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Oklahoma 21st Century Community Learning Centers Statewide Evaluation: 2015-2016 Annual Report
Year Published: 2017
A statewide evaluation of Oklahoma’s 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) programs examined improvements in academic performance and positive social and emotional competency. Of students who attended 90 or more program days, 60 percent increased to or stayed at the “proficient” or “advanced” levels in statewide reading scores, while 69 percent increased to or stayed at the “proficient” or “advanced” levels in math. The evaluation found that the greater the program attendance, the greater students’ gains in reading proficiency. When surveyed, youth expressed confidence in their academic abilities and social and emotional skills, and parents agreed that participating in afterschool programs helped their children be more successful in school.
Program Name: Oklahoma 21st Century Community Learning Centers
Program Description:
Oklahoma’s 21st Century Community Learning Center program, which is federally-funded through the 21st CCLC Initiative, provides academic enrichment opportunities for children at high-poverty and low-performing schools. During the 2015-2016 program year, 59 grantees operated 98 sites serving 13,443 students.
Scope of the Evaluation: Statewide
Program Type: Afterschool
Location: Oklahoma
Grade level: Elementary School, Middle School, High School
Program Demographics:
All schools served by Oklahoma’s 21st CCLC programs are Title I eligible, meaning more than 40 percent of students qualify for Free and Reduced Price Lunch. Of the students (grades 4-12) who participated in the student survey, 56 percent identified as White, 36 percent as Native American, 16 percent as Hispanic, 10 percent as African American, 1.5 percent Asian, 0.5 percent Arab American, and 6 percent as “other race.”
Program Website: https://sde.ok.gov/21cclc
Evaluator: Gersh, A., Smith, C., Garner, A., & Macleod, C. The David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality, Forum for Youth Investment.
Evaluation Methods:
This evaluation is based on site operations data collected through the federal Annual Performance Reporting (APR) System and information gathered through grantee director/site coordinator, teacher/youth worker, parent, and youth (grades 4-12) surveys. The evaluation applied a “Leading Indicators framework” made up of composites from 31 scale scores drawn from surveys and observational measures of program quality.
Evaluation Type: Non-experimental
Summary of Outcomes:
The evaluation of Oklahoma’s 21st CCLC programs examined improvements in academic performance and social and emotional competency for regular program participants (students attending 30 or more days during a program year). The evaluation found that the greater the program attendance, the greater students’ gains in reading proficiency.
Of students with proficiency data from both the 2014-15 and 2015-16 program years, 64 percent of students who participated in 21st CCLC programs between 30-59 days increased to “Proficient” or “Advanced” from the “Unsatisfactory” or “Limited Knowledge” category or remained in the “Proficient” or “Advanced” categories for reading scores on state benchmark tests, with 22 percent of students improving from the “Not proficient” category to “Proficient” or “Advanced”. For students that attended a program for 90 or more days, 29 percent increased to the “Proficient” or “Advanced” levels in reading.
For math, 64 percent of students who participated in 21st CCLC programs between 30-59 days increased to “Proficient” or “Advanced” from the “Unsatisfactory” or “Limited Knowledge” category or remained in the “Proficient” or “Advanced” categories for math scores on state benchmark tests, with 30 percent of students demonstrating an increase to “Proficient” or “Advanced” on state benchmark tests. For students that attended a program for 90 or more days, 29 percent increased to the “Proficient” or “Advanced” levels in math.
When surveyed program participants expressed confidence in their academic abilities and social and emotional skills. Based on a 1 to 5 scale (1=Almost never true, 3=True about half of the time, 5=Almost always true), students reported that they are able to complete their homework at the afterschool program (3.95) and learn things in the program that help them in school (3.51). Students also feel that they are capable of making friends (4.24) and working well with others (4.04). In terms of youth engagement, students reported that they feel like they belong and matter at the program (3.62), try to do things that they have never done before at the program (3.50), are challenged in a good way (3.49), and are interested in what they do (3.49).
Surveyed parents agreed that participating in afterschool programs has helped their children develop better work habits (4.06), be more successful in school (4.53), and develop confidence in subjects such as math (4.02), reading/English (4.07), and science/technology (4.03).
Associated Evaluation:
Date Added: November 29, 2018
