Arts in Education Project: An Assessment of Treatment & Comparison Group Outcomes

This report presents the outcome analyses of the third and final year of the Jefferson County School Board Arts in Education Project (AEP). The AEP is an innovative program designed to administer arts instruction to youth in the public schools. It was hypothesized that students receiving the enhanced language-arts curriculum would significantly improve their academic grades and performance. Youth at the Howard Middle School in Jefferson County, Florida (treatment group) received the curriculum, while a matched set of youth attending Central Middle School in Madison County, Florida, were selected to serve as a comparison group. Various measures of academic progress were collected for the students in the treatment cohort and compared to those in the comparison cohort. Data were collected for the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade years for both cohorts to assess outcome results. The results of this study indicate that both the treatment and comparison cohorts had decreases in mean subject grades over the study period. However, the treatment group exhibited significant increases in the National Norm Reference Test for reading and math scores, as well as increases in the annual Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) reading and math scores.

Introduction The Justice Research Center, Inc. (JRC) was hired as a subcontractor to perform

evaluation analyses for the Florida State University and Jefferson County School Board, Arts in

Education Project. This report presents the final year analyses from the project. The Arts in

Education Project (AEP) is an innovative program designed to administer arts instruction to

youth at the Jefferson County Howard Middle School (treatment group). Youth attending Central

Middle School in Madison County (comparison group) were likewise being tracked for

comparison. The project was commenced during the 2003-04 school year when the youth in

both cohorts were in sixth grade. At that time, retrospective data were collected on the youths’

5th grade progress and outcomes. Data for the 6th grade year were collected and reported on in the

Year One Arts in Education Project Report. At the request of the federal funding agency, the

sixth grade year was used as the baseline year for outcome evaluation, with the fifth grade year

reported for comparative purposes. Seventh grade data were collected and reported on in the

Mid-Project Outcome Evaluation Report completed in 2006. The following report presents an

overview of the academic semester changes from the 5th grade year to the final semester of the

8th grade year for the treatment and comparison groups. In examining significant outcome

differences between the two groups, the 6th grade year was used as the baseline and each

subsequent year-end semester through the 8th grade as outcome data. This quasi-experimental

design was used (as random assignment was not permitted) to assess outcome differences in

school performance between the treatment and comparison group. Significant differences should

be interpreted with caution, as they may in part be due to internal or external factors impacting

outcomes. Both descriptive statistics and analysis of variance models are presented in examining

differences between the treatment and comparison groups on school performance measures.

Study Hypotheses and Baseline Data

In the original grant application, the Florida State University researchers hypothesized

that students receiving the enhanced language-arts curriculum in Jefferson County’s Howard

Middle School would significantly improve their reading and language arts skills as measured by

three indicators: 1) student grades, 2) National Norm Referenced Test scores and 3) Florida

Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) scores in reading and math. It was also hypothesized

that youth completing the intervention in the treatment group would exhibit improvements in

other subjects such as reading, science, and social studies grades. Because past research has

found a link between arts education and social skills, the Florida State University researchers

also hypothesized that the language-arts intervention would enhance students’ empathy and pro-

social skills. Improvement in these areas was to be measured by examining changes in school

disciplinary referrals, attendance, suspensions and scores on two instruments: the Interpersonal

Reactivity Index (IRI) to measure empathy, and the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS) to

measure pro-social skills. While data on disciplinary referrals, attendance and suspensions were

forwarded to the JRC, scores on the IRI and SSRS were not provided to the subcontractor and,

2

therefore, only changes on subject grades, national standardized tests, FCAT scores, school

attendance, suspensions and disciplinary referrals are presented here.

Findings

The focus of the current analysis was to examine descriptive statistics and outcomes for

the treatment (Jefferson) and comparison (Madison) cohorts of youth across the period from the

students’ sixth grade year through the eighth grade. Within- and between-group comparisons of

outcomes are presented for youths’ academic performance in the subject areas of language arts,

reading, math, social studies and science; the extent of absences, suspensions and disciplinary

actions; and performance on state and national standardized educational testing scores.

Treatment and Comparison Group Descriptions

The 5th grade school year was originally intended to serve as the baseline measurement

for the Arts in Education project. However, at the request of the federal funding agency seeking

to have uniformity across funding sites, 6th grade was set as the baseline year against which

subsequent years’ grades and scores would be compared for both the treatment and comparison

cohorts. It should be noted, that for the final 8th grade year, data were not uniformly available for

all Jefferson and Madison county study youth for science and social studies. As such, these two

subjects were omitted from outcome evaluation comparisons.

Table 1 presents the descriptive statistics for the treatment and comparison groups by

academic grade/year. There were a total of 91 students in the 6th grade treatment cohort in

Jefferson County. This compares to a class size of 236 in the comparison group, Madison

County. While Florida State University project staff attempted to track each of these youths

3

through the 8th grade, there was attrition in data provided by the schools and as such, the sample

sizes for both schools reduced by approximately 44% for Jefferson and 15% for Madison.

The treatment group and comparison group had roughly equal proportions of male

students (53% and 51%, respectively), however the treatment group had a slightly greater

proportion of minority students than the comparison group (74% non-white and 61% non-white,

respectively). The average academic year ages for both groups were similar for all years. Large

differences, however, were seen in both the percentage of youth determined as ESE and the

percentage of youth that had a disciplinary action during a given year. In 5th grade, only four

percentage points separated Jefferson and Madison relative to the proportion of youth classified

as ESE (13%, Jefferson; 17%, Madison). The ESE rate remained relatively stable in Madison

County until the 8th grade, when more than one-third of the youths (37%) in the comparison

group were designated as ESE. This was in contrast to roughly half of the Jefferson cohort being

classified as ESE in the 7th and 8th grades. The percentage of youth with a disciplinary action

fluctuated in both schools, with Jefferson increasing from 25% in 5th grade to nearly one-half of

the study cohort youth receiving at least one disciplinary referral during the 8th grade year. The

comparison group youth started with approximately one-third receiving a disciplinary action in

5th grade and increasing slightly to 38% by 8th grade.

