Building Durable Vocabulary in High School: A School-Wide Program Evaluation 139 views

This utilization-focused evaluation (UFE) assessed the school-wide Word of the Day (WOTD) program at Cambridge County High School (CCHS). Specific intended effects of the WOTD program are to (a) increase students’ exposure to and understanding of high‐utility academic vocabulary, (b) foster students’ word consciousness, and (c) contribute to students’ improved reading/writing outcomes and reduced need for remediation. A logic model for the WOTD program was developed as part of this study. The program's logic model foregrounds ongoing improvements for CCHS students as intended beneficiaries and sustained use of durable vocabulary instructional practices among CCHS teachers as program users. Qualitative methods were used to respond to three evaluation questions. Data collection and analysis included descriptive statistics of broad survey data, and coding of focus group transcripts and classroom observation protocols. Cognitive-architecture-informed evaluation criteria was used to assess alignment to effective instructional practices at each stage of the instructional hierarchy. Key findings indicate that implementation fidelity of the WOTD program varies across stages with higher degrees of alignment to durable learning practices at the acquisition stage and lower levels of alignment at the generalization/adaptation stage. Utilization of findings with the aim of achieving the intended long-term outcomes are discussed.

EDD (Doctor of Education)

vocabulary instruction; program evaluation; durable learning; instructional hierarchy; cognitive architecture; adolescent literacy; utilization-focused evaluation

English

2026-04-13