No statistically significant positive
findings
Meets WWC standards without reservations
For:
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IES Performance Measure (findings for Learning Strategies Curriculum (LSC))
Rating:
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Meets WWC standards without reservations
because it is a randomized controlled trial with low attrition.
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Literacy Achievement outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome measure
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Comparison
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Period
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Sample
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Intervention mean
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Comparison mean
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Significant?
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Improvement index
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Evidence tier
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Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE) Score
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Learning Strategies Curriculum (LSC) vs.
Business as usual
|
0 Years
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Grade: 9;
1,128 students
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31.90
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30.20
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No
|
--
|
|
Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE) Score
|
Learning Strategies Curriculum (LSC) vs.
Business as usual
|
0 Years
|
Grade: 6;
1,135 students
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30.40
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29.30
|
No
|
--
|
|
Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE) Score
|
Learning Strategies Curriculum (LSC) vs.
Business as usual
|
0 Years
|
Grade: 6; Special Education;
352 students
|
26.90
|
25.60
|
No
|
--
|
|
Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE) Score
|
Learning Strategies Curriculum (LSC) vs.
Business as usual
|
0 Years
|
Grade: 9; Special Education;
300 students
|
27.10
|
28.10
|
No
|
--
|
|
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
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Rural
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Kentucky
Setting
Middle and high schools in rural Kentucky.
Study sample
All sixth- and ninth-grade students in participating who met eligibility criteria of scoring two grade levels below grade level (except for students in full-time self-contained special education classrooms). School administration strongly encouraged treatment for qualified students, and intervention students could only opt out of the intervention by a written request from the parent.
Most students were white and qualified for free or reduced-price lunch.
Intervention Group
The LSC was developed to assist adolescents with learning disabilities in the general education classroom and is divided into three strands: (a) Acquisition, (b) Storage, and (c) Expression. Each strand included a number of strategies designed to help students derive information from texts, identify and remember important information, or develop writing or academic competence. Each strategy was taught through eight instructional stages: pretest and commitments; describe; model; verbal practice; controlled practice; feedback; posttest and commitments; and generalization.
In the Danville project, all students received a minimum of 250 minutes per week of supplemental reading instruction in a targeted intervention class taught by an LSC teacher (who was also a literacy coach for other teachers in the school). Some intervention classes met for longer than 250 minutes per week. In those classes, teachers were instructed to provide no more than 300 minutes of LSC instruction and to utilize the remaining time on other literacy activities. Over the course of the project, the professional development model for the targeted intervention included summer and follow-up trainings and on-site support from a mentor coach. To learn how to implement the targeted intervention, teachers participated in summer workshops, which were led by a certified LSC trainer from the University of Louisville. Across the project, each LSC teacher received 26 days of workshop training in the targeted intervention in total.
Comparison Group
Students who were selected for the comparison group received a regular elective as part of their sixth- or ninth-grade program. A wide range of electives were taken, including band, chorus, civics, and physical education.
Support for implementation
Each school employed a literacy coach who was responsible for both teaching the targeted intervention to struggling readers and for coaching content teachers in implementing the whole-school intervention. The coaches could be certified in literacy leadership through the University of Louisville.
LSC teachers participated in training and on-site support, and training was provided for school administrators. In year 1, LSC teachers were provided 7 days professional development training and up to 60 hours support from visits by mentor coaches. In year 2, the LSC teachers were provided 7.5 days training and up to 48 hours of on-site support. In year 3, LSC teachers were provided 7 days professional development training and up to 72 hours of on-site support. In year 4, LSC teachers were provided 4.5 days professional development training and up to 60 hours of on-site support. School administrators were provided a total of 6.5 days training in the intervention for the length of the grant.
Classroom implementation fidelity was measured through classroom observations and by calculating the percentage of days that students received instruction by a trained LSC teacher (teacher attendance).