5th Grade 13% 25% 11.6

6th Grade 23% 33% 12.6

7th Grade 46% 20% 13.6

8th Grade 48% 46% 14.6

5th Grade 17% 34% 11.5

6th Grade 19% 56% 12.5

7th Grade 17% 51% 13.561%

Jefferson

Percent White

91 53% 26%

School NPercent

MalePercent

Non-White

Madison 236 51% 39%

Table 1. Jefferson County (Treatment) and Madison County (Comparison)Descriptive Statistics: 5th through 8th Grade

74%

Percent With Disciplinary

ActionAverage

AgeGrade

Percent With ESE

Classification

8th Grade 37% 38% 14.5

4

Change in Academic Achievement Within Schools

The following tables and narrative present the within- and between-school differences in

academic performance and achievement. One-way, analysis of variance models (ANOVA) were

used to test significant academic grade changes within the treatment school and comparison

school separately. In addition, in some instances, post-hoc Bonferroni tests were utilized to

examine specific year-to-year comparisons within subject-matter average grades. Independent

samples t-tests were used to examine differences between the comparison and treatment groups

on all applicable measures.

Within-School Change in Academic Subject Grades

Tables 2 and 3, present end-of-year average grades by school subject for the Jefferson

and Madison county cohorts, respectively. In general, grades did not change appreciably for

either school during the study period. Comparing the baseline 6th grade year to the final 8th grade

Subject Grade N MeanStd.

DeviationStd.

Error Minimum Maximum

5th Grade 80 79.3 10.6 1.2 52.3 96.8

6th Grade 91 76.6 11.0 1.1 50.0 95.7

7th Grade 79 68.0 8.0 0.9 50.0 89.5

8th Grade 51 72.0 8.5 1.2 51.7 91.8

5th Grade 80 75.9 8.9 1.0 53.3 95.7

6th Grade 91 75.4 10.5 1.1 53.0 95.8

7th Grade 78 68.7 7.6 0.9 54.3 88.8

8th Grade 33 76.9 8.9 1.6 55.7 89.8

5th Grade 80 76.7 9.5 1.1 50.0 91.8

6th Grade 91 71.6 11.2 1.2 50.7 93.5

7th Grade 79 70.7 9.5 1.1 51.7 91.5

8th Grade 51 76.1 8.9 1.2 53.2 91.7

5th Grade 80 79.1 9.7 1.1 58.3 98.7

6th Grade 91 71.5 11.9 1.2 49.7 94.3

7th Grade 78 75.7 10.8 1.2 50.0 92.0

8th Grade 17 77.0 7.8 1.9 60.0 90.8

5th Grade 80 78.9 10.0 1.1 54.5 98.5

6th Grade 91 71.8 12.1 1.3 50.0 94.5

Table 2. Jefferson County Grades by Subject and Year(Descriptive Statistics)

Language Arts

Reading

Math

Science

Social Studies

5

7th Grade 79 70.1 9.0 1.0 51.0 88.5

8th Grade 51 79.0 8.9 1.2 57.5 92.8

Subject Grade N MeanStd.

DeviationStd.


5th Grade 183 83.1 7.7 0.6 55.6 97.3

6th Grade 201 79.9 9.8 0.7 39.0 100.0

7th Grade 166 81.0 11.7 0.9 0.0 98.8

8th Grade 129 83.4 7.1 0.6 55.0 96.5

5th Grade 183 81.5 8.4 0.6 60.0 98.7

6th Grade 115 84.9 11.0 1.0 36.0 100.0

7th Grade 163 79.4 11.0 0.9 0.0 99.0

8th Grade 139 82.8 8.3 0.7 61.5 98.0

5th Grade 182 80.8 8.2 0.6 48.0 98.2

6th Grade 204 77.3 8.7 0.6 32.0 97.3

7th Grade 164 78.2 12.2 1.0 0.0 98.5

8th Grade 116 81.3 7.4 0.7 55.0 96.5

5th Grade 183 82.9 7.9 0.6 34.0 97.7

6th Grade 210 78.4 10.9 0.8 23.5 99.8

7th Grade 174 84.6 8.0 0.6 50.0 96.3

8th Grade 26 85.1 9.7 1.9 67.3 96.5

5th Grade 183 83.3 7.8 0.6 45.3 100.0

6th Grade 211 76.6 9.0 0.6 47.5 98.0

7th Grade 172 82.1 11.2 0.9 0.0 99.8

8th Grade 14 75.5 11.3 3.0 64.8 98.0

Table 3. Madison County Grades by Subject and Year(Descriptive Statistics)

Language Arts

Reading

Math

Social Studies

Science

year, average grades increased slightly for Jefferson youth in reading, math, science and social

studies, while decreasing slightly in language arts. Madison youth, on the other hand, exhibited

slight increases in language arts, math and science, with decreases in reading and social studies.

One-way, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) models examining between and within group

differences in language arts, reading, and math are presented in Tables 4 and 5. The results of

these ANOVA analyses reveal that differences rose to the level of statistical significance for both

the Jefferson and Madison youth cohorts.

6

Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.**

Between Groups 5,886.1 3 1,962.03 20.64 0.00

Within Groups 28,233.5 297 95.06

Total 34,119.6 300

Between Groups 2,965.5 3 988.50 11.90 0.00

Within Groups 23,095.3 278 83.08

Total 26,060.8 281

Between Groups 2,126.6 3 708.86 7.19 0.00

Within Groups 29,291.4 297 98.62

Total 31,418.0 300

Table 4. Jefferson County Between and Within Group Score Comparisons for School Subjects*

(ANOVAs)

Language Arts

Reading

Math

* Science and Social Studies are omitted as sample sizes were too small in 8th.** The difference is significant at the .05 level. Values determined as insignificant are stricken.

Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.**

Between Groups 1,452.0 3 484.00 5.54 0.00

Within Groups 58,990.4 675 87.39

Total 60,442.4 678

Between Groups 2,170.7 3 723.57 7.79 0.00

Within Groups 55,385.2 596 92.93

Total 57,555.9 599

Between Groups 1,831.5 3 610.51 6.94 0.00

Within Groups 58,198.4 662 87.91

Total 60,030.0 665

* Science and Social Studies are omitted as sample sizes were too small in 8th.** The difference is significant at the .05 level. Values determined as insignificant are stricken.

