Measuring Program Implementation Fidelity and Its Impact on Participant Outcomes

• In Event: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Innovative Programs for Secondary and Postsecondary Students

Abstract

Fidelity of program implementation has been shown to impact participant outcomes, yet the implementation fidelity of educational programs is often not assessed. This study examines the implementation of AVID, a widely adopted college-readiness program, and assesses the relationship between implementation fidelity and program impact on key student outcomes. The paper describes the process by which schools are assigned to one of three fidelity levels. ANOVAs on 1,334 middle schools and 870 high schools were significant, in the anticipated direction, for all 14 outcome variables tested. Discussion centers on the usefulness of and need for implementation measurement and implications for program monitoring, site-level coaching, outcome tracking, and program expansion.

Authors

• Dennis Andrew Johnston, AVID Center

• Philip Nickel, AVID Center