Accounting for the Unaccountable: Identifying Effective Schools Populated by Uncommon Students

• In Event: Roundtable Session 46
  In Roundtable Session: Issues in Accountability Models and Practices

Abstract

Using historical test and demographic data from the standardized testing program in Louisiana, this sequential mixed methods study utilized hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to investigate measures of school performance applied to alternative middle schools. The sample included students attending alternative middle schools in Louisiana and a comparison group of overage middle schools students attending regular schools within the same districts. The quantitative study was followed by an evaluative study using a client-centered model of three of the alternative schools determined to be among the most successful using those alternate measures. The implications of this study include a statistical model that can be used in this context, and a characterization of the successful alternative school as a caring place to learn.

Authors

• Belinda B. Brand, Louisiana State University

• Kim D. MacGregor, Louisiana State University