Frequently Asked Questions About Success Highways Curricula and Assessments

What is Success Highways?

Success Highways from ScholarCentric™ is a research-based set of intervention tools designed to improve academic performance and high school graduation rates. The Success Highways early-warning assessments provide educators with concrete data on which students are at risk of academic failure and/or dropping out and the underlying reasons why they struggle.

The Success Highways: My Personal Roadmap curricula develops the critical resiliency skills that are scientifically linked to improved student engagement, achievement, and graduation rates. With Success Highways curricula, teachers can assure that all students gain or maintain the ability to succeed in school.

What research supports Success Highways?
The Success Highways intervention was developed over twenty years of research at the University of Wisconsin and a seven-year pilot program in an urban school district. Success Highways continues to be involved in efficacy studies with a number of rigorous research institutions including the Johns Hopkins University as part of its Talent Development Model, Howard University, Mathematica as part of an AT&T Foundation Dropout Initiative, Center for Education and Work at the University of Wisconsin, Madison School of Education, and the University of Colorado, Denver. For full details on our past and current research studies, please visit our research page.
 

How is Success Highways different from other interventions?
There are many dropout prevention, character education, and career and college readiness programs available to schools. However, unlike Success Highways, many of these are programs do not provide a comprehensive solution that includes assessment, curricula and professional development and are not based on years of research and proven results. If you’re considering one of the programs below, or another solution, please contact ScholarCentric to discuss how we can meet your needs with a highly effectively intervention toolkit that will improve academic performance and graduation rates. How does Success Highways differ from:

Developmental Assets: Through extensive research, Success Highways has honed in on six critical resiliency skills that are directly related to academic success and that can be addressed and strengthened in an educational environment. The Search Institute’s Developmental Assets are a research-based framework of 40 common sense, positive experiences and qualities that help influence choices young people make and help them become caring, responsible, successful adults. Search Institute provides teacher training in developing these assets in students to reduce high-risk and destructive behaviors and improve academic performance. However, many of these assets are beyond the influence of educators. Additionally, educators and students can become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of assets.

WhyTry: The Success Highways program for middle and high school provides individual assessment of each student’s social-emotional and resiliency challenges as well as a research-based curriculum that is proven to reduce dropout rates, improve resiliency skills, and improve academic achievement. The WhyTry curriculum for elementary, middle and high school is not research based and does not include an assessment component. 

Discover®: Success Highways is focused on the academic, social and career success of every student and teaches skills and strategies that can be used in secondary school, college and beyond. Success Highways assesses students’ skills, identifies challenges, and then offers a research-based curriculum to prepare students for success. The Discover program from ACT is solely focused on college and career readiness. The research-based assessment helps students identify career aptitudes but does not provide more than the data – no guidance on how to pursue career goals, prepare for college, or be successful in school and eventually a career.

What components make up the Success Highways intervention?
Success Highways includes three, independent components that can be used individually or as a comprehensive program.

1. Assessments and reports that measure students' academic resiliency aptitude and provide early-warning reports that identify the root cause of academic success or failure.
2. Curricula to provide the pedagogical framework for educators to enhance students’ academic resiliency.
3. Professional development to build school capacity to actively teach resiliency and increase academic achievement.

At what grade level is it most effective to conduct the Success Highways assessment?

Most districts conduct the 108-question Revving Up assessment in middle school or as part of freshman transition or tenth grade effort in high school. This is when students are most vulnerable and when educators have the greatest opportunity to teach students’ new skills and strategies that will strengthen students’ resiliency skills and improve their academic performance. Following the assessment, districts may then choose to implement the Success Highways: My Success Roadmap curriculum to help students develop their resiliency skills and work on areas that the assessment reveals need attention.

How is the Success Highways program implemented?
Success Highways is extremely flexible. Districts implement the program in a variety of ways including in core curriculum classes, as part of freshman transition, or part of RtI/Social Emotional Tier I intervention. For more details about implementation models, please download our implementation model white paper.

What is included in the My Success Roadmap curriculum?
My Success Roadmap includes a pre- and post-assessment of each students’ resiliency skills. Students receive their resiliency reports to reflect on and analyze as part of the curriculum. Student and teacher editions contain 15, 45-minute lessons with multi-disciplinary, standards-aligned lessons covering the six critical areas of resiliency. Student editions are consumables. Classroom posters are also included to keep key messages front and center with students as they work through the curriculum. Extension curriculum, titled My Roadmap to the Future, is also available that reinforces and expands the resiliency skills developed in My Success Roadmap. For more information about the curriculum, please visit our curriculum page.

Can I just use the Success Highways assessment but not implement the curriculum?
Yes, the Success Highways early-warning assessment and reports can be used without the Success Highways: My Success Roadmap curriculum.

How is the Success Highways program priced?
The Success Highways early-warning assessments and reports are based on a per student fee. Please view our pricing guide for more details. Please contact a ScholarCentric representative for a custom quote for the Success Highways curricula and Resiliency Leaders professional development services.

What are funding opportunities for the Success Highways program?
Educators across the country have used various funding sources to implement Success Highways. Title I, Title V, School Improvement Funds, and Investing in Innovation are all possibilities. For a complete list of federal funding sources please visit our Funding Solutions page. Another option in addition to federally funded programs is apply for grants or request funds from your local United Way, Urban League or even a large corporation in your area that is interested in nurturing the academic and social development of their future workforce.

Is training required to implement the Success Highways: My Success Roadmap curricula?
When you purchase the Success Highways curricula your teachers will be effectively trained during a two-hour in person or four-hour virtual, hands-on session through our Resiliency Leaders professional development service. The teacher’s guide is designed for easy implementation of the curricula and clearly identifies the objectives of each lesson.

Is Success Highways: My Success Roadmap available in Spanish?
Yes, Mi Camino al Exíto supports English language learners.

Are the Success Highways curricula aligned to state and Common Core Standards?
My Success Roadmap is currently aligned to state standards. To view specific alignment to your state, visit our Standards Alignment page. Alignment to the Common Core Standards will be available soon.

What additional services does ScholarCentric offer beyond the Success Highways assessment and curricula?
Data consultation is available to help administrators interpret the Needs Assessment Report generated from the Success Highways assessment and develop next steps to utilize the data to improve student achievement. ScholarCentric’s Resiliency Leaders professional development program works with schools and districts to customize implementation of Success Highways interventions to meet their unique needs.

Additionally, ScholarCentric’s team of educational experts are available to work with your district or school to create rigorous learning communities geared towards academic success. Through inspirational and practical approaches, Resiliency Leaders supports customized, measurable models that enhance teaching and learning practices, create holistic learning environments, and increase educator and student buy-in.