The Transition Program for Refugee Children. O.E.E. Evaluation Report, 1982-1983 [microform] / Karen Chasin and Others

The Transition Program for Refugee Children (TPRC) is designed to provide target students with the linguistic and cultural skills necessary for a successful transition into the educational and societal mainstream. In 1982-83, the program served 885 students in 18 New York City high schools. TPRC funds--provided under the Refugee Act--supported classes in English as a Second Language (ESL) or content-area instruction with an ESL approach. Because the Refugee Act funds were limited, amounting to six full-time teacher positions distributed across the 18 schools, such monies necessarily were combined with funds from other sources in individual schools. As a result, the extent and kind of services actually provided varied from site to site. In addition, funds for 1981-82 and 1982-83 were combined and were allocated late. This report presents the assessment instruments and procedures and the results of testing to evaluate student achievement in 1982-83. The data provided suggest that TPRC students made progress in their knowledge of English syntax and in mathematics. It is difficult, however, to offer meaningful interpretations of the data for two reasons. First, only a limited number of cases were reported. Second, the combination of funds to create coherent academic programs, while justifiable from an educational standpoint, makes questionable the attribution of growth to any individual funding source. (GC)