECISION MAKING: The need
View Point UTILIZATION to use data to support the adding or moving of Staff FTE's. It supports
Synergy Teachers the need for extra supports (Social
Admin Workers, Therapists, School Psychologist). It can support new academic
avenues to pursue to help work on the narrowing of the achievement
gaps.
REFERENCES
► Basch, C. E. (2011). Healthier Students Are Better Learners: A Missing Link in School Reforms to Close the Achievement
Gap. Journal of School Health, 81(10), 593-598. doi:10.1111/j.1746-1561.2011.00632.x
► Cox, R. G., Zhang, L., Johnson, W. D., & Bender, D. R. (2007). Academic Performance and Substance Use: Findings From a
State Survey of Public High School Students. Journal of School Health, 77(3), 109-115. doi:10.1111/j.1746-1561.2007.00179.x
► Crosby, S. D., Day, A. G., Baroni, B. A., & Somers, C. L. (2015). School Staff Perspectives on the Challenges and Solutions to
Working With Court-Involved Students. Journal of School Health, 85(6), 347-354.
► Khalifa, M. (2013). Promoting Our Students: Examining the Role of School Leadership in the Self-Advocacy of At-risk
Students. Journal of School Leadership. V. (23.) p. 751-788.
► Lever, N., Sander, M. A., Lombardo, S., Randall, C., Axelrod, J., Rubenstein, M., & Weist, M. D. (2004). A Drop-Out Prevention
Program for High-Risk Inner-City Youth. Behavior Modification, 28(4), 513-527. doi:10.1177/0145445503259520
► Masten, A. S., Fiat, A. E., Labella, M. H., & Strack, R. A. (2015). Educating Homeless and Highly Mobile Students: Implications
of Research on Risk and Resilience. School Psychology Review, 44(3), 315-330. doi:10.17105/spr-15-0068.1
► Montgomery, G. T., & Hirth, M. A. (2011). Freshman Transition for At-Risk Students: Living with HEART. NAASP, 95(4) 245-265.
►
► Miller, F. G., Cook, C. R., & Zhang, Y. (2018). Initial development and evaluation of the student intervention
matching (SIM) form. Journal of School Psychology, 66, 11-24. doi:10.1016/j.jsp.2017.10.00
► Sanders, J., Munford, R., & Boden, J. (2018). Improving educational outcomes for at-risk students. British Educational
Research Journal, 44(5), 763-780. doi:10.1002/berj.3462
► Xiang, M., Xiangli, G., Jackon, A., Xiazan, W., & Qiang, G. (2017). School Psychology International, Vol. 38 (6) 647-663.
 WHAT I LEARNED:

THE RESULTS CONFIRM THAT THE

DATA COLLECTED WAS
STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. SEE
NEXT SLIDE.
DATA ANALYSIS Mean GPA scores for
Trimester 1= 1.46
MEAN, STANDARD DEVIATION, &TTEST Standard Deviation
Trimester 1: 0.6188788127

Mean GPA scores for

Trimester 2: 1.79
Standard Deviation
Trimester 2: 0.7683809474

TTEST= 0.01080571912
Pvalue < .05
It is statistically significant.
 Recommendations/Information
Gathered through data collection
and action-based research.
► There is a high probability that the increase in GPA scores from
trimester one and trimester three did not happen by chance.
► This research should be completed over different data sets and
time to increase reliability.
► Identify that there could be a relationship between an increase in
GPA scores and an Academic Achievement Advisor.