Abstract:

This paper examines the effectiveness of student preparedness in completing homework, bringing books and materials to class, and attending scheduled classes. This study uses a post-positivist quantitative approach to analyze national data on high school students at schools that offered online credit recovery programs. This investigation of student preparedness analyzed data collected by the United States Department of Education High School Longitudinal Study (HSLS:09). This data provides a profile of school culture (behaviors) associated with the successful implementation of personalized learning to increase student engagement. Student engagement is considered a behavior affecting school retention. Research suggests the need for a reallocation of federal and state funding for the disenfranchised alternative education students that have Individual Program Plans, IPPs, not to be mistaken with the programs for students that have Individual Education Plans, IEPs to customize learning opportunities. At-risk students can benefit from having alternative ways to experience educational opportunities through personalized learning. A thoughtful instructional design process considering the distractions and behavioral factors surrounding at-risk students will strengthen the ability to improve accountability structures at all levels. Defiant behavior displayed by at-risk students, that made them no longer welcome in traditional classroom environments may have been their way of screaming for help because they needed an alternative learning environment in order to excel. This study contributes to our understanding of the measurement of student engagement that identified students at schools that offered credit recovery programs. Research indicates three levels of student engagement categorized as a multifaceted construct of behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement. This study focuses on student engagement behavior based on teacher and student preparedness and readiness within the classroom. Research suggests that the teacher's focus must be on the needs of each student and not on the instruction the teacher wants to cover. The emphasis on class schedules, curriculum guides, and pacing calendars has guided teaching and overwhelmed students for decades. However, students are engaged when they understand what they are doing and when they take agency in their work.

The findings suggest an increase in student engagement for those with teaching schedules modified to include three days in the classroom, one day of instructional design, and one day of lesson preparation and planning for each of the assigned learners. Then personalized learning plans could be a fluid instrument for providing each student with scaffolded activities and the needed instruction that meets students where they are to help them succeed. At-risk students would attend school each morning for academic courses for four hours with three 80-minute classes. Next, students would have lunch and then attend activities such as study hall, counseling, service projects, clubs, and sports every afternoon. The student schedule would include alternating morning classes and alternating afternoon activities. Students would shift between having classes and activities two to three days each week to have a set number of academic courses each quarter, cycle, semester, and school year. Research suggests that the proposed schedule would increase engagement and student agency.

Keywords:

Student agency, student engagement, teacher preparedness, personalized learning plans, at-risk learners, instructional design.