Teens Act Quarterly Report
Quarter 2: October 27, 2014 - January 9, 2015
Executive Summary
The second quarter of our Teens Act program has continued to prove beneficial for both students and mentors. Ten new students were added to our program which brings our total up to 72 students (as of January 9). Our after-school tutoring program continues to be offered, and we are seeing a greater number of students attending. We also hosted our usual quarterly Parent Night and have continued our program of bringing in guest speakers from the community. The greater number of students this quarter has given us an ideal chance to grow our capacity as a program, as well as impact more students’ lives in terms of their preparation for higher education. Our work with the BYU Sociology Department continues to progress. This quarter, the research team from BYU came and held a focus group with our students at Provo High to assess the effectiveness of our program. They also completed an initial Needs Assessment Analysis that is available upon request.
This quarterly report provides an opportunity to explore both activities and outcomes from our Teens Act classes. Included in this report are detailed descriptions of activities that students have participated in, material being taught, and the educational outcomes that have resulted from participation in the class (primarily GPA change).
Guest Speakers
One of the aims of our program is to broaden the possibilities for our students, and that includes exposing them to post-high school options that they perhaps had never considered. To help achieve this, we bring in guest speakers from the community to not only talk to the students about career options, but also to give them good advice about goal-planning and the development of useful life skills. We select guest speakers based on their history of overcoming adversity, poverty, or educational obstacles. This quarter we had the following guest speakers come and address the students:
Nathan Ormsby: Assistant Director of Multicultural Student Services at BYU
Alberto Puertas: NCDA (National Career Development Association) Latin American Director Tino Diaz: Utah State University Recruiter
Gary Guanana: a former participant in the Teens Act program and current university student Alex Samann: BYU student and speaker on overcoming abuse
Adam Valera: Business Consultant and BYU MBA student Axel Ramirez: Associate Professor at UVU
Focus Groups
This quarter, the research team from the BYU Sociology Department came and held a focus group with our students at Provo High. The purpose of this focus group was to evaluate the
effectiveness of the Teens Act program through the eyes of the students. It provided an opportunity for students to speak candidly about what they like and dislike about the Student Success class and their mentors. The researchers have created a summary of their findings from the focus group, which can be shared upon request. The results were very pleasing though, as the students were overwhelmingly positive about the program.
Opening Social/Parent Night
At Teens Act we believe that parents are critical to the academic success of their children. That is why we try and involve parents as much as possible in the teaching process. To do so, we hold a quarterly Parent Night. This quarter marked our second Parent Night of the year at Provo High. Parents who attended were able to meet with Melvin Rodriguez, the teacher, and discuss grades, curriculum and learning outcomes.
We did not host a Parent Night this quarter at Independence High, as we held two last quarter and wanted to reduce the impact on parents’ busy schedules. We do have one scheduled for the third quarter, however, and have been maintaining frequent contact with parents. Mentors have been calling parents every month to keep them appraised of their child’s academic progress, and to answer any questions parents might have. That is true of Provo High as well.
We have also been publishing a monthly newsletter. We have invited all parents to subscribe to it, and think it is an invaluable way of providing information about the program to parents. We think it could be a useful tool for school administrators too. To view previous newsletters and sign up for future newsletters, type this address into the browser:
http://www.teens-act.org/get-involved/newsletter
After-school Program
This quarter we have continued to offer our after-school program. After-school tutoring allows students to receive even more one-on-one time with mentors to complete homework and other assignments. All students are welcome to attend this program, not just students from the Teens Act classes.
Our after-school tutoring is available from Monday to Thursday every afternoon, and mentors are paid to be available at that time. This quarter we offered 33 afternoons of free tutoring at both schools (or 114 hours). We had 16 students take advantage of the opportunity for free tutoring. With 72 students in our program, we would like to increase the number who use this great resource, but understand that students often have prior commitments and responsibilities at home (babysitting younger siblings, etc.)
Class Topics
Teens Act class time is divided between instruction, homework and credit recovery, and personal tutoring. The instruction portion of class revolves around learning life, career, and non-cognitive skills.
Life skills include:
● Learning how to form study habits
● Test-taking advice ● Other academic skills. Career skills include:
● Creation of portfolios ● Creation of resumes ● Job interview strategies ● Interview practice ● Career exploration ● Other long-term goals. Non-cognitive skills refers to concepts such as:
● Self-discipline ● Goal-setting ● Time management
The homework and credit recovery portion of class gives students an opportunity to catch up on homework for other classes. Getting behind on homework severely impacts a student’s grades and academic performance, so we provide students with an opportunity to focus on homework in class and also receive help from mentors when they don’t understand the work.
