Evaluation Report 1:

Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial

The EIR-funded Work-Based Learning for Computer Science (WBL4CS) grant implemented a three-course, two-year Computer Science (CS) pathway in 20 Rhode Island High Schools. Evaluators from Education Development Center (EDC) employed a cluster randomized controlled trial to study the impact of integrating a Work-Based Learning course into the first year of the pathway. Fourteen schools were randomly assigned to a treatment or control group. The key outcome measures were Advanced Placement CS Principles (AP CSP) course completion and CS proficiency as measured by the AP CSP exam. The study used a two-level hierarchical logistic regression model with student- and school-level covariates. Read more…

Evaluation Report 2:

Results from a Quasi-Experimental Design Study

In 2019, the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE), in partnership with the University of Rhode Island (URI), launched the Work-Based Learning for Computer Science (WBL4CS) project through an Education Innovation Research (EIR) grant. The initiative aimed to expand access to computer science (CS) education for high school students, particularly those from underrepresented groups (URGs), by implementing a two-year CS pathway that included an industry-mentored work-based learning (WBL) course. A quasi-experimental design was used to evaluate the program’s impact in 20 Rhode Island high schools, with 10 schools receiving the intervention and 10 serving as matched comparisons. Read more…