Head Start/Early Learning Program Evaluation
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Acelero Learning is a Head Start grantee currently serving close to 4,000 low-income young children and their families in three states: New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Nevada. Acelero Learning is deeply committed to using data to inform practice, and will use the ongoing results from the study described here to inform practice at the child level, classroom level (children and teachers), and program level (delegate and grantee).
Since 2010-2011, Acelero Learning has participated in an annual program evaluation funded by external foundations. It is anticipated that the study, with possible modifications, will be repeated through 2016-2017.
This annual natural variation, quasi-experimental study examines the effect of various preschool programming inputs on the learning gains of 3- and 4-year-olds who are enrolled in Acelero Head Start classrooms. The components include variations in curriculum, assessment systems, classroom quality and age of children enrolled. Children's learning gains are compared across classrooms and to the gains reported by the National Head Start Impact Study (Puma, Bell, Cook, & Heid, 2010) and the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES). The research questions guiding the study are:
How do the pre-post gains of Acelero Head Start children compare to each other and to those reported in the National Head Start Impact Study and FACES?
What is the relationship between child characteristics and these gains?
Do varying education components/practices differentially impact these gains?
The evaluation study uses standardized measures of child outcomes in three content areas: receptive vocabulary (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test), math (Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement Applied Problems subtest) and executive function (Executive Function Scale for Early Childhood).
