Youth Authority Program Summary. Program Description and Evaluation Report. Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Chapter 1 Compensatory Education Program. 1989-90 through 1994-95

Abstract

The California Youth Authority, the state agency that serves youth offenders, has received federal grant funds to supplement state-funded education programs for educationally disadvantaged students since 1967. Since 1989-90, these funds have been provided through the Elementary and Secondary Education Amendment (ESEA), Chapter 1 of Title I. This report informs the public about the 6-year period from 1989-90 through 1994-95. Student characteristics are updated, changes in program operation are described, and evaluation data are presented for the education components. The final chapter contains plans for carrying out requirements of the newly passed federal reauthorizing legislation, the Improving America's Schools Act of 1994. The typical young person in the Youth Authority is 19 years old, not a high school graduate, and five or more grade levels below age expectancy. Summaries are presented of the education programs at 11 training centers, schools, and clinic sites and 3 youth conservation camps. Teaching the basic skills is an essential part of ESEA instruction, but teaching strategies and curriculum emphasize connections with history, science, literature, and other core disciplines. Achievement test scores show that program participants have made excellent gains when achievement is compared with their previous public school experience. The use of ESEA funds has produced a highly organized program for youthful offenders that has had a significant impact on the work of the Youth Authority. Suggestions for program improvement include setting standards for individual achievement and the integration of assessment and learning. Appendixes include a discussion of performance-based assessment, a statement of the goals of curriculum and instruction, and Youth Authority Evaluation Check Lists. (Contains 6 tables and 11 references.) (SLD)