Effects of an intervention after-school program on academic achievement among middle school students

In an effort to increase academic instruction for at-risk students while also adhering and incorporating relevant theoretical foundations, schools are making an effort to supply extended learning time in the form of academic intervention programs for students at-risk of academic failure during pivotal adolescent transitions in middle school. This study investigated the effectiveness of an after-school intervention program on remediating basic skills to middle school students identified as at risk of failure in school by quantitatively comparing the standardized test scores made in reading and mathematics on the Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) between the students who participated in the program with those who did not. Subsidiary questions assessed effectiveness among only the participating students in terms of socioeconomic status, ethnicity, participation levels, and attendance using t-tests and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) statistical tests. The change in CRCT scores for program participants was significantly higher for reading scores and higher for mathematics scores, but not to a statistically significant degree. In contrast, non-participants scored significantly lower on both reading and mathematics scores from one year to the next. Analysis of only participating students revealed no significant differences yet still provided strong evidence that the 'Warrior After School' academic intervention program positively impacted CRCT scores of at-risk participants. The study adds to the body of empirical evidence on the effectiveness of after-school programs, especially at the middle school level as a means to close the gap in academic deficiencies before the high school years.