Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

5-1999

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Major

Educational Administration

Major Professor

Mary Jane Connelly

Committee Members

George Harris, Lloyd Davis, Stephanie Bellar, Gary Ubben

Abstract

This study examined the impact of the Special Instructional Assistance program on academic achievement as reported through reading and math standardized test results on the ITBS of students from one Georgia school system. The study tracked students from kindergarten through grade three and reported the number of years the student participated in the SIA program. Test comparisons were made to determine if the number of years of participation made a significant impact on academic achievement in either reading or mathematics. Test comparisons were also made between students who were SIA participants and students who never participated in the program. Finally, third grade and fifth grade ITBS results in reading and mathematics were compared for SIA participants to determine maintenance of effectiveness.

Evaluation of the SIA program had previously included subjective measures such as teacher comments. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the SIA program utilizing objective and validated measures of achievement that are presently being requested by those in policymaking positions who influence the financial allocations given to such programs. The study made no attempt to evaluate the methods of implementation or the eligibility and identification criteria.

The study found no significant differences in the reading or math test results among SIA participants, no matter how many years students participated in the program. These results may have been influenced by the placement process of using teacher recommendations. Students who participated for only one year may not have demonstrated the greatest need and would have shown a greater test score than the other groups. A significant difference was found, however, when comparing the reading and mathematics achievement scores between SIA and non- SiA participants. Students who had never participated in the program had significantly higher tests results for both reading and mathematics but this also may be attributable to the success of the identification process for the SIA program. The comparison of third- and fifth- grade tests results for SIA participants also indicated a significant increase in the areas of reading and mathematics. Though the reading score was still lower than the score expected for average ability students, the reading scores of the SIA participants made the same increase as that expected of average ability students. The same was not true in the area of of mathematics. The mathematics scores of SIA participants did not make the same increase as that expected of average ability students.

The main conclusions of this study ware that due to program design problems such as the absence of a true experimental and control situation, this study could not demonstrate that the number of years of participation had any significant impact on academic achievement in reading or mathematics; the conclusion that student achievement improved the longer a student participated in the SIA could not be made due to the possible success of the identification process; and, even though the average standard score for SIA participants was not as great the average score expected of average ability students in reading or mathematics, SIA participants did make the same academic gains in reading as could be expected of average ability students.

Recommendations included conducting a study which can document both pre- and post-test results; measuring achievement on a yearly basis through consistent administration of a standardized achievement test such as the ITBS; conducting a study which can examine the achievement differences between a true experimental and control group situation; comparing test results of SIA participants to non-SIA participants between third and fifth grade; examining different SIA implementation models and comparing the achievement differences of their participants; expanding this study to include a greater sampling of school systems across Georgia, but doing so only after eliminating current design problems which prohibit clear comparisons of SIA and non-SIA participants; including students who change schools during the years of possible SIA participation; and, evaluating effects of the SIA program, other than achievement differences, such as teacher morale, student discipline issues, grade retention, and student motivation.

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