Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to identify key characteristics of effective intervention programs for eleventh graders who had not passed the California High School Exit Examination in mathematics and to use those characteristics to describe a strategy to provide interventions that can be replicated in other high schools. Methodology. Eleventh graders at comprehensive high schools in the San Juan Unified School District were studied using a non-randomized, pre-post study design. One-on-one interviews were used to collect data on the interventions implemented at each school, based on the variables of interest. Students were grouped by the state of each variable and those who did not participate in interventions were used as a comparison. Parametric statistical tests were then used to compare post-test scores. Findings. The duration of interventions made no significant difference in posttest scores except for students not enrolled in math, for whom short-term interventions were more effective than longer-term interventions. Students in interventions offered by teachers without a math credential scored higher than students receiving instruction from credentialed teachers, regardless of the math level of the student. Neither student-teacher ratio nor the instructional model of the intervention resulted in significant differences in posttest scores. Participation in interventions showed no significant effect on scores on the California Achievement Test, a norm-referenced measure of mathematics achievement. Conclusions. Students enrolled in math, regardless of the level, benefited from interventions offered through direct instruction and tutoring, particularly ones longer in duration. Students not enrolled in math benefited most from short-term, tutoring interventions. Instruction by teachers without math credentials produced higher posttest scores, a counter-intuitive result. Recommendations. The results of this study are preliminary, as the sample was small and from a single school district. More research in this area is needed to identify practices that maximize student growth in mathematics, based on this high-stakes exam. Variables not examined in this research, such as student motivation, cultural effects, and academic learning time, should be examined in light of the present, initial findings.