REPORT ON HIGH SCHOOL ALLOTMENT: Review of Uses of High School Allotment Funds during the 2006-07 School Year Evaluation Project Staff Andrew Moellmer Jim VanOverschelde, Ph.D Amie Rapaport, Ph.D Program Staff Jan Lindsey Jennifer Jacob Barbara Knaggs Office for Planning, Grants and Evaluation Texas Education Agency September 2008 Texas Education Agency Robert Scott, Commissioner of Education Office for Planning, Grants and Evaluation Nora Ibáñez Hancock, Ed.D, Associate Commissioner Division of Evaluation, Analysis, and Planning Ellen W. Montgomery, Ph.D, Division Director The Office for Planning, Grants & Evaluation wishes to thank all agency staff who contributed to this report. Citation. Texas Education Agency. (2008). Report on High School Allotment: Review of Uses of High School Allotment Funds during the 2006-07 School Year. Austin, TX: Author. 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Additional information about this report may be obtained by contacting the Texas Education Agency, Office for Planning, Grants and Evaluation at (512) 463-8992 or by e-mail at [email protected]. This report is available at the Texas Education Agency’s website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/ opge/progeval/index.html. ii Table of Contents List of Tables................................................................................................................................................ iv List of Figures................................................................................................................................................ v Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................................... vi I. Introduction ................................................................................................................................................1 Background...............................................................................................................................................1 II. Research Methodology and Data Sources ...............................................................................................4 III. Descriptive Findings on the Uses of High School Allotment Funds.........................................................6 Factors Considered by School Districts to Allocate High School Allotment Funds to Campuses............6 Characteristics of Schools That Expended High School Allotment Funds.............................................11 High School Allotment Expenditures ......................................................................................................15 Uses of High School Allotment Funds in the 2006-07 School Year .......................................................19 District-Reported Uses of High School Allotment Funds....................................................................19 Campus-Reported Uses of High School Allotment Funds .................................................................21 IV. Relationship between Per-Pupil Expenditures and Student Academic Performance ...........................26 Student Achievement Results.................................................................................................................28 V. Discussion ..............................................................................................................................................30 Appendix A................................................................................................................................................ A-1 Appendix B................................................................................................................................................ B-1 Appendix C................................................................................................................................................ C-1 iii List of Tables Table 1. Survey Response Rates by Respondent Group.............................................................................4 Table 2. Factors Used by Districts with More Than One Secondary Campus to Calculate High School Allotment Amounts, by District Type ...........................................................................................................10 Table 3. Factors Used by Districts with More Than One Secondary Campus to Calculate High School Allotment Amounts, by District Size ............................................................................................................11 Table 4. Student Demographics at Schools Eligible to Receive Allotment Funds, 2006-07 ......................15 Table 5. Percentage of Total High School Allotment Funds Expended by School Type, 2006-07 School Year.............................................................................................................................................................16 Table 6. Median High School Allotment Amount Expended by All Eligible Schools in 2006-07, by School Type ............................................................................................................................................................16 Table 7. Mean Percentage of High School Allotment Funds That Supplanted Other Funds, 2006-07......18 Table 8. Allowable Programs Supported with High School Allotment Funds .............................................20 Table 9. Allowable Expenditures Made with High School Allotment Funds ...............................................21 Table 10. Top Ten Most Common Allowable Activities Implemented by High Schools with High School Allotment Funds, 2006-07...........................................................................................................................23 Table 11. Percentage of Campuses That Had an Increase in Per-Pupil Expenditures between 2005-06 and 2006-07 among Schools from Districts with More Than One Secondary Campus .............................27 Table 12. Average Change in Per-Pupil Expenditures between 2005-06 and 2006-07 among Schools from Districts with More Than One Secondary Campus.............................................................................28 iv List of Figures Figure 1. Number of Factors Considered by Districts with More Than One Secondary Campus to Determine High School Allotment Amounts for Each Eligible Campus, 2006-07 School Year ....................7 Figure 2. Factors Considered by Districts with More Than One Secondary Campus to Calculate High School Allotment Amounts, 2006-07 School Year........................................................................................8 Figure 3. Percentage of All Schools That Expended Allotment Funds.......................................................13 Figure 4. Percentage of Eligible Campuses Statewide That Expended High School Allotment Funds by School Type ................................................................................................................................................14 Figure 5. Percentage of Eligible Schools That Supplanted Other Funds with High School Allotment Funds ....................................................................................................................................................................19 v Executive Summary The High School Allotment, created in May 2006 by the 79th Texas Legislature (Third Called Session), is intended to enhance college readiness and increase high school completion and success rates among Texas high school students. Each school district in the state receives an amount equal to the product of $275 multiplied by the number of students in average daily attendance (ADA) in grades 9 through 12 in the district. These funds are received by school districts as part of their annual