Table 5. Madison County Between and Within Group Score Comparisons for School Subjects*

(ANOVAs)

Language Arts

Reading

Math

7

Post-hoc Bonferroni tests were utilized to examine specific year-to-year comparisons

within subject-matter average grades. The critical year comparisons are 6th to 8th grade mean

differences and corresponding significance levels (i.e., baseline year to final year). As can be

seen in Table 6, the decreases in language arts grades were significant between 5th and 8th, and

the 6th and 8th grade years for Jefferson County. While there was a 3.96 average percentage point

increase between 7th and 8th grade in language arts, this change was not statistically significant at

the 0.05 level. Conversely, Table 7 depicts the same test statistics for Madison County where

the average language arts grade for students increased approximately 3.51 percentage points

between 6th and 8th grade, a finding statistically significant at the 0.05 level.

While average language arts grades did not increase for Jefferson students, their average

grades for reading and math did increase significantly between the 7th and 8th grade years of the

Arts in Education Project. Madison County reading grades while up over this same one-year

period, actually declined overall between the 6th and 8th grade years.

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Lower Bound

Upper Bound

6th Grade 2.71 1.49 0.42 -1.25 6.68

7th Grade 11.30 1.55 0.00 7.19 15.40

8th Grade 7.34 1.75 0.00 2.70 11.98

5th Grade -2.71 1.49 0.42 -6.68 1.25

7th Grade 8.58 1.50 0.00 4.60 12.56

8th Grade 4.63 1.71 0.04 0.10 9.16

5th Grade -11.30 1.55 0.00 -15.40 -7.19

6th Grade -8.58 1.50 0.00 -12.56 -4.60

8th Grade -3.96 1.75 0.15 -8.61 0.70

5th Grade -7.34 1.75 0.00 -11.98 -2.70

6th Grade -4.63 1.71 0.04 -9.16 -0.10

7th Grade 3.96 1.75 0.15 -0.70 8.61

6th Grade 0.46 1.40 1.00 -3.25 4.17

7th Grade 7.21 1.45 0.00 3.36 11.06

8th Grade -1.07 1.89 1.00 -6.08 3.94

5th Grade -0.46 1.40 1.00 -4.17 3.25

7th Grade 6.75 1.41 0.00 3.01 10.49

8th Grade -1.53 1.85 1.00 -6.45 3.39

5th Grade -7.21 1.45 0.00 -11.06 -3.36

6th Grade -6.75 1.41 0.00 -10.49 -3.01

8th Grade -8.28 1.89 0.00 -13.31 -3.25

5th Grade 1.07 1.89 1.00 -3.94 6.08

6th Grade 1.53 1.85 1.00 -3.39 6.45

7th Grade 8.28 1.89 0.00 3.25 13.31

6th Grade 5.08 1.52 0.01 1.04 9.12

7th Grade 6.01 1.58 0.00 1.83 10.20

8th Grade 0.55 1.78 1.00 -4.18 5.27

5th Grade -5.08 1.52 0.01 -9.12 -1.04

7th Grade 0.93 1.53 1.00 -3.12 4.99

8th Grade -4.54 1.74 0.06 -9.15 0.08

5th Grade -6.01 1.58 0.00 -10.20 -1.83

6th Grade -0.93 1.53 1.00 -4.99 3.12

8th Grade -5.47 1.78 0.01 -10.21 -0.73

5th Grade -0.55 1.78 1.00 -5.27 4.18

6th Grade 4.54 1.74 0.06 -0.08 9.15

7th Grade 5.47 1.78 0.01 0.73 10.21

5th Grade

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

8th Grade

Reading

5th Grade

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

* The difference is significant at the .05 level. Values determined as insignificant are stricken.** Science and Social Studies are omitted as sample sizes were too small in 8th.

5th Grade

6th Grade

7th Grade

Language Arts

Math

Table 6. Jefferson County Between Grade Comparisons for School Subjects by Year** (Bonferroni Statistic)

Mean Difference

(I-J)Std.

Error Sig.*

95% Confidence Interval

(J) Category(I) CategoryDependent Variable

9

Lower Bound

Upper Bound

6th Grade 3.16 0.96 0.01 0.64 5.69

7th Grade 2.07 1.00 0.24 -0.58 4.72

8th Grade -0.35 1.07 1.00 -3.19 2.49

5th Grade -3.16 0.96 0.01 -5.69 -0.64

7th Grade -1.10 0.98 1.00 -3.69 1.50

8th Grade -3.51 1.05 0.01 -6.30 -0.72

5th Grade -2.07 1.00 0.24 -4.72 0.58

6th Grade 1.10 0.98 1.00 -1.50 3.69

8th Grade -2.42 1.10 0.17 -5.32 0.49

5th Grade 0.35 1.07 1.00 -2.49 3.19

6th Grade 3.51 1.05 0.01 0.72 6.30

7th Grade 2.42 1.10 0.17 -0.49 5.32

6th Grade -3.43 1.15 0.02 -6.46 -0.39

7th Grade 2.02 1.04 0.31 -0.73 4.77

8th Grade -1.38 1.08 1.00 -4.25 1.49

5th Grade 3.43 1.15 0.02 0.39 6.46

7th Grade 5.45 1.17 0.00 2.34 8.56

8th Grade 2.05 1.22 0.55 -1.17 5.26

5th Grade -2.02 1.04 0.31 -4.77 0.73

6th Grade -5.45 1.17 0.00 -8.56 -2.34

8th Grade -3.40 1.11 0.01 -6.35 -0.45

5th Grade 1.38 1.08 1.00 -1.49 4.25

6th Grade -2.05 1.22 0.55 -5.26 1.17

7th Grade 3.40 1.11 0.01 0.45 6.35

6th Grade 3.47 0.96 0.00 0.94 6.00

7th Grade 2.57 1.01 0.07 -0.11 5.24

8th Grade -0.47 1.11 1.00 -3.42 2.48

5th Grade -3.47 0.96 0.00 -6.00 -0.94

7th Grade -0.91 0.98 1.00 -3.51 1.69

8th Grade -3.94 1.09 0.00 -6.83 -1.06

5th Grade -2.57 1.01 0.07 -5.24 0.11

6th Grade 0.91 0.98 1.00 -1.69 3.51

8th Grade -3.03 1.14 0.05 -6.04 -0.02

5th Grade 0.47 1.11 1.00 -2.48 3.42

6th Grade 3.94 1.09 0.00 1.06 6.83

7th Grade 3.03 1.14 0.05 0.02 6.04

Table 7. Madison County Between Grade Comparisons for School Subjects by Year** (Bonferroni Statistic)

Mean Difference

(I-J) Std. Error Sig.*


(J) Category(I) CategoryDependent Variable

5th Grade

6th Grade

7th Grade

Language Arts

Math

** Science and Social Studies are omitted as sample sizes were too small in 8th.* The difference is significant at the .05 level. Values determined as insignificant are stricken.

