Summary of the Year 5 SRI Evaluation of the Linked Learning District Initiative
December 2014
For the past five years, SRI International has been conducting an independent evaluation of the Linked Learning
District Initiative, and the latest evaluation offers several key findings about outcomes and perceptions among
students in certified Linked Learning pathways, compared to peers in traditional high schools.
1. Linked Learning students report greater confidence in life and career skills than their peers. These skills are
essential to success in college, career and life. Linked Learning students:
 Are much more likely to report that high school prepares them for working with people in professional
settings (+21 percentage points), and for working in a group to achieve a shared goal (+20 percentage
points), compared to peers in traditional high schools.
 Are more likely (+22 percentage points) to report improved presentation skills, and judge whether they
can trust the results of an online search (+17 percentage points).
 Are 10 percentage points more likely to report seeing connections between what they learned in class
and the real world.
 Are 12 percentage points more likely to report having support navigating decisions on what they wanted
to do after graduation than their peers in traditional high schools.
2. Linked Learning students are staying in their districts through high school—an indication that they are less
likely to drop out before graduation.
 On average, students enrolled in certified pathways are 5.2 percentage points more likely to remain in
their district through 12th grade compared with peers in traditional high school programs.
3. Linked Learning students are accumulating more credits, which is critical for on-time graduation.
 Linked Learning students earn on average of 6.9 more credits in the 10th grade than peers at traditional
high schools.
 Linked Learning students are 7.9 percentage points more likely to be on track at the end of 10th grade to
complete the a–g requirements, which are needed for admission to a California public university.
4. There are positive academic outcomes for Linked Learning students who enter high school with low
achievement scores.
 Linked Learning students with low achievement in 8th grade outscored similar peers on key state
assessments in 9th and 10th grade. They also earn more credits in the 9th and 10th grades than similar
peers.
5. Positive student outcomes are associated most strongly with certified pathways.
 Compared with similar peers at traditional high schools, certified pathway students demonstrated more
positive outcomes than students enrolled in non-certified pathways.1
To learn more, visit www.LinkedLearning.org.
Source for all data:
Guha, R., Caspary, K., Stites, R., Padilla, C., Arshan, N., Park, C., Tse, V., Astudillo, S., Black, A., & Adelman, N. (2014). Taking
stock of the California Linked Learning District Initiative. Fifth-year evaluation report. Menlo Park, CA: SRI International.
1
“SRI conducted separate analyses of non-certified pathways, the results on which are presented in the appendix of the full report.”
(starting on page A-32)