Evaluation of the Breakthrough Success Community - Report - 2019–20 through 2022–23

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Fahsai

Evaluation of the Breakthrough Success Community (BTSC) reviews how CORE districts implemented an improvement network aimed at raising ninth-grade on-track rates from 2019–20 through 2022–23. The report describes policy and practice influences on CORE’s approach, including the early-years context shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic. It outlines research questions, data sources, and analytic methods, then presents outcome measures, recruitment processes, the change package content, school engagement, and student outcomes using regression-based results and comparative samples.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages92

Reading Time3 h 52 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Introduction

Main Influences on CORE’s Approach to BTSC

The COVID-19 Pandemic as Context for Early Years of CORE’s BTSC

Research Approach

Research Questions

Data and Methodology

Evaluation of the Breakthrough Success Community 2019–20 Through 2022–23 H. Alix Gallagher Benjamin W. Cottingham Leah Faw February 2025 Evaluation of the Breakthrough Success Community 2019–20 Through 2022–23 H. Alix Gallagher, Benjamin W. Cottingham, and Leah Faw Policy Analysis for California Education (PACE) Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the CORE Districts for welcoming us to their public events, inviting us to internal planning sessions, and granting us access to their internal documents. We are also grateful for the time and insights that CORE staff and BTSC school team members provided during interviews. We would like to thank Belen Chavez for her technical support of the quantitative analysis and Shawn Bernardo for his steady support of our data collection. This report, like all PACE publications, has been thoroughly reviewed for factual accuracy and research integrity. The authors assume full responsibility for the accuracy of the report’s contents. Suggested Citation Gallagher, H. A. , Cottingham, B. W. , & Faw, L. (2025, February) . Evaluation of the Breakthrough Success Community: 2019–20 through 2022–23 [Report] . Policy Analysis for California [Education. edpolicyinca.org/publications/](Education. edpolicyinca.org/publications/)[ ](Education. edpolicyinca.org/publications/)[evaluation-breakthrough-success-community](evaluation-breakthrough-success-community) Policy Analysis for California Education [edpolicyinca.org](edpolicyinca.org) Contents Executive Summary 3 Introduction 4 Main Influences on CORE’s Approach to BTSC .................................. 5 The COVID-19 Pandemic as Context for Early Years of CORE’s BTSC ...................... 9 Research Approach 11 Research Questions ................................................ 11 Data and Methodology............................................... 12 Analytic Approaches ................................................ 13 Frameworks ..................................................... 14 CORE’s Breakthrough Success Community 16 Outcome Measures and the BTSC Aim ...................................... 16 Recruitment ..................................................... 25 Content of the Change Package ......................................... 28 How Do We Know if a Change Is an Improvement?............................... 45 School Engagement With BTSC 49 CORE Struggled to Get Traction.......................................... 51 Learning About Building Traction From Positive Outliers ............................ 57 Student Outcomes 69 Selecting a Comparison Group and the Resulting Analytic Sample....................... 70 Descriptive Statistics on BTSC and Comparison Schools ............................ 73 Results of the Regression Analysis......................................... 75 Summary and Conclusions 78 References 82 Appendix A 83 Author Biographies 89 1 Evaluation of the Breakthrough Success Community: 2019–20 Through 2022–23 Policy Analysis for California Education [edpolicyinca.org](edpolicyinca.org) Figures Figure 1. Indicators of Ninth-Grade On-Trackness in CORE Districts Before BTSC Launched ......... 5 Figure 2. Criteria for BTSC On-Track Lanes, Checklist Method ......................... 18 Figure 3. Criteria for BTSC On-Track Lanes, Compensatory Points Method .................. 20 Figure 4. BTSC Checklist (1.0) Versus Compensatory Points (2.0) ........................ 21 Figure 5. Traction Framework for Reforms Affecting Student Outcomes at Scale ............... 50 Figure 6. Sample 1-Page Overview of Key Actions for April–June 2022 .................... 54 Figure 7. D/F Rate at Magnolia, 2018–19 Through 2022–23 ........................... 64 Figure 8. Average Ninth-Grade On-Track Points at Magnolia, 2018–19 Through 2022–23 .......... 64 Figure 9. D/F Rate at Aspen, 2018–19 Through 2022–23 ............................ 67 Figure

FAQs

What was the main goal of the Breakthrough Success Community (BTSC) during 2019–20 through 2022–23?

The report states that the BTSC aimed to improve ninth-grade on-track rates in CORE districts over the evaluation period.

Which factors shaped CORE’s BTSC approach, according to the report?

The report highlights main influences on CORE’s approach, including the COVID-19 pandemic as context for the early years of BTSC implementation.

How did the evaluation assess whether BTSC changes led to improvement?

It describes research questions, data and methodology, analytic approaches, outcome measures tied to the BTSC aim, and results using regression analysis with a selected comparison group and analytic sample.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Fahsai