8th Grade

Reading

5th Grade

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

5th Grade

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

10

Within-School Change in Absences, Suspensions and Disciplinary Actions

Shifting to absences, suspensions and disciplinary actions, Tables 8 and 9 present

descriptive statistics for these measures for Jefferson and Madison county schools, respectively.

Excused and unexcused absences decreased between 6th and 8th grades for youth in both the

treatment and comparison group schools. The average number of excused absences decreased by

1.8 absences over this period for Jefferson and declined by 2.2 absences for Madison.

Unexcused absences decreased by nearly 3 absences for Jefferson between the 6th and 8th grade

years, while Madison exhibited a decline of 1.0 absences over this period.

School Variables Grade N Mean

Std. Deviation

Std. Error Minimum Maximum

5th Grade 91 3.2 5.1 0.5 0.0 25.0

6th Grade 91 3.1 3.4 0.4 0.0 17.0

7th Grade 91 2.2 3.6 0.4 0.0 18.0

8th Grade 50 1.3 2.1 0.3 0.0 12.0

5th Grade 91 6.4 6.2 0.6 0.0 28.0

6th Grade 91 9.3 8.7 0.9 0.0 38.0

7th Grade 91 8.8 10.2 1.1 0.0 53.0

8th Grade 50 6.5 5.7 0.8 0.0 23.0

5th Grade 91 0.8 2.2 0.2 0.0 14.0

6th Grade 91 1.5 2.8 0.3 0.0 12.0

7th Grade 91 1.6 3.2 0.3 0.0 19.0

8th Grade 50 1.7 3.3 0.5 0.0 17.5

5th Grade 91 0.3 0.4 0.0 0.0 1.0

6th Grade 91 0.3 0.5 0.0 0.0 1.0

7th Grade 91 0.2 0.4 0.0 0.0 1.0

8th Grade 50 0.5 0.5 0.1 0.0 1.0

Out of School Suspensions

Disciplinary Actions

Unexcused Absences

Table 8. Jefferson County Absences, Suspensions and Disciplinary Actions by Year (Descriptive Statistics)

Excused Absences

11

School Variable Grade N MeanStd.

DeviationStd.


5th Grade 201 3.2 5.1 0.4 0.0 47.0

6th Grade 209 3.7 8.4 0.6 0.0 104.0

7th Grade 236 2.4 4.0 0.3 0.0 26.0

8th Grade 141 1.5 2.4 0.2 0.0 14.0

5th Grade 201 4.7 5.1 0.4 0.0 29.0

6th Grade 209 5.6 6.0 0.4 0.0 36.0

7th Grade 236 6.9 12.7 0.8 0.0 162.0

8th Grade 141 4.6 5.0 0.4 0.0 29.0

5th Grade 201 0.5 1.6 0.1 0.0 12.0

6th Grade 209 1.4 2.9 0.2 0.0 16.0

7th Grade 236 0.9 2.4 0.2 0.0 18.0

8th Grade 141 0.5 1.1 0.1 0.0 6.0

5th Grade 236 0.3 0.5 0.0 0.0 1.0

6th Grade 236 0.6 0.5 0.0 0.0 1.0

7th Grade 236 0.5 0.5 0.0 0.0 1.0

8th Grade 141 0.4 0.5 0.0 0.0 1.0

Excused Absences


Unexcused Absences

Out of School Suspension

Table 9. Madison County Absences, Suspensions and Disciplinary Actions by Year (Descriptive Statistics)

Review of ANOVAs and corresponding Bonferroni statistic of within-school differences

over the study period reveals that these changes in excused and unexcused absences were not

statistically significant at the 0.05 level for Jefferson County (treatment group). Only the

decrease in excused absences was significant for Madison County (comparison group) (see

Tables 10-13).

The average number of out-of-school suspensions did not change appreciably between 6th

and 8th grade for either the treatment or the comparison groups. The Bonferroni statistic of the

mean difference in suspensions did not reach the level of statistical significance for the Jefferson

County or Madison County cohorts.

12

Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.*

Between Groups 153.6 3 51.19 3.38 0.02

Within Groups 4,827.8 319 15.13

Total 4,981.4 322

Between Groups 559.1 3 186.36 2.80 0.04

Within Groups 21,214.4 319 66.50

Total 21,773.5 322

Between Groups 42.7 3 14.22 1.74 0.16

Within Groups 2,600.0 319 8.15

Total 2,642.7 322

Between Groups 2.6 3 0.86 4.26 0.01

Within Groups 64.7 321 0.20

Total 67.2 324

* The difference is significant at the .05 level. Values determined as insignificant are stricken.

Unexcused Absences



Excused Absences

Table 10. Jefferson County Between and Within Group Comparisons for Absences, Suspensions and Disciplinary Actions

(ANOVAs)


Between Groups 478.3 3 159.44 5.07 0.00

Within Groups 24,605.0 783 31.42

Total 25,083.3 786

Between Groups 662.7 3 220.89 3.19 0.02

Within Groups 54,236.2 783 69.27

Total 54,898.9 786

Between Groups 107.2 3 35.72 7.42 0.00

Within Groups 3,767.5 783 4.81

Total 3,874.7 786

Between Groups 6.9 3 2.29 9.50 0.00

Within Groups 203.5 845 0.24

Total 210.4 848



Table 11. Madison County Between and Within Group Comparisons for Absences, Suspensions and Disciplinary Actions by Year (5th-8th)

(ANOVAs)