Personal tutoring provides students an opportunity to receive help exactly when they need it. We have a 8-1 ratio in terms of students to mentors, so there is ample opportunity for students to ask questions and clarify difficult math problems and so forth. Our mentors are instructed to
proactively ask students if they need help understanding assignments, which ensures students receive the help they need. Mentors also provide accountability by reviewing weekly goals with students and also weekly grade checks.
Students can also use their Teens Act student planners. The planner is given to every student and provides an easy, efficient way for students to keep track of what assignments (if any) are
missing. Mentors and students can then review the planner together and make goals to finish the missing work.
Additionally, this quarter we have created a Student Progress Tracking sheet for the mentors’ use. It’s a further way of providing accountability. Mentors report on student progress, tardiness, and parental contact for the month using this sheet.
This quarter we have also begun to use volunteers to help in the classroom. We recruit the volunteers from BYU, and after a thorough interview and contractual process, we put them to work in the classroom under the supervision of the Teens Act mentors. The mentors can then pair them up with students that they feel need additional attention or academic help. The volunteers are recruited on a semester-long basis, and only help during class hours, where they can be under the supervision of both the mentors and regular IHS teachers. The thinking behind this policy is to decrease the ratio of students to instructors, and give the students even more resources to use. So far it appears to be effective, and we have several volunteers from BYU who come on a weekly basis to help out in the classroom.
Additionally, this quarter we are pleased to announce that exciting new steps in our program structure are taking place. Bobby Swingler has joined our team here at Teens Act, and is working on streamlining the process for students to keep track of their goals and
assignments on a real-time web platform. It will be a platform that both mentors and students can access at any time to make sure they are on top of all their assignments. It will also provide students with an easier way to submit feedback about their mentors and the class.
Bobby (pictured to the left) is a full-time software engineer at Domo, Inc. and is
generously donating his time and services pro bono.
Data
Number of Students Average Attendance Rate Hours of Classroom Instruction Hours of Afterschool Instruction Offered Hours of Afterschool Instruction Taught72
82%
60
114
25
Student Demographics
Impact Data Summary:
● 40 out of 69 students increased their cumulative GPA or posted a better quarterly GPA (58%)
● 29 out of 69 students decreased their cumalitive GPA or posted a worse quarterly GPA (42%)
● 3 students are not included in the above ratio because they transferred into or out of the program during the quarter
● Average GPA change/comparison was +0.03
Individual GPA Changes
The graph above corresponds with the table below with Student 1 representing the first column on the graph, Student 2 representing the second column on the graph, and so on. The greater volatility in grade distribution among IHS students is mostly due to different reporting techniques. The IHS side shows a change in quarterly GPA while the PHS side shows a change in cumulative GPA. We do not have data for a change in cumulative GPA this quarter at IHS unfortunately.
GPA Changes Between Q4 (last year) and Q2 (this year)
Note: Blue text indicates an increase in GPA from Q4 to Q2, while red indicates a decrease.
IHS Students Q4 GPA Q1 GPA Q2 GPA Difference
Student 1 1.54 3.24 2.9 +1.36 Student 2 0.36 1.98 1.69 +1.33 Student 3 1.18 3.68 3.73 +2.55 Student 4 0.98 2.01 2.01 +1.03 Student 5 3.47 2.44 2.31 1.16 Student 6 NA 0.57 0.43 0.14 Student 7 NA 0.93 2.0 +1.07
Student 8 1.6 2.5 NA NA
Student 9 3.4 3.9 3.85 +0.45 Student 10 0.75 1.14 1.66 +0.91 Student 11 2.8 3.43 3.3 +0.5 Student 12 NA 3.39 1.05 2.34 Student 13 0.88 2.99 2.76 +1.88 Student 14 NA 2.6 1.43 1.17 Student 15 NA 1.19 0.98 0.21 Student 16 NA 0.3 1.11 +0.81 Student 17 NA 1.48 1.05 0.43 Student 18 3.09 1.65 1.43 1.66 Student 19 NA 1.75 1.96 +0.21 Student 20 1.48 2.94 1.95 +0.47 Student 21 NA 3.27 2.7 0.57 Student 22 3.3 1.6 0.21 3.09 Student 23 1.09 1.86 0.4 0.69 Student 24 3.33 1.81 2.56 0.77 Student 25 NA 1.81 0.46 1.35 Student 26 NA 2.64 1.89 0.75 Student 27 NA 1.73 1.16 0.57 Student 28 3.55 3.21 2.28 1.27 Student 29 2.38 3.03 2.6 +0.22 Student 30 1.64 2.53 2.28 +0.64 Student 31 NA 1.0 0.53 0.47
2.34 1.98 0.45 1.89 Student 33 0.61 2.17 1.74 +1.13 Student 34 1.26 3.08 2.23 +0.97 Student 35 1.93 1.48 2.11 +0.18 Student 36 NA 1.68 2.06 +0.38 Student 37 2.48 3.39 3.23 +0.75 Student 38 2.52 2.26 2.4 0.12 Student 39 NA 0.34 1.1 +0.76 Student 40 0.33 1.1 0.21 0.12 Student 41 NA 0.88 1.49 +0.61 Student 42 NA 3.68 3.73 +0.05 Student 43 NA 2.25 1.93 0.32 Student 44 3.43 3.6 2.9 0.53 Student 45 NA 3.52 3.4 0.12 Student 46 2.47 3.68 3.97 +1.5 Student 47 NA 1.95 1.46 0.49 Student 48 2.68 2.69 3.45 +0.77 Student 49 2.1 3.58 1.89 0.21 Student 50 2.1 3.34 3.18 +1.08 Student 51 NA 1.49 0.57 0.92
PHS Students Q4 GPA Q1 GPA Q2 GPA Change since Q4
Student 52 NA 2.18 2.09 -0.09 Student 53 NA NA 3.49 NA Student 54 2.11 2.21 NA NA Student 55 1.19 1.64 1.92 +0.73 Student 56 2.55 2.69 2.7 +0.15 Student 57 2.64 2.77 2.83 +0.19 Student 58 2.39 2.46 2.5 +0.11 Student 59 2.33 2.67 2.71 +0.38 Student 60 2.41 2.34 2.18 -0.23 Student 61 1.69 2.05 1.97 +0.28 Student 62 2.38 2.46 2.42 +0.04 Student 63 1.44 1.95 2.09 +0.65
Student 64 1.65 1.74 1.78 +0.13 Student 65 1.69 1.95 2.01 +0.32 Student 66 1.56 1.61 1.55 -0.01 Student 67 2.38 2.83 2.97 +0.59 Student 68 1.99 2.13 2.03 +0.04 Student 69 1.93 2.14 2.14 +0.21 Student 70 1.31 1.42 1.44 +0.13 Student 71 2.22 2.64 2.67 +0.45 Student 72 2.11 2.05 1.92 -0.19 Total 2.02 2.26 2.05 +0.03
See method section below for further explanation on how the data was collected. This version of the report omits students’ names to protect privacy. A version including names has been sent to Provo High and Independence High administrators.
Student Satisfaction
This quarter we have implemented a monthly student survey to assess how students feel about the class and their mentors. The results below are a combination of all monthly surveys
conducted in the second quarter.
Survey Questions Agree Neutral Disagree
I enjoy my Teens Act Class 84% 16% -
My mentor makes me feel that he or she really cares about me 86% 9% 5% (3 students)
My Teens Act Class helps me stay motivated in school 81% 16% 3%
(2 students) My Teens Act Class helps me stay caught up on my homework 81% 16% 3%
(2 students)
The most telling figure is that almost every student enjoys their Teens Act class. Not a single student disagreed. Students have also forged strong relationships with their mentors, with 86% of them expressing that they felt that their mentors genuinely cared about them. Students also indicated that the class has helped them stay motivated and caught up on their homework. The students were under no compulsion to answer positively. The surveys were anonymous and taken online without any help from mentors. The results have been very pleasing, to say the least. Apart from the academic changes (as can be seen in the GPA improvement), the class has clearly been an enjoyable, fun environment where students have been able to bond with positive role models.
What do our students have to say?
Last names are removed to protect privacyHow are you liking your Teens Act Class?
“It’s really helpful and
fun…it helps me with
homework when I have
homework to do.” – Levi
“I like it a lot. It helps me with getting my homework done and stuff like that..”- Jaden
“It’s fun and you get really close to the mentors. They are not just mentors, but your friends too.” – Jessica “It’s cool. I like it.”- Marco
“It’s fun because we are taught the things we need to know for the future.” - Luis
How has your Teens Act class helped you? What’s the most helpful thing about the program?
