Making the AYP grade with learning-focused schools: A case study (Georgia)

American public education faces many challenges in the 21 st century with student academic achievement paramount in many state and federal legislative objectives. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) holds public schools accountable for a student's academic performance and ties education funding to accountability and results. In response, states and school systems have invested in instructional plans shown to meet the needs of their demographic profiles in order to promote learning and achieve Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) per NCLB criteria. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the effect, over time, of a research-based instructional framework on the reading and mathematics achievement of eighth-grade students in Columbia County (Georgia) public schools. A quasi-experimental, time-series study, O X O O, was conducted to determine if there were statistically significant differences in academic achievement as a function of Learning-Focused Schools implementation. Pre- and posttest results spanning a 3-year period measured Learning-Focused Schools achievement gains using the state-mandated CRCT instrument. Standardized test data were gathered for Columbia County Schools' middle school population before and after the implementation of the Learning-Focused Schools framework to evaluate the change in instructional delivery against productivity (gain or loss in student achievement). Repeated measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) revealed a decline in reading scores from the 2003 assessment to the 2004 assessment with subsequent recovery and improvement the following year. As with the reading test, mathematics CRCT scores declined after the first year of program implementation, but recovery in this area has been slower. It is expected that education leadership will use the results of this outcomes-based study to inform practice and drive decision-making in support of NCLB mandates as appropriate to their specific needs. It is hoped that the results will not only increase support for the district's plan but also contribute to the overall body of knowledge surrounding program effectiveness relative to the No Child Left Behind standards.