Excused Absences

Unexcused Absences

13

Lower Bound

Upper Bound

6th Grade 0.12 0.58 1.00 -1.41 1.65

7th Grade 1.00 0.58 0.50 -0.53 2.53

8th Grade 1.91 0.68 0.03 0.09 3.72

5th Grade -0.12 0.58 1.00 -1.65 1.41

7th Grade 0.88 0.58 0.77 -0.65 2.41

8th Grade 1.79 0.68 0.06 -0.03 3.60

5th Grade -1.00 0.58 0.50 -2.53 0.53

6th Grade -0.88 0.58 0.77 -2.41 0.65

8th Grade 0.91 0.68 1.00 -0.91 2.72

5th Grade -1.91 0.68 0.03 -3.72 -0.09

6th Grade -1.79 0.68 0.06 -3.60 0.03

7th Grade -0.91 0.68 1.00 -2.72 0.91

6th Grade -2.92 1.21 0.10 -6.13 0.29

7th Grade -2.40 1.21 0.29 -5.61 0.81

8th Grade -0.11 1.44 1.00 -3.92 3.70

5th Grade 2.92 1.21 0.10 -0.29 6.13

7th Grade 0.53 1.21 1.00 -2.68 3.74

8th Grade 2.82 1.44 0.30 -0.99 6.63

5th Grade 2.40 1.21 0.29 -0.81 5.61

6th Grade -0.53 1.21 1.00 -3.74 2.68

8th Grade 2.29 1.44 0.67 -1.52 6.10

5th Grade 0.11 1.44 1.00 -3.70 3.92

6th Grade -2.82 1.44 0.30 -6.63 0.99

7th Grade -2.29 1.44 0.67 -6.10 1.52

6th Grade -0.69 0.42 0.62 -1.82 0.43

7th Grade -0.80 0.42 0.35 -1.93 0.32

8th Grade -0.94 0.50 0.37 -2.27 0.39

5th Grade 0.69 0.42 0.62 -0.43 1.82

7th Grade -0.11 0.42 1.00 -1.23 1.01

8th Grade -0.25 0.50 1.00 -1.58 1.09

5th Grade 0.80 0.42 0.35 -0.32 1.93

6th Grade 0.11 0.42 1.00 -1.01 1.23

8th Grade -0.14 0.50 1.00 -1.47 1.20

5th Grade 0.94 0.50 0.37 -0.39 2.27

6th Grade 0.25 0.50 1.00 -1.09 1.58

7th Grade 0.14 0.50 1.00 -1.20 1.47

6th Grade -0.08 0.07 1.00 -0.25 0.10

7th Grade 0.05 0.07 1.00 -0.12 0.23

8th Grade -0.21 0.08 0.05 -0.42 0.00

5th Grade 0.08 0.07 1.00 -0.10 0.25

7th Grade 0.13 0.07 0.29 -0.04 0.31

8th Grade -0.13 0.08 0.55 -0.34 0.08

5th Grade -0.05 0.07 1.00 -0.23 0.12

6th Grade -0.13 0.07 0.29 -0.31 0.04

8th Grade -0.26 0.08 0.00 -0.47 -0.06

5th Grade 0.21 0.08 0.05 0.00 0.42

6th Grade 0.13 0.08 0.55 -0.08 0.34

7th Grade 0.26 0.08 0.00 0.06 0.47

8th Grade


5th Grade

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

Table 12. Jefferson County Between Grade Comparisons for Absences, Suspensions and Disciplinary Actions by Year

(Bonferroni Statistic)

Dependent Variable (I) Category (J) Category

Mean Difference

(I-J)

5th Grade

5th Grade

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

Excused Absences

Unexcused Absences

Std. Error Sig.*

5th Grade

6th Grade

7th Grade



Out-of-School Suspensions

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

14

Lower Bound

Upper Bound

6th Grade -0.57 0.55 1.00 -2.03 0.90

7th Grade 0.79 0.54 0.84 -0.63 2.22

8th Grade 1.63 0.62 0.05 0.00 3.26

5th Grade 0.57 0.55 1.00 -0.90 2.03

7th Grade 1.36 0.53 0.06 -0.05 2.77

8th Grade 2.20 0.61 0.00 0.58 3.82

5th Grade -0.79 0.54 0.84 -2.22 0.63

6th Grade -1.36 0.53 0.06 -2.77 0.05

8th Grade 0.84 0.60 0.96 -0.74 2.42

5th Grade -1.63 0.62 0.05 -3.26 0.00

6th Grade -2.20 0.61 0.00 -3.82 -0.58

7th Grade -0.84 0.60 0.96 -2.42 0.74

6th Grade -0.75 0.82 1.00 -2.92 1.43

7th Grade -2.14 0.80 0.05 -4.25 -0.03

8th Grade 0.09 0.91 1.00 -2.33 2.50

5th Grade 0.75 0.82 1.00 -1.43 2.92

7th Grade -1.39 0.79 0.47 -3.48 0.70

8th Grade 0.83 0.91 1.00 -1.57 3.23

5th Grade 2.14 0.80 0.05 0.03 4.25

6th Grade 1.39 0.79 0.47 -0.70 3.48

8th Grade 2.22 0.89 0.07 -0.12 4.57

5th Grade -0.09 0.91 1.00 -2.50 2.33

6th Grade -0.83 0.91 1.00 -3.23 1.57

7th Grade -2.22 0.89 0.07 -4.57 0.12

6th Grade -0.93 0.22 0.00 -1.50 -0.35

7th Grade -0.40 0.21 0.35 -0.96 0.16

8th Grade -0.04 0.24 1.00 -0.68 0.59

5th Grade 0.93 0.22 0.00 0.35 1.50

7th Grade 0.53 0.21 0.07 -0.02 1.08

8th Grade 0.88 0.24 0.00 0.25 1.51

5th Grade 0.40 0.21 0.35 -0.16 0.96

6th Grade -0.53 0.21 0.07 -1.08 0.02

8th Grade 0.36 0.23 0.77 -0.26 0.97

5th Grade 0.04 0.24 1.00 -0.59 0.68

6th Grade -0.88 0.24 0.00 -1.51 -0.25

7th Grade -0.36 0.23 0.77 -0.97 0.26

6th Grade -0.21 0.05 0.00 -0.33 -0.09

7th Grade -0.17 0.05 0.00 -0.28 -0.05

8th Grade -0.03 0.05 1.00 -0.17 0.11

5th Grade 0.21 0.05 0.00 0.09 0.33

7th Grade 0.05 0.05 1.00 -0.07 0.17

8th Grade 0.18 0.05 0.00 0.04 0.32

5th Grade 0.17 0.05 0.00 0.05 0.28

6th Grade -0.05 0.05 1.00 -0.17 0.07

8th Grade 0.13 0.05 0.07 -0.01 0.27

5th Grade 0.03 0.05 1.00 -0.11 0.17

6th Grade -0.18 0.05 0.00 -0.32 -0.04

7th Grade -0.13 0.05 0.07 -0.27 0.01


Out-of-School Suspensions

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

Excused Absences

Unexcused Absences

5th Grade

5th Grade

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

5th Grade


Table 13. Madison County Between Grade Comparisons for Absences, Suspensions and Disciplinary Actions by Year

(Bonferroni Statistic)


Mean Difference

(I-J) Std. Error Sig.*

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade


5th Grade

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

15

Within-School Change in State and National Test Scores

Table 14 presents the descriptive statistics for Jefferson county youth relative to their

state and national standardized test scores. Jefferson went from an average FCAT Reading Score

of 264 in the 6th grade to an average score of 259 by the 8th grade and increased in the National

Percentile Ranking from 42 to 47. Moreover, Jefferson youth demonstrated significant increases

in math comprehension with an increase from an average FCAT Math Score of 251 in the 6th

grade to an average of 281 by 8th grade, and from an average National Math Percentile Ranking

of 45 to an average of 54 by the 8th grade.

