California Afterschool Outcome Measures Project: Field Test of Measure of Skill Development and Positive Behavior Change: Report on Phase II Pilot Study and Phase II Field Test
Professor and Chair
On January 11 Professor and Chair Deborah Lowe Vandell presented findings from the Phase II Pilot Study and the Phase II Field Test of the California Afterschool Outcome Measures Project to members of the California Department of Education Before and Afterschool Advisory Committee in Sacramento. Her report included information about the project website that has been created and a summary of the results of the spring 2010 pilot work. The Phase II Pilot Study involved 27 sites of which 13 were in Southern California and 14 in Northern California (18 elementary schools, 6 middle school, and 3 center-based sites - 5 urban, 10 rural, and 12 suburban). Pilot data were gathered from 1,656 students, 105 staff, and 70 classroom teachers. (See PowerPoint Presentation and Psychometric Documentation Report for additional information.)
At the close of her presentation Dr. Vandell announced that next steps include Spring 2011 Field Testing. Programs not previously participating can enlist for the Spring testing. (New programs will receive support for the Spring cycle and will receive a report of the Spring administration.) Findings from the Spring testing will be disseminated in Summer 2011.
Research Staff
Pilar O'Cadiz, Ph.D., Research Scientist
Andrea Karsh, Research Scientist
Valerie Hall, Statistician
Background Information
Afterschool experts have long argued that narrow focus on test scores does not reflect the effectiveness of high-quality afterschool programs. In addition, researchers have been able to document how student participation in high-quality programs improves skill development and positive behavior.
The California Afterschool Outcome Measures Project, with support of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and the California Department of Education, is supporting the piloting of a battery of reliable and valid assessment measures for field testing.
Afterschool programs in California and nationwide are invited to participate in a field test of measures of skill development and positive behavior change that are being considered as alternative assessments of program effectiveness (California Education Code 8484).
Programs participating in the field test can provide feedback about the measures to guide future implementation and will receive free confidential reports of their students’ overall performance on the measures. Online surveys are available for students, program staff, and/or classroom teachers and are completed Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 for pre-/post- administration comparison. Technical assistance is available.
To learn more about the field test and sign up, interested program and site directors should go to the California Afterschool Outcome Measures Project website: http://afterschooloutcomes.org/
Project Researchers are Valerie Hall, Andrea Karsh, and Pilar O'Cadiz.
