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for some students on the general well -being scales. Physical health, in particular, is a <br />concern at both administrations for five out of six students. Four out of six'students were <br />below average on the happiness scales at both administrations. Family issues were of <br />concern to three out of the six students at both administrations and had surfaced as a <br />problem for one student by the second administration. In order to address the multiple <br />needs of these students, the alternative school may want to consider targeting interventions <br />toward health and family. This may require additional staff with expertise in these areas or <br />linking with other community resources that could provide these services. <br />Archival Findings <br />Three types of archival data were examined: attendance, grades, and standardized <br />test scores. Attendance data was available for all students for both the first and second <br />semesters of the 1997 —1998 school year. All figures in the archival analysis have been <br />rounded to the nearest whole number. <br />Substantial improvement can be seen in absenteeism. The average number of <br />absences per student in the first semester of the school year was 29 days. The average <br />number of absences during the second semester decreased to 13 days. These figures <br />include data from three students who did not enter the alternative school until late April. <br />These students had excessive absences documented in both the first and second semesters. <br />When this data is removed from the analysis, the average number of days missed in the <br />first semester changes to 27 days missed The second semester average then decreases to 7 <br />days missed. <br />Improvement can also been seen in Phoenix Academy students' grades. Complete <br />data was available for nine out of eleven students. Of these students, 8 out of 9 showed <br />improvement in their academic subjects. One student showed no change in grades between <br />the first and the second semester. Generally, the changes made were modest but <br />consistent. For instance, if a student had been earning mostly D's and F's during the first <br />semester at the home -base school, that student had likely improved to earning C's and D's <br />after a semester at Phoenix Academy. <br />With regard to standardized testing, three students were required to take end -of- <br />course proficiency tests in reading and mathematics. Although none of these students <br />achieved proficiency in these areas, one student improved one level in the reading area and <br />one student missed proficiency in mathematics by only one point. <br />All eligible students took at least one end -of -grade test. Courses taken that required <br />testing included Biology, Physical Science, English I and II, Algebra I and II, ELP, and <br />U.S. History. Data was not available for students who took end -of- course tests in English <br />II. Table 1 provides a summary of student achievement on end -of -grade tests. <br />Table 1— End -of- Course Test Summary <br />Course Title <br />Pace <br />Fail <br />Total <br />Al ebra I or ll <br />3 <br />1 <br />4 <br />U.S. History <br />1 <br />0 <br />1 <br />ELP Civics <br />3 <br />1 <br />4 <br />Physical Science/ <br />Biology <br />2 <br />4 <br />6 <br />English I <br />4 <br />0 <br />14 <br />6 <br />