Project ACHIEVE (OJJDP Model Program Guide)

Office of Justice Programs, Innovation - Partnerships – Safer Neighborhoods

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Serving Children, Families and Communities

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Project ACHIEVE

Intervention:

Project ACHIEVE is a comprehensive school reform and improvement program for preschool through high school (students ages 3–18) that concentrates on student academic and socioemotional/behavioral and social skill outcomes, schoolwide positive behavioral support systems and school safety, positive classroom and school climates, and community and parent involvement and outreach. The student aim is to improve resilience, protective factors, and effective self-management skills so youths are better able to resist unhealthy and maladaptive behaviors. The staff aim is to ensure effective instruction and classroom management, as well as supports and services to students not responding with academic and behavioral success. The school aim is to help schools be successful for all students.

Based on social learning theory and effective approaches to school reform and improvement, this schoolwide program uses professional development and ongoing technical consultation to target and reinforce critical staff skills and intervention approaches. The program incorporates a continuum of student services, including prevention, strategic intervention, and crisis management, and consists of seven interdependent components implemented over 3 years:

Strategic planning and organizational analysis and development
Problem-solving, response to intervention, teaming, and consultation processes
Effective school, schooling, and professional development
Academic instruction linked to academic assessment, intervention, and achievement
Positive Behavioral Support Systems, encompassing social skills instruction linked to behavioral assessment, intervention, and self-management
Parent and community training, support, and outreach
Data management, evaluation, and accountability

Project ACHIEVE involves the school’s entire instructional, administrative, and support staff and, following training, can be implemented with resources available in most schools. Training typically involves in-service training, classroom-based demonstrations, and technical consultation and follow-up.

Project ACHIEVE has been used in public schools, alternative schools, special education centers, psychiatric and juvenile justice facilities, Head Start programs, and specialized charter schools.

Evaluation Methodology:

Project ACHIEVE has been evaluated through numerous studies using quasi-experimental designs, predominantly at the elementary school level.

One study used a matched-comparison design, with one treatment and one control school. In choosing a comparison school, researchers used school demographics, giving the greatest weight to the percentage of students on the Federal free-lunch program. Students in the treatment school were roughly 59 percent white, 38 percent African American, and the rest other ethnicities. Students in the comparison school were roughly 54 percent African American, 41 percent white, and the rest other ethnicities. Project ACHIEVE was implemented over a 3-year period. Data was collected in the treatment school during 4 academic years—1 year pretreatment and 3 years posttreatment. Data was collected in the comparison school during 1 academic year.

A second study compared 3 years of Project ACHIEVE implementation in six Arkansas elementary schools with matched comparison schools as part of the Arkansas Department of Education’s State Improvement Grant.

Evaluation Outcome:

The evaluations find that Project ACHIEVE, in comparison with control or comparison groups, reduces the numbers of special education referrals, special education placements, discipline referrals, out-of-school suspensions, and grade retentions. In addition the evaluations show positive trends and academic gains on statewide proficiency tests.

In the six Arkansas elementary schools where Project ACHIEVE was implemented, the average number of annual office discipline referrals per 100 students decreased from 65.50 at baseline to 42.14 after 1 year of implementation and 38.14 after 2 years of implementation. In contrast, the 17 comparison schools, which were demographically matched to intervention schools but did not implement Project ACHIEVE, averaged 43.31 office discipline referrals at baseline, 47.68 at 1-year follow-up, and 37.83 at 2-year follow-up (p < .01). The administrative actions per 100 students in the Project Achieve–implemented schools decreased from baseline to 1-year follow-up (mean change score of 83.36). In contrast, the administrative actions for the 17 comparison schools, which were demographically matched to intervention schools but did not implement Project ACHIEVE, increased from baseline to 1-year follow-up (mean change score of 171.93; p = .043.). From baseline to 2-year follow-up, the number of administrative actions per 100 students decreased in the Project ACHIEVE schools (mean change score of 69.70) and in the comparison schools (mean change score of 120.49), with no significant difference in the change between intervention and comparison schools.

Finally, for Project ACHIEVE schools on the Arkansas State Benchmark Test, scores in literacy improved for four groups of the third graders, three groups of the fourth graders, and the group of fifth graders. On the Arkansas State Benchmark Test, scores in mathematics improved for all five groups of third graders, all four groups of fourth graders, the group of fifth graders, and the group of sixth graders.

