Effect of a freshman academy on academic achievement and attendance

Freshman students adjusting to the academic rigor and requirements of high school face academic and attendance issues. School districts have researched and developed structures to prepare for ninth graders as they enter high school and have chosen to separate freshmen from the older cohorts of students as one method to provide support. This study examined the role of setting among 234 high school freshmen and the relationship that setting plays in academic achievement and attendance. For this ex-post facto causal comparative study, 234 high school freshmen students in two suburban Arizona high schools within the same school district were studied. There are two groups under comparison-one received the treatment (freshman academy) and one who did not receive the treatment during their ninth grade year of high school. The independent variable of setting and the dependent variables of AzMERIT math test results and year-end attendance results for the two groups of participants were tested. The co-variables were ethnicity and gender. The data was analyzed using a one-way and a two-way ANOVA. The results from this study indicate that there are no significant interactive effects between the setting and the academic achievement or attendance for the students attending the freshman academy. Setting did have an interactive effect on AzMERIT math test results and year-end attendance results for the traditional high school students. Although most of the data collected was not significant to support the hypothesis, it is recommended that the results of this study are used to inform modifications of current academy practices to further research additional practices to support students in a successful beginning of high school