This study focused on examining the effect of two alternative school types on student success in Mississippi. To determine alternative school type, alternative program directors self-reported program design, and schools were divided into two groups. Type I schools were defined as "punitive-based" programs in which students receive instruction in a self-contained class in which multiple subjects are taught by one teacher all or most of the day. Type II schools were defined as "prescriptive-based" programs in which students receive departmentalized subject-matter instruction all or most of the day from several teachers, each certified in the subject being taught. Student success was measured by achieving a passing score on one or more of the five standardized assessments from Mississippi's Subject Area Testing Program. Alternative school program directors self-reported the number of first-time test takers who successfully completed one or more of these subject-area tests and the number of test takers who did not successfully complete one or more of the tests. To gather this data, a survey was administered to program directors whose district superintendents gave permission for participation. The results of the study indicated that program type might have significantly influenced testing outcomes in both Type I (Algebra I) and Type II (U.S. History before 1877) settings. No significance was found between program types and testing outcomes in the other three tests: Biology I, English II Multiple Choice, or English II Writing component. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]