Evaluation of the Impact of Early Start Time on Academic Performance Using a Growth Model

• In Event: Roundtable Session 13
  In Roundtable Session: Policies, Governance, and the Influence of Accountability on Schools

Abstract

Early high school start times are a necessity in large suburban districts to reduce transportation cost. Our high schools start time, 7:17 a.m., has caused numerous concerns over student academic performance. Since a pre/post study could not be conducted without actually delaying the high school start time and then studying the impact, the academic growth of students in a 1st period course against their peers of later periods in the same course are compared using a value matrix score model. After investigating several different subjects and course types, our study results show that students of a 1st period courses can have the same or even higher academic growth scores than their peers taking a non-1st period of the same course.

Authors

• Mei-Hui Wang, Anne Arundel County Public Schools

• Anthony R. Alston, Anne Arundel County Public Schools

• Kathryn L Kubic, Anne Arundel County Public Schools

• Christopher Grandieri