Academic Variable Grade N Mean Std. DeviationStd.


5th Grade 79 243.2 63.2 7.1 100.0 376.0

6th Grade 87 264.1 53.9 5.8 100.0 356.0

7th Grade 71 269.1 63.3 7.5 100.0 392.0

8th Grade 52 259.2 64.7 9.0 100.0 368.0

5th Grade 79 245.5 76.7 8.6 100.0 392.0

6th Grade 87 251.7 59.8 6.4 100.0 354.0

7th Grade 72 275.0 56.5 6.7 100.0 378.0

8th Grade 52 280.9 65.4 9.1 100.0 372.0

5th Grade 80 34.5 24.4 2.7 1.0 87.0

6th Grade 87 42.3 25.6 2.7 1.0 96.0

7th Grade 73 43.8 25.0 2.9 2.0 97.0

8th Grade 44 47.2 26.8 4.0 2.0 92.0

5th Grade 80 36.4 24.9 2.8 1.0 98.0

6th Grade 87 44.5 25.0 2.7 2.0 96.0

7th Grade 73 46.4 24.1 2.8 5.0 93.0

8th Grade 44 54.2 25.3 3.8 4.0 97.0

Table 14. Jefferson County State and National Test Scores by Grade(Descriptive Statistics)

National Percentile Ranks for Math Score

FCAT Scale Reading Score (Test 10)

FCAT Scale Math Score (Test 20)

National Percentile Ranks for Reading

Score

Madison County youth overall had higher mean FCAT Reading and Math scores, as well

as higher average percentile reading and math rankings than Jefferson County youth (see Table

15). The comparison group youth went from an average FCAT Reading Score of 276 in 6th

16

grade to 289 in 8th grade, while their average national percentile rankings were 43 on reading in

6th grade and 58 by the 8th grade. Greater means were also exhibited among Madison youth for

their 8th grade FCAT Math Scores and National Math Percentile Rankings, in comparison to their

6th grade year.

Academic Variable Grade N Mean Std. DeviationStd.


5th Grade 191 266.5 60.9 4.4 100.0 395.06th Grade 225 275.7 64.6 4.3 100.0 500.07th Grade 156 283.7 55.9 4.5 100.0 445.08th Grade 131 289.0 56.6 4.9 100.0 441.05th Grade 191 280.1 71.5 5.2 100.0 467.06th Grade 222 264.9 70.9 4.8 100.0 406.07th Grade 157 277.6 53.6 4.3 100.0 402.08th Grade 131 295.3 61.2 5.4 100.0 386.05th Grade 183 44.6 26.7 2.0 2.0 98.06th Grade 201 43.4 26.7 1.9 1.0 99.07th Grade 152 44.4 25.6 2.1 3.0 99.08th Grade 130 58.0 24.3 2.1 2.0 98.05th Grade 182 50.2 27.4 2.0 1.0 99.06th Grade 201 53.0 26.4 1.9 1.0 99.07th Grade 152 49.0 23.7 1.9 5.0 99.08th Grade 130 62.1 24.7 2.2 3.0 99.0


Score




Table 15. Madison County State and National Test Scores by Grade(Descriptive Statistics)

Within-group comparisons for the state and national test scores by year reveals

statistically significant differences for both the Jefferson and Madison county youth (see Tables

16 and 17). The post-hoc Bonferroni tests of the mean difference between the 6th and 8th grade

on the state and national test scores were not statistically significant for Jefferson County (see

Table 18). Mean difference comparisons of 6th to 8th grade were significant for Madison County

youth on the FCAT Scale Math Score, National Percentile Reading Ranking, and the National

Percentile Math Ranking (see Table 19). While these differences are notable, it is important to

note that these tests merely examine overall average math and reading scores per school in one

17

year compared to the overall scores for per school in the final year of the project. These numbers

do not however examine the one-to-one individual change in academic performance on the state

and national tests. Between-school comparisons therefore are needed to examine the individual

change over time.


Between Groups 29164 3 9,721.33 2.62 0.05Within Groups 1056091 285 3,705.58Total 1085255 288Between Groups 60903 3 20,301.12 4.79 0.00Within Groups 1211837 286 4,237.19Total 1272741 289Between Groups 5808 3 1,936.04 3.03 0.03Within Groups 179163 280 639.87Total 184971 283Between Groups 9586 3 3,195.38 5.20 0.00Within Groups 172023 280 614.37Total 181610 283Between Groups 4163479 3 1,387,826.20 73.77 0.00Within Groups 5267432 280 18,812.26Total 9430911 283Between Groups 3766339 3 1,255,446.21 69.41 0.00Within Groups 5064305 280 18,086.80Total 8830643 283


Table 16. Jefferson County Between and Within Group Comparisons for State and National Test Scores by Year

(ANOVAs)

Norm Referenced Test Reading Score

National Percentile Ranks for Reading Score

Norm Referenced Test Math Score





Between Groups 47198 3 15,732.59 4.33 0.00Within Groups 2539175 699 3,632.58Total 2586373 702Between Groups 78070 3 26,023.46 6.01 0.00Within Groups 3015860 697 4,326.91Total 3093930 700Between Groups 20394 3 6,797.90 10.06 0.00Within Groups 447144 662 675.44Total 467538 665Between Groups 14647 3 4,882.45 7.36 0.00Within Groups 438436 661 663.29Total 453084 664Between Groups 6750526 3 2,250,175.30 114.38 0.00Within Groups 13023853 662 19,673.49Total 19774379 665Between Groups 4618223 3 1,539,407.72 72.53 0.00Within Groups 14028436 661 21,223.05Total 18646659 664

