兰德-Evaluation-of-the-Creating-College-and-Career-Readiness-Initiative-in-Kentucky_62页_536kb

Summary of the Creating College and Career Readiness Initiative in Kentucky

Core Content

The Creating College and Career Readiness (C3R) initiative in Kentucky was implemented by the Kentucky Valley Educational Cooperative (KVEC) and Green River Regional Educational Cooperative (GRREC) with funding from the U.S. Department of Education’s Investing in Innovation (i3) development grant. The initiative aimed to improve college and career readiness (CCR) among students in grades 8 through 12 by using a suite of WIN Learning software applications. These included:

• Career Readiness Courseware (CRC): Mastery-based instruction in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics.
• SoftSkills: Mastery-based instruction in social and attitudinal skills for workplace and college success.
• MyStrategic Compass: Personalized counseling for postsecondary career planning and training.

The initiative was the first use of this software in the K-12 setting, originally developed for adult workforce programs.

Main Findings

Implementation

• 127 schools (including technical schools and area technical centers) participated from 2013–2014 to 2016–2017.
• Over 30,000 students were eligible each year.
• Implementation planning was done annually by KVEC, GRREC, and WIN, with each school determining which software would be used, when, and for which students.
• Low student participation was observed across all software:
  • <20% logged into CRC.
  • <10% used SoftSkills.
  • ~1% used MyStrategic Compass.
• Fidelity goals for each software were not met by most students:
  • ~2% of CRC users met the 18-hour usage or mastery certificate.
  • ~20% of SoftSkills users met the 9-hour usage or mastery certificate.
  • ~0% met the 9-hour usage goal for MyStrategic Compass.
  • No students met the overall C3R fidelity goals, which required meeting fidelity for all three software components.

Impact on Student Outcomes

• No discernible effects were found on student outcomes, including academic achievement, graduation rates, dropout rates, and postsecondary transition.
• This was attributed to the low levels of student engagement with the software and the limited number of students meeting fidelity requirements.
• Technical issues (e.g., login problems, connectivity issues) were the primary barrier to successful implementation.
• Despite these challenges, educators and cooperative staff remained supportive of the initiative, believing it had potential to support student readiness for life after high school if implemented effectively.

Key Points

• Quasi-experimental design was used to evaluate the initiative, comparing participating and nonparticipating schools.
• Data sources included:
  • WIN usage logs.
  • Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) administrative data.
  • Interviews with staff, teachers, and school leaders.
  • Classroom observations.
• Technical challenges significantly hindered implementation, especially in the first two years.
• Implementation support from WIN improved over time, but student engagement remained low.
• The study provided insights into planning and implementation for educational technology in K-12 settings, emphasizing the need for:
  • Partnership between developers and schools.
  • Clear communication of how the technology aligns with educational goals.
  • Implementation goals that reflect both developer and educator perspectives.
  • Robust technical assessments before widespread use.

Limitations

• Low student participation limited the ability to detect meaningful effects.
• Student-level data were not available from state sources, so outcomes were measured at the school level.
• Technical issues and inconsistent implementation plans between schools and developers affected the overall effectiveness of the initiative.

Recommendations

• Prioritize technical infrastructure and reliability before implementing new software.
• Develop strong implementation support and training for educators.
• Ensure alignment between software features and educational goals.
• Engage stakeholders early and communicate the value of the technology.
• Use a partnership model to facilitate smoother adoption and use of educational technology.

Conclusion

The C3R initiative, while well-intentioned and supported by educators, faced significant implementation challenges, primarily due to technical limitations and low student engagement. Despite these issues, the study provided valuable lessons for future educational technology implementations, highlighting the importance of planning, support, and infrastructure in ensuring the success of such programs.