“That First Year Is Make or Break”: Results From a Three-Year Mixed-Methods Evaluation of the Ninth-Grade Success Program in Washington State

• In Event: Implementing Policies to Address Inequality

Abstract

In 2019-2020, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) in Washington State launched the Ninth Grade Success (NGS) Pilot in five high schools. Over the next two years, the program was expanded to include 51 schools across 40 districts. This paper describes the results of a three-year mixed-methods evaluation of NGS. Based on administrative data and interviews with coaches, administrators, teachers, and support staff from 10 schools, we find positive impacts on students’ on-track rates and highlight the conditions that supported or disrupted implementation.

Authors

• Julia C. Duncheon, University of Washington

• David S. Knight, University of Washington

• Pooya Almasi, University of Washington

• Kefi Anderson, Washington Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction