Elementary School Program Evaluation

The Western Institute for Research and Evaluation (WIRE) has continuously evaluated the Junior Achievement Elementary School Program since 1992.

The evaluation consists of three phases:

• The Formative Evaluation, conducted during the 1992-93 school year, assessed program implementation, benefits, and shortcomings through teacher, principal, consultant, student, and parent surveys. 

• A Summative Evaluation from 1994 to 1996 to assessed student learning in grades one through six. Researchers compared JA with non-JA groups of students. The two formats used: 

   

  • Objective-referenced tests--multiple choice format used to assess the Elementary School Program learning objectives for each grade level. 

  • Alternative assessments--a series of exercises designed to assess students' abilities to comprehend economic concepts and apply the information. 

Summative Evaluation:

Objective-Referenced Tests

The objective-referenced tests reveal that JA students have a better understanding of economic concepts than do non-JA students. The difference in scores between JA and non-JA students was significant at each grade level. The positive effect was particularly dramatic for the Our City® (third grade) and Our World® (sixth grade) themes.

Alternative Assessments

Alternative assessments demonstrate that Junior Achievement students have a deeper understanding of economic concepts and better problem-solving skills than non-JA students. JA students are also better at applying concepts to new situations. 

The educational impact was dramatic for students in the Our Community® (second grade), Our City® (third grade), Our Nation® (fifth grade), and Our World® (sixth grade) themes. 

Phase III includes a longitudinal study of program impact. The purpose of this phase is to track students across years to assess the cumulative effect of the curriculum. During the 1998-99 school year, a national sample of sixth-graders that have participated in the Elementary School Program since the first grade were tracked. After having participated in the program this year, the students were administered objective-referenced tests (ORT) and alternative assessment exercises. Their resulting performance was then compared with students who participated in the program for the first time while in the sixth grade.

Figure 1. National Mean Performance on the Our World ORT

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Even a single exposure to a JA program makes a difference.

Students participating in elementary school programs, for example, have a greater comprehension of concepts and skills than their non-participating peers.

Get Involved

Junior Achievement welcomes the opportunity to discuss how you can participate in educating tomorrow’s work force. Just send us an e-mail at info@jadsm.com or sign up to volunteer online.  Online Registration Form

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