Assessing the Impact of an Expanded Curriculum on Secondary Students and Teachers: Year Two

The changes that occurred when a high school in Chattanooga (Tennessee) implemented a seven-period day in place of the traditional six periods were studied. The total time for instruction remained the same, but less time was available for specific subjects because each class was shortened by 10 minutes (from 55 to 45 minutes). Study participants were 853 (83%) of the 1,026 students and 54 (85%) of the 62 teachers. Quantitative and qualitative techniques were used to assess the impact of the changed school day. Achievement test scores and grade point averages were determined before and after the change. Onsite visits were conducted by researchers at the beginning and near the end of the school years 1987-88 through 1989-90 to administer Concerns Based Adoption Model techniques for monitoring/analyzing teacher concerns. In addition, both students and teachers completed the School Attitude Survey (SAS). Achievement data yielded inconclusive results in that standardized test scores and grade point averages were not consistent across assessment measures. The SAS revealed that students' attitudes about the change were generally more favorable than were those of teachers. In the second year of the investigation, teacher attitudes improved slightly. One positive finding was a decrease in dropout rate after the change. Implications of the findings for educational change are discussed. (SLD)