The Effects of the Content Literacy Continuum on Adolescent Students' Reading Comprehension and Academic Achievement
Data collection approach
Data will be collected from intervention and control schools on student reading performance on the GRADE and performance in core subjects on state achievement tests. Data will also be collected on course-taking patterns and course grades.
Other data collection activities include observations of classroom instruction and interviews with school and district leaders. Information from these sources will indicate possible changes in teacher instruction, distinctions in school and classroom context, the contrast between schools in each experimental condition, and fidelity of implementation (table 2).
Table 2. Data collection timeline
| Outcome | Data source | Baseline | Follow-up year 1, 2008/09 | Follow-up year 2, 2009/10 |
| Baseline data and student achievement in core subjects | School records data Individual student demographic data Data from tests already administered in the districts Other student outcome data | School years 2005/06, 2006/07, 2007/08; collected from district in quarter 4, 2008 and quarter 1, 2009 for prior years' tests | Grade 9 student (cohort 1) data collected from district in quarter 4, 2009 | Grade 9 (cohort 2) and grade 10 (cohort 1) student data collected from district in quarter 4, 2010 |
| Student literacy | Literacy assessment Group Reading Assessment Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE) |
Administered to grade 9 students (cohort 1) in spring 2009 | Administered to grade 9 students (cohort 2) and grade 10 students (cohort 1) in spring 2010 | |
| Classroom instruction | Observations of classroom instruction Core subject area classes and reading classes observed at each school during site visits |
One observation visit of grade 9 classrooms per school in quarter 1, 2009; one observation visit of grade 9 classrooms in quarter 2, 2009 | One grade 9 and 10 observation visit per school in quarter 4, 2009; one grade 9 and 10 observation visit in quarter 2, 2010 |
Source: Researchers' analysis.