Table 17. Madison County Between and Within Group Comparisons for State and National Test Scores by Year

(ANOVAs)

Norm Referenced Test Reading Score

National Percentile Ranks for Reading Score

Norm Referenced Test Math Score





18

Lower Bound

Upper Bound

6th Grade -20.90 9.46 0.17 -46.03 4.247th Grade -25.87 9.95 0.06 -52.32 0.588th Grade -15.97 10.87 0.86 -44.85 12.915th Grade 20.90 9.46 0.17 -4.24 46.037th Grade -4.97 9.74 1.00 -30.84 20.898th Grade 4.93 10.67 1.00 -23.42 33.285th Grade 25.87 9.95 0.06 -0.58 52.326th Grade 4.97 9.74 1.00 -20.89 30.848th Grade 9.90 11.11 1.00 -19.62 39.425th Grade 15.97 10.87 0.86 -12.91 44.856th Grade -4.93 10.67 1.00 -33.28 23.427th Grade -9.90 11.11 1.00 -39.42 19.626th Grade -6.16 10.12 1.00 -33.03 20.727th Grade -29.41 10.61 0.04 -57.59 -1.248th Grade -35.30 11.62 0.02 -66.18 -4.425th Grade 6.16 10.12 1.00 -20.72 33.037th Grade -23.26 10.37 0.15 -50.81 4.308th Grade -29.15 11.41 0.07 -59.46 1.175th Grade 29.41 10.61 0.04 1.24 57.596th Grade 23.26 10.37 0.15 -4.30 50.818th Grade -5.89 11.85 1.00 -37.36 25.585th Grade 35.30 11.62 0.02 4.42 66.186th Grade 29.15 11.41 0.07 -1.17 59.467th Grade 5.89 11.85 1.00 -25.58 37.366th Grade -7.86 3.92 0.28 -18.27 2.557th Grade -9.30 4.09 0.14 -20.18 1.578th Grade -12.74 4.75 0.05 -25.36 -0.135th Grade 7.86 3.92 0.28 -2.55 18.277th Grade -1.45 4.01 1.00 -12.11 9.228th Grade -4.88 4.68 1.00 -17.32 7.555th Grade 9.30 4.09 0.14 -1.57 20.186th Grade 1.45 4.01 1.00 -9.22 12.118th Grade -3.44 4.83 1.00 -16.27 9.395th Grade 12.74 4.75 0.05 0.13 25.366th Grade 4.88 4.68 1.00 -7.55 17.327th Grade 3.44 4.83 1.00 -9.39 16.276th Grade -8.10 3.84 0.21 -18.31 2.107th Grade -9.99 4.01 0.08 -20.65 0.678th Grade -17.76 4.65 0.00 -30.12 -5.405th Grade 8.10 3.84 0.21 -2.10 18.317th Grade -1.88 3.93 1.00 -12.34 8.578th Grade -9.65 4.59 0.22 -21.84 2.535th Grade 9.99 4.01 0.08 -0.67 20.656th Grade 1.88 3.93 1.00 -8.57 12.348th Grade -7.77 4.73 0.61 -20.34 4.805th Grade 17.76 4.65 0.00 5.40 30.126th Grade 9.65 4.59 0.22 -2.53 21.847th Grade 7.77 4.73 0.61 -4.80 20.34


5th Grade

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade


Score

5th Grade

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

FCAT Scale Math Score (Test20)

5th Grade

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

FCAT Scale Reading Score (Test10)

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade


Table 18. Jefferson County Between Grade Comparisons for State and National Test Scores by Year (Bonferroni Statistic)


Mean Difference (I-

J) Std. Error Sig.*


5th Grade

19

Lower Bound

Upper Bound

6th Grade -9.24 5.93 0.72 -24.93 6.447th Grade -17.23 6.50 0.05 -34.44 -0.028th Grade -22.50 6.84 0.01 -40.59 -4.415th Grade 9.24 5.93 0.72 -6.44 24.937th Grade -7.99 6.28 1.00 -24.60 8.638th Grade -13.26 6.62 0.27 -30.78 4.275th Grade 17.23 6.50 0.05 0.02 34.446th Grade 7.99 6.28 1.00 -8.63 24.608th Grade -5.27 7.14 1.00 -24.17 13.635th Grade 22.50 6.84 0.01 4.41 40.596th Grade 13.26 6.62 0.27 -4.27 30.787th Grade 5.27 7.14 1.00 -13.63 24.176th Grade 15.18 6.49 0.12 -1.99 32.367th Grade 2.43 7.09 1.00 -16.32 21.188th Grade -15.23 7.46 0.25 -34.97 4.525th Grade -15.18 6.49 0.12 -32.36 1.997th Grade -12.75 6.86 0.38 -30.90 5.408th Grade -30.41 7.25 0.00 -49.58 -11.245th Grade -2.43 7.09 1.00 -21.18 16.326th Grade 12.75 6.86 0.38 -5.40 30.908th Grade -17.66 7.78 0.14 -38.25 2.945th Grade 15.23 7.46 0.25 -4.52 34.976th Grade 30.41 7.25 0.00 11.24 49.587th Grade 17.66 7.78 0.14 -2.94 38.256th Grade 1.20 2.66 1.00 -5.83 8.227th Grade 0.24 2.85 1.00 -7.31 7.798th Grade -13.39 2.98 0.00 -21.28 -5.505th Grade -1.20 2.66 1.00 -8.22 5.837th Grade -0.95 2.79 1.00 -8.35 6.448th Grade -14.59 2.93 0.00 -22.33 -6.855th Grade -0.24 2.85 1.00 -7.79 7.316th Grade 0.95 2.79 1.00 -6.44 8.358th Grade -13.63 3.10 0.00 -21.85 -5.425th Grade 13.39 2.98 0.00 5.50 21.286th Grade 14.59 2.93 0.00 6.85 22.337th Grade 13.63 3.10 0.00 5.42 21.856th Grade -2.81 2.64 1.00 -9.78 4.167th Grade 1.15 2.83 1.00 -6.34 8.648th Grade -11.94 2.96 0.00 -19.77 -4.115th Grade 2.81 2.64 1.00 -4.16 9.787th Grade 3.96 2.77 0.92 -3.37 11.288th Grade -9.13 2.90 0.01 -16.80 -1.465th Grade -1.15 2.83 1.00 -8.64 6.346th Grade -3.96 2.77 0.92 -11.28 3.378th Grade -13.09 3.08 0.00 -21.23 -4.955th Grade 11.94 2.96 0.00 4.11 19.776th Grade 9.13 2.90 0.01 1.46 16.807th Grade 13.09 3.08 0.00 4.95 21.23