“The homework help.” – Jessica
“I get time to do my work that I don’t get at home.”- Marco
“I would have to say social. Talking to us, getting socially involved.” – Levi
“The fact that they help us with our homework and the resumes that we’re doing.”- Jaden
“Having a mentor, because without a mentor we wouldn’t get help.”- Luis
“Thefact that the mentors are so willing to help us and go out of their way to make sure we
succeed.” - Tyler
How do you like having a mentor?
“It’s fun. Joel gives us reachable goals, and if we achieve these goals then he holds up his end of the deal by giving us awards..” - Tyler
Do you think you’ve changed as a student from participating in the class and program?
“Yeah, I want to do better in school.”- Jessica “Well, I’ve gotten my grades up, so yeah.”- Marco
“Well, I wouldn’t say I have changed as a student, but I would most definitely say that it has helped me gain a better understanding of how to make plans and achieve my goals.”- Tyler
Would you recommend this class to other students? Why?
“Yes, because it’s really helpful with homework and it’s a good socially-involved class.”- Levi
“Yes I would because it helps you to get better grades, that way you can get into better colleges
someday.”- Jaden
“Yeah, because they motivate you to do better and they actually worry about you.”- Jessica
“Yeah, because it helped me.”- Marco
“Yes, because if they are needing to get help then they get help from this class.” - Luis
What do our Mentors have to say?
How has being a Teens Act Mentor impacted you, both personally and professionally?
“Personally it has made me more aware of my role in the community, I think, and the impact that I can have on other people’s lives, which I think—everyone can have an impact, but this job has really made me more aware of what I can do. And it’s really cool—I’m teaching the students but I’m learning a lot from them as well, from their life circumstances and also from the fact that they can change, and the fact that they are changing, and just to see that evolution is really cool. I’ve learned
The data utilized in this report was collected utilizing both quantitative and qualitative
methods. We gathered quantitative measures, including quarterly GPAs for each student, from Powerschool and also from the administration at IHS. We also conducted some individual interviews to assess the effectiveness of the class from the students’ perspectives. In order to reduce the impact of bias from individual interviews, we also invited an independent team of researchers from BYU to conduct a focus group, who utilized electronic student surveys so that students could give feedback confidentially and candidly.
We did not include students with GPAs of zero in our GPA comparison section. It is standard practice to omit outliers in mean comparisons, and a GPA of zero also likely indicates that the student did not attend the class, and were thus not exposed to the treatment (the treatment in this case being instruction in the Teens Act class).
We used quarterly GPAs for Independence because that is the data we were given for quarters 1 and 4, but starting next quarter we will start using cumalitive GPA instead, as it is an easier method of comparison.
Our Team
Currently we have 9 mentors helping our students in our Teens Act Student Success class at Provo High. They are all current students at Brigham Young University. We select mentors with a strong math background, good interpersonal skills, bilingual ability, and who are currently education majors. They all work very hard to ensure that each student gets the personalized attention they need by helping the students set goals and by providing tutoring. We monitor the mentors’ effectiveness through a bi-weekly accountability report, a weekly training meeting, weekly site visits, and by giving students an opportunity to rate the quality of their mentors via a confidential electronic survey.
Contact Information:
● Saeko Logsdon, Executive Director: [email protected] ● Caleb Griffin, Research Coordinator: [email protected] ● Keara Moyle, Program Supervisor: [email protected]
● Marley Andrew, Resource Coordinator: [email protected] ● Melvin Rodriguez, Teacher: [email protected]
● MJ Naval, Mentor: [email protected]
● Lauren Nelson, Mentor: [email protected] ● Nicole Rose, Mentor: [email protected] ● Austin Frazier, Mentor: [email protected] ● Tyler Lythgoe, Mentor: [email protected] ● Sarah Mortensen, Mentor: [email protected] ● Joel Rosario, Mentor: [email protected]
● JeanMarie Stewart, Mentor: [email protected]
Thank You
We want to express our appreciation to Provo High and Independence High for allowing us to run our Teens Act classes in their schools. The classes continue to be beneficial for students while also providing valuable experience for the mentors. Thanks again to Seth Hansen for his prompt help when we have questions, and to Karen Brown for her continued support. Thank you also to Lani Quisenberry for her continued support and feedback, and for always being willing to meet with us to discuss the program. Thank you to Sharri Brown for being exceptionally helpful in getting us the students’ grades and other information. Finally, thank you to our board for their continued support and help.