Other Information:

Project ACHIEVE implementation materials are comprehensive. “Blueprints,” planning worksheets, and checklists facilitate navigation through the many processes required for implementation. Developers require new sites to conduct an organizational analysis and needs assessment before implementation. Project ACHIEVE offers comprehensive training, using multiple training methods and formats. Multiple quality assurance tools, in both paper and electronic formats, are available and are supported by onsite consultation.

References:

Center for Prevention Research and Development for Illinois Prevention. 2000. Research-Based Program Models. Champaign, Ill.: 59–60.

Harding, M., Howard M. Knoff, R. Glenn, L. Johnson, H. Schrag, and J. Schrag. 2008. “The Arkansas State Improvement Grant Evaluation and Outcome Report to the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs: Improving Student Outcomes Through the Schoolwide Implementation of Project ACHIEVE’s Positive Behavioral Support Systems.” Little Rock, Ark.: Arkansas Department of Education, Special Education.

Kilian, Janet M., Marian C. Fish, and Erica B. Maniago. 2006. “Making School Safe: A Systemwide School Intervention to Increase Student Prosocial Behaviors and Enhance School Climate.” Journal of Applied School Psychology 23(1):1–30.

Knoff, Howard M. 2000. “Organizational Development and Strategic Planning for the Millennium: A Blueprint Toward Effective School Discipline, School Safety, and Crisis Prevention.” Psychology in the Schools 37(1):17–32.

Knoff, Howard M., and George M. Batsche. 1995. “Project ACHIEVE: Analyzing a School Reform Process for At-Risk and Underachieving Students.” School Psychology Review 24(4):579–603.

Raffaele–Mendez, Linda, and Howard M. Knoff. 1999. “Improving Home–School Collaboration With Parents of Children at Risk: Organizational Principles, Perspectives, and Approaches.” School Psychology Review 28(3):448–66.

Quinn, Mary Magee, David Osher, Catherine C. Hoffman, and Tom V. Hanley. 1998. Safe, Drug-Free, and Effective Schools for All Children: What Works! Washington, D.C.: Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice, American Institutes for Research.

Program Specification:

Current Rating:

Promising

Expected Date of Re-Review:

Spring 2013

Program Type:

School/Classroom Environment

Ethnicity:

American Indian or Alaska Native

Asian

African American

Hispanic or Latino (of any race)

White

Gender:

Both

Age:

3 - 18

Target Settings:

Rural

Suburban

Urban

Tribal

Problem Behaviors:

Academic Problems

Risk & Protective Factors:

Risk

Family

Poor family attachment / Bonding

Individual

Mental disorder / Mental health problem / Conduct disorder

School

Inadequate school climate / Poorly organized and functioning schools / Negative labeling by teachers

Low academic achievement

Negative attitude toward school / Low bonding / Low school attachment / Commitment to school

Protective

Family

High family expectations

Opportunities for prosocial family involvement

Individual

High individual expectations

Positive expectations / Optimism for the future

Social competencies and problem solving skills

School

High expectations of students

High quality schools / Clear standards and rules

Opportunities for prosocial school involvement

Presence and involvement of caring, supportive adults in school

Strong school motivation / Positive attitude toward school

Student bonding (attachment to teachers, belief, commitment)

Additional Information:

SAMHSA: NREPP

Status:

Program is in operation at this time.

Performance Measures:

Suggested OJJDP Performance Measures for the Program Types(s):

School Programs
School/Classroom Environment
Logic Model: PDF
Performance Matrix:PDF

Contact Information:

Program Developer:
Dr. Howard M. Knoff
Project ACHIEVE Incorporated
49 Woodberry Road
Little Rock, AR 72212
Phone: 1.501.312.1484
Fax: 1.501.312.1493
Email: Click Here
Website: Click Here

Program Locations:
Matt Kamins, Supervisor of Psychological Services
Montgomery County School District
MD
Dr. Vicki Bunke, School Psychologist
Cobb County School District
GA
Anita Horton, Supervisor of Psychological Services and Keiko Davidson, Principal, Hutsell Elementary School
Katy Independant School District
TX
Dr. Bob Bayuk, District School Psychologist
Worland School District
WY
Diane Barksdale, Principal, Carver Magnet School
Little Rock School District
AR
Dr. Janet Kilian, School Psychologist
Elmont Union Free School District
NY
Sybil Truster, Educational Specialist
Shelby County Educational Service Center
Sidney, OH