- Evaluation Studies Underway
- Literacy
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An Evaluation of the Impact of Supplemental Literacy Interventions in Freshman Academies
Contractors: MDRC and AIR
Key Staff:
James Kemple (MDRC)
William Corrin (MDRC)
Terry Salinger (AIR)
Research Questions:
- Do specific supplemental literacy interventions that create personalized and intensive instruction for struggling ninth grade readers significantly improve reading proficiency?
- What are the effects of the curricular interventions on other in-school outcomes such as attendance, persistence, and course-taking behavior?
- Do the impacts differ for students with different characteristics? Which students benefit most from participation in the interventions?
Design: Given that nearly one quarter of eighth grade students, and nearly 40 percent of those in urban areas, score below the 'basic' level in reading on the National Assessment of Education Progress, reading programs intended to substantially boost literacy skills are increasingly in demand. Yet none of these programs has been evaluated rigorously on a large scale.
To address this gap, NCEE awarded a contract to evaluate the impacts of two supplemental literacy programs for striving ninth grade readers. Each program was randomly assigned to be implemented as part of freshman academies in 17 schools that received grants through a special competition under the Smaller Learning Communities (SLC) grant program. The two interventions are Reading Apprenticeship [WestEd] and Xtreme Reading [University of Kansas - Center on Research in Learning]. At each high school, two cohorts of eligible students were randomly assigned to the supplemental literacy program or to an elective. Five thousand students (about 2,500 striving 9th graders in 2005-06 and an additional 2,500 striving 9th graders from 2006-07) are involved in the research study. Data collection began in 2005 and includes student records, annual pre- and post-test scores on a diagnostic assessment of reading achievement, and scores on state assessments in reading.
Duration: 5 years (September 30, 2004 - September 30, 2009).
Reports: The first interim report analyzing the impacts on the first cohort of ninth graders was released in January 2008. The 2nd interim report is planned for fall 2008 and will cover the second cohort of ninth graders. A final report is planned for 2009 that will analyze impacts on both cohorts of ninth graders through the 2007-08 school year.
The final report on this study will be announced on http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/.
Current Status: (August 2008) The two school years of program implementation (2005-06 and 2006-07) and follow-up testing of both cohorts of 9th graders is complete. Follow-up collection of school administrative data is underway and will continue through the 2007-08 school year. The first interim report was published in January 2008 and the second interim report is in the IES peer review process.
