Breakthrough Evaluation Report

Breakthrough is a program for low-income students who would be the first in their family to attend college. It is offered in the Manor Independent School District and includes learning assistance and personalized case management support.

Study Goals

This study looks at Breakthrough’s objectives by comparing program participants and non-participants. It compares them on academic achievement, attendance, and personal factors in fifth grade and then every two years after. The study summarizes two sets of preliminary results:

• Academic outcomes during the first two years of the Breakthrough program.
• Educational and career goals and motivational skills development.

Research Questions

The evaluation examines survey results and academic outcomes over time. It considers demographic characteristics, prior academic performance, and attendance to answer the following questions:

• How do participants compare to non-participants on academic measures such as grades and test scores?
• How do participants compare to non-participants on attendance?
• How do participants compare to non-participants on self-reported, personal measures such as motivation, educational goals, professional goals, and self-discipline?
• How do participants compare to non-participants on teacher-reported, personal measures?
• How do program participants compare to similar non-participants on changes in personal measures?

Results

The main results are as follows:

• Program participants had significantly higher state assessment (STAAR) scores in seventh grade reading and math, but no significant differences in final course grades in reading and math.
• There was no significant difference between the attendance rates of seventh grade participants and non-participants.
• Program participants were significantly less likely to report doing their schoolwork because it makes their parents happy, which is an external motivation.
• Program participants were less likely than the comparison group to describe themselves as having a lot of self-discipline.
• There were no significant differences in teacher ratings between participants and non-participants.

Download the final report to see all the information from the evaluation.