Table 19. Madison County Between Grade Comparisons for State and National Test Scores by Year (Bonferroni Statistic)


Mean Difference (I-

J) Std. Error Sig.*


5th Grade

FCAT Scale Reading Score (Test10)

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

FCAT Scale Math Score (Test20)

5th Grade

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade


Score

5th Grade

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade


5th Grade

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

20

Change in Academic Achievement Between Schools

Comparisons in academic achievement between Jefferson and Madison over the period

from 6th to 8th grade exhibit that Jefferson outperformed Madison youth relative to reading and

math grade changes, as well as individual change in FCAT Reading scores, FCAT Math scores,

Norm Reference Reading Test scores, and Norm Reference Math Test scores (see Table 20

below).

School Sample N MeanStd.

DeviationStd. Error

Mean

Jefferson 51 -5.7 9.9 1.4

Madison 107 1.3 8.4 0.8

Jefferson 33 3.8 8.8 1.5

Madison 79 -2.5 8.8 1.0

Jefferson 51 3.5 9.8 1.4

Madison 96 3.3 6.9 0.

Jefferson 50 4.8 39.1 5.5

Madison 131 -2.1 39.7 3.5

Jefferson 50 36.2 33.8 4.8

Madison 131 15.6 33.6 2.9

Jefferson 42 224.3 149.9 23.1

Madison 129 192.9 163.3 14.4

Jefferson 42 242.5 146.9 22.7

Madison 129 142.8 162.5 14.3

Jefferson 50 -1.7 3.2 0.5

Madison 140 -1.9 4.5 0.4

Jefferson 50 -3.0 6.4 0.9

Madison 140 -0.4 5.9 0.5

Jefferson 50 0.2 3.2 0.5

Madison 140 -0.3 2.4 0.2

Jefferson 52 0.1 0.5 0.1

Madison 141 -0.1 0.6 0.0

FCAT Scale Math Score

Norm Reference Test Reading Score

Table 20. Jefferson and Madison County Group Statistics for the Average Individual Change in Scores from 6th Grade to 8th Grade

Norm Reference Test Math Score

FCAT Scale Reading Score

Language Arts

Reading

Math


Excused Absences

Unexcused Absences

Out of School Suspensions

7

21

Madison youth outperformed Jefferson youth in mean change in language arts grade

between the 6th and 8th grades. It is important to note, that sample sizes for both the treatment

and comparison groups decreased appreciably between the descriptive statistics presented in

Tables 14 and 15, and the between-group comparisons reported here. In Tables 14 and 15,

overall average scores are presented for all youth in a school by year, regardless of whether they

had both a 6th grade score (baseline) and an 8th grade score (outcome). The analyses presented in

Tables 20 and 21 however, require that a youth have both a baseline and outcome score in order

to calculate overall change over the study period.

Table 21 depicts tests of statistical significance between the mean change in academic

performance measures between the treatment and control group. Not only did Jefferson

demonstrate greater strides in performance reading grades, Norm Math Test scores, and FCAT

Math scores, but these differences were statistically significant at the 0.05 level. Jefferson

County students also had greater average declines in unexcused absences than Madison youth,

Lower Upper

Language Arts -4.59 156.0 0.00 -6.93 1.51 -9.92 -3.95

Reading 3.44 110.0 0.00 6.27 1.82 2.66 9.88

Math 0.17 145.0 0.87 0.24 1.39 -2.51 2.98

Norm Reading Test 1.10 169.0 0.27 31.42 28.44 -24.74 87.58

Norm Math Test 3.53 169.0 0.00 99.62 28.22 43.91 155.33

FCAT Reading Scores 1.05 179.0 0.29 6.19 6.57 -6.05 19.88

FCAT Math Scores 3.67 179.0 0.00 20.54 5.60 9.49 31.58

Excused Absences 0.19 188.0 0.85 0.13 0.69 -1.24 1.50

Unexcused Absences -2.63 188.0 0.01 -2.62 1.00 -4.58 -0.66

Out of School Suspensions 1.04 188.0 0.30 0.45 0.43 -0.41 1.31

Disciplinary Actions 2.94 191.0 0.00 0.26 0.09 0.09 0.44


Table 21. Independent-Samples T-Test for Mean Differences in Scores from 6th to 8th Grade Between Jefferson and Madison Counties

95% Confidence Interval of the Difference

t dfSig.

(2-tailed)*Mean

DifferenceStd. Error Difference School Variables

22

23

which likewise was statistically significant. Madison students significantly outperformed

Jefferson youth only in terms of language arts grades and disciplinary actions.

Conclusion

The current report provides final overall baseline data and outcome measurement of the

Arts in Education treatment introduced at the Howard Middle School in Jefferson County over

the period from the 6th to 8th grade school years. The results presented here should be interpreted

with caution given missing school performance data for youth in the 8th grade in both the

treatment and comparison cohorts. In addition, given the correspondingly reduced sample sizes,

sophisticated multivariate analyses were not possible. Despite these qualifiers, the treatment

group did exhibit improvements in reading grades, National Percentile Ranks for Math and

improvements in FCAT Reading scores between the students' 6th grade and 8th grade years.

Furthermore, students attending the treatment school outperformed the comparison group

students on average change for unexcused absences.

The data are inconsistent in demonstrating support for the hypothesis that the Arts in

Education curriculum would improve language arts, math, reading and writing skills. The data

examined provide some support for the impact of the Arts in Education on math skills as

measured by national standardized tests and the state FCAT assessments. Only academic grades

in reading, however, support the study hypotheses. Whether this is indicative of a lack of

support or instead reflects subjective problems in assessments of academic grade allocation is

debatable. The overall relatively large and significant differences between the treatment and

comparison groups on state and national math test scores, does suggest that perhaps the treatment

had an impact on academic performance at the Jefferson County Howard Middle School.

Documents

Arts in Education Project: An Assessment of Treatment & Comparison Group Outcomes