Setting
The study took place in 29 middle schools in an urban school district in the Northeast.
Study sample
Eleven Talent Development (TD) schools and 18 comparison schools participated in this
quasi-experimental study. The TD schools used the TD Student Team Literature curriculum for
reading and English language arts. Each TD school was matched with a set of non-TD comparison
schools that were similar on several dimensions, including racial/ethnic composition
and math and reading test scores of eighth graders averaged over the 1995–96 and 1996–97
school years. This matching process resulted in groups (clusters) of 1–12 non-TD comparison
schools for each TD school, with some non-TD schools serving as comparison schools for
more than one TD school.
To estimate program impacts, two interrupted time series analyses were performed. The first
compared the change in student test scores in TD schools after the program’s implementation
with the change of test scores of similar students in the same schools prior to TD’s
implementation. The second interrupted time series analysis was conducted for the matched
non-TD schools. Comparing the change in student test scores in TD schools to the change
in student test scores in the matched non-TD schools produced program impact estimates.
Specifically, the difference between deviations from the baseline in the TD schools and the
deviations from the baseline in the non-TD schools on reading outcomes serves as the estimated
program impact.
For the analysis of early-implementing TD schools (featured in Appendices C and D of this
report), sample sizes were from two to six intervention schools and 18 comparison schools.
For the analysis of later-implementing TD schools, sample sizes were five intervention schools
and 18 comparison schools.
Intervention Group
The Talent Development Middle Grades Program includes a systematic reorganization of each
school into small learning communities, organized around interdisciplinary teacher teams
that share the same students and have common planning time. Teachers receive professional
development on the use of the curriculum and accompanying instructional practice, and each
school employs the services of curriculum coaches to help support teachers on an ongoing
basis. The model provides catch-up opportunities during the school day for students who are
struggling with mathematics or reading. Finally, the model facilitates school–family–community
partnerships. The TD schools used TD Student Team Literature as their reading, English, and
language arts curriculum, with most schools adopting it, at least partially, in the first year. The
program includes partner discussion guides to assist students as they study fiction and nonfiction
books and work in cooperative teams.
The early-implementing treatment schools used the TD model for five school years, from
1997–98 to 2001–02. The start of TD implementation was staggered across the six earlyimplementing
schools, with some schools beginning TD implementation earlier than others.
All six of the early-implementing schools had at least three years of implementation experience
when the analysis was conducted: two schools had three years of experience, two schools
had four years of experience, and two had implemented TD for five years. The later-implementing
treatment schools used the TD model for one school year (2001–02, the most recent school
year for which data are available in the analysis).
Comparison Group
Students in the comparison group received the district’s standard reading/English language
arts curriculum. The name of the standard district curriculum was not specified.
Outcome descriptions
The primary reading tests, administered annually in the school district, were the State Standards
Assessment (SSA) and the Stanford Achievement Test, 9th Edition (SAT-9). The SSA was given
in eighth grade, and the SAT-9 was given in seventh grade. Results for both tests were presented
as Normal Curve Equivalent scores. For a more detailed description of these outcome measures,
see Appendix B. The outcome measures that reflect the student’s maximum exposure to the
intervention are used to determine the WWC effectiveness rating and, therefore, are reported
in Appendix C. The intermediate findings are reported in Appendix D.
Support for implementation
The Talent Development Middle Grades Program provides four tiers of continuous support for
teachers, including: (1) subject-specific professional development with a focus on modeling
lessons, content knowledge, instructional strategies, and classroom management; (2) in-classroom
support from a curriculum coach; (3) in-school support from teachers who receive extra training;
and (4) support from instructional facilitators based at the Center for Research on the Education
of Students Placed at Risk (CRESPAR).