The January 2006 analysis (of 2004-05 Supplemental Educational Services) found low overall SES participation and attendance among eligible students and no significant overall impact on California Standards Test (CST) results in English language arts (ELA) and math…. This report, based on 2005-06 SES participation, documents findings similar to last year’s report. Overall SES participation remained low… although the proportion of participants with high attendance increased…. Unlike last year, we found a positive, yet very small impact on CST results for the 2005-06 SES program….
After controlling for differences in student characteristics, students who attended a SES program had a statistically higher, yet substantively negligible (about 2 to 3 scale score points), performance gain than those who applied but did not attend. Greater SES exposure was modestly associated with higher student performance. As in 2004-05, the SES program had a greater impact for elementary school students than secondary school students, and some providers had a positive impact on student performance while others did not. The low overall participation rates and small average increase in CST performance among participants suggests that the SES program did not have a substantively meaningful impact for Program Improvement schools. It is recommended that the Beyond the Bell Branch investigate ways to increase participation among eligible students and encourage participation from providers with evidence of effectiveness....
As in 2004-05, the impact of specific providers varied in 2005-06…. While a few providers had a small positive impact on student performance, most of the providers had no statistically significant, or a slightly negative impact, on student performance….
This study is limited by the high degree of student discretion over program enrollment and participation. It is difficult to isolate the impact of SES program participation from other possible explanations for differential CST gains. For example, the positive outcomes of students who selected and attended most or all of a SES program’s content may be more motivated and persistent, or have parents who are more involved than those who do not. While we statistically controlled for many differences between student groups, our conclusions would be strengthened by additional data that capture student preparation and SES program quality.
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