A Comparison of Academic Performance Measures of HSTA Participants with Non-HSTA Participants: Is It Possible to Narrow the African American-White Achievement Gap?

Abstract

Historically, African American and other underserved students encounter academic challenges in pursuit of a college degree-one of which is their performance on standardized tests. This paper analyzes College Grade Point Averages (CGPAs), ACT Composite (ACTC), and SAT Total (SATT) scores of students who participated in the Health Sciences and Technology Academy (HSTA), an out-of-school-time (OST) program, and Non-HSTA (NHSTA) students attending West Virginia University. Traditionally, OST programs provide academic enrichment to underserved youth to increase their chances for post-secondary entry and success. Two-Way Factorial ANOVA determined if HSTA participants performed better on academic measures than their NHSTA counterparts. The ANOVAs showed statistically significant differences based on Status (HSTA/NHSTA) and Race (African American/White) on the SATT and ACTC. Although not statistically significant, there are favorable outcomes on the CGPA for African American HSTA students comparable to their Non-HSTA counterparts.

The Health Sciences and Technology Academy (HSTA): Providing 26 Years of Academic and Social Support to Appalachian Youth in West Virginia

“…This article described positive outcomes associated with the program. Since then, numerous studies have highlighted the program's success over two decades, including HSTA students exhibiting higher performance in college (McKendall et al, 2019), greater persistence in college (McKendall et al, 2000), greater persistence in STEM majors (McKendall et al, 2000), higher standardized test scores in high school (Smith-Branch et al, 2018), increasing recruitment of underserved students into the STEM workforce (Griffith, 2019;McKendall et al, 2014), and increasing health literacy and healthy behaviors among participants and their families (Chester et al, 2018).…”

High School Students’ Learning During the COVID Pandemic: Perspectives from Health Sciences and Technology Academy Participants

“…These students have a unique voice and provide an important perspective to the conversation on equity and access to education. Comparison studies of HSTA students to non-HSTA populations have shown statistically significant differences favoring HSTA participants on standard-ized test scores (McKendall et al, 2019;Smith et al, 2018). Thus, they are self-motivated and have a desire to achieve.…”