Denver, CO – August 4, 2011 – Over a three year period 4,797 middle school students transitioning to high school in a large urban district were administered ScholarCentric's Success Highways™ Revving Up™ assessment that measures six critical resiliency skills. Participants’ academic performance was then tracked to determine if the assessment can serve as an early warning indicator of potential high school failure. The resulting study presented today at the Annual Conference of the American Psychological Association in Washington, D.C. reveals that the resiliency measurements provided in the Revving Up assessment are strong determiners in identifying those students with barriers to academic success and risk of failing in school.
Three separate studies were conducted over the three-year period by Dr. V. Scott Solberg, ScholarCentric’s Chief Education Advisor and Director of Research for the Center for Education and Work at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, along with Dr. Alan Davis and Christine McLemore. The first looked at how accurately a student’s resilience, as measured by the Revving Up assessment, correlated to their academic success. Students who had high scores on the assessment had correspondingly high academic success three years into high school.
The second and third studies looked at whether there are specific resiliency skills that are predictive of successful transition to high school and ongoing academic achievement. Four resiliency skills were found to differentiate high and low achieving students – importance of college, general well-being, academic stress, and motivation.
The results of this study have led to the creation of the unique Academic Risk Index™ that provides weighted, early risk-factor data that middle and high school educators can use as part of a comprehensive intervention plan to increase graduation rates and improve attendance, behavior, and coursework.
“Through rigorous research and testing, we are now able to provide educators with concrete data regarding their students’ abilities to succeed academically,” said Dr. Solberg. “With the Revving Up assessment educators know with great certainty which students need additional support and in exactly what areas they need that help. It’s exciting to have a research-based tool that without a doubt can dramatically improve graduation rates and provide students with the critical skills they need to be successful in life.”
About ScholarCentric
ScholarCentric is a K-12 educational publishing company focused on helping students stay in school and achieve their college and career goals. The company’s flagship product, Success Highways, is an innovative, research-based combination of assessment and curricula designed to help transition middle and high school students into higher grades and develop the skills they need to be successful in school and throughout their lives.
ScholarCentric’s Resiliency Leaders™ professional development series supports educators as they learn to effectively interpret and use the results of the Success Highways assessment and implement the curricula. Using ScholarCentric’s Success Highways framework, students stay in school, score higher on achievement tests, and are prepared to set and achieve their goals now and in the future.
This innovative assessment and curricula are aligned with state and Common Core standards and is based on the results of 15 years of University of Wisconsin research and a seven-year pilot program in an urban school district. For more information, visit:
www.ScholarCentric.com.
