Texans Getting Academically Prepared (Tgap)
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
TEXANS GETTING ACADEMICALLY PREPARED (TGAP) Year Six Evaluation Report September 2004 – August 2005 March 2006 Prepared for Texas Education Agency By Texas Center for Educational Research Center for Public Policy at the University of Houston TEXANS GETTING ACADEMICALLY PREPARED (TGAP) Year Six Evaluation Report September 2004 – August 2005 March 2006 Prepared for Texas Education Agency Prepared By Texas Center for Educational Research Center for Public Policy at the University of Houston ©Texas Center for Educational Research Credits Texas Center for Educational Research Contributing Authors The Texas Center for Educational Research Texas Center for Educational Research (TCER) conducts and communicates nonpartisan Kelly Shapley, Ph.D. research on education issues to serve as an Keith Sturges, MAA independent resource for those who make, Daniel Sheehan, Ed.D. influence, or implement education policy in Texas. A 15-member board of trustees governs the Center for Public Policy research center, including appointments from the at the University of Houston Texas Association of School Boards, Texas Gregory R. Weiher Association of School Administrators, and State Christina Hughes Board of Education. Joseph Howard For additional information about TCER research, please contact: Prepared for Kelly S. Shapley, Director Texas Center for Educational Research Texas Education Agency 12007 Research Blvd. 1701 N. Congress Avenue P.O. Box 679002 Austin, Texas 78701-1494 Austin, Texas 78767-9002 Phone: 512-463-9734 Phone: 512-467-3632 or 800-580-8237 Fax: 512-467-3658 Research Funded by Reports are available on the TCER Web Site at www.tcer.org Texas Education Agency Texans Getting Academically Prepared (TGAP) Year Six Executive Summary...................................................................................................................... i Evaluation Design............................................................................................................. i Major Findings................................................................................................................. ii Building Capacity in TGAP Districts .................................................................. ii Advanced Placement Program............................................................................ iii Faculty Fellow Program...................................................................................... iv Student and Parent Services..................................................................................v School and Student Performance........................................................................ vi Institutionalization and Sustainability................................................................vii Section 1 Introduction...................................................................................................................................1 Description of Texans Getting Academically Prepared (TGAP) .....................................1 Project Partners.....................................................................................................2 Participating Campuses.........................................................................................3 Section 2 Evaluation Design.........................................................................................................................5 Evaluation Purpose...........................................................................................................5 Methodology.....................................................................................................................5 Document Reviews...............................................................................................5 Site Visits..............................................................................................................5 Informal Interviews...............................................................................................6 Surveys..................................................................................................................6 Demographic and Performance Data....................................................................7 Characteristics of Participating Sites ................................................................................7 Districts and Schools.............................................................................................7 Student Characteristics..........................................................................................8 Educational Programs ...........................................................................................9 Teacher Characteristics.........................................................................................9 Campus Financial Characteristics.......................................................................10 Section 3 Building Educator and Student Capacity....................................................................................13 TGAP Capacity-Building Approach...............................................................................13 District Plans.......................................................................................................13 Product Development..........................................................................................14 Precollege Outreach Centers...............................................................................14 Teacher Professional Development ...................................................................15 Findings on Educator Capacity Building........................................................................18 Methodology.......................................................................................................18 Teacher Perceptions of Professional Development ............................................20 Vertical Team and Curriculum Alignment .........................................................24 Availability and use of EXPLORE and PLAN Data ..........................................29 Counseling and Advising by Teachers ...............................................................30 Summary.........................................................................................................................34 Section 4 Building Capacity Through the Advanced Placement Program.................................................37 Methodology...................................................................................................................37 Findings on Advanced Placement Program....................................................................37 Advanced Placement Teachers...........................................................................38 AP and Pre-AP Course Offerings and Enrollment .............................................38 Advanced Placement Examinations....................................................................41 Opportunity to Learn in TGAP Classrooms .......................................................50 Teachers’ Perceptions of the AP Program..........................................................57 Summary.........................................................................................................................61 Section 5 Building Capacity through Faculty Fellows ...............................................................................65 Faculty Fellows Program ................................................................................................65 Methodology.......................................................................................................65 Program Participants...........................................................................................66 Faculty Fellows Program Description ................................................................68 Orientation and Training.....................................................................................69 Communication between Faculty and Teachers .................................................70 Faculty Fellows Activities..................................................................................75 Impact of Faculty Fellows on AP Teachers........................................................77 Impact of Faculty Fellows on Students...............................................................80 Impact of Partnering on the University and Faculty...........................................82 Barriers/Challenges.............................................................................................83 Successes and Lessons Learned..........................................................................86 Summary and Conclusions .............................................................................................88 Section 6 Student Support and Capacity Building......................................................................................91 Student Services..............................................................................................................91 College Related Services....................................................................................91 Career Exploration..............................................................................................93 Student Preparation for Higher Education..........................................................93 Findings from the Student Survey ..................................................................................94