WWC review of this study

The Success for All Model of School Reform: Interim Findings from the Investing in Innovation (i3) Scale-Up

Quint, Janet C.; Balu, Rekha; DeLaurentis, Micah; Rappaport, Shelley; Smith, Thomas J.; Zhu, Pei (2014). MDRC. Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED546642

  • Randomized Controlled Trial
     examining 
    37
     Schools
    , grades
    K-1

Reviewed: January 2018

At least one finding shows promising evidence of effectiveness
At least one statistically significant positive finding
Meets WWC standards without reservations
Alphabetics outcomes—Statistically significant positive effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

Woodcock Johnson (WJ): Word Attack subtest

Success for All® vs. Business as usual

2 Years

Full sample;
37 schools

12.78

10.69

Yes

 
 
14
 

Woodcock Johnson (WJ): Letter-word Identification subtest

Success for All® vs. Business as usual

2 Years

Full sample;
37 schools

31.09

30.27

No

--
Comprehension outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

Woodcock Johnson (WJ): Passage Comprehension subtest

Success for All® vs. Business as usual

2 Years

Full sample;
37 schools

15.08

14.92

No

--
Reading Fluency outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE)

Success for All® vs. Business as usual

2 Years

Full sample;
37 schools

30.67

29.72

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.


  • Male: 52%
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    Northeast, South, West
  • Race
    Black
    23%
    White
    14%
  • Ethnicity
    Hispanic    
    62%

Setting

The study took place in five districts in four states in the Western, Southern, and Northeastern U.S. Most districts were located in large to mid-size cities. Schools were required to serve grades K-5, have at least 40% of their students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, and be willing to participate in the study and support program implementation.

Study sample

56.8% of the study sample received free or reduced-price lunch. 13.8% of students were White, 22.6% were Black, and 61.8% were Hispanic. Males made up 51.6% of the sample.

Intervention Group

Students in the intervention condition participated in Success for All for 2 school years (Kindergarten and first grade) when outcomes were measured. Schools began using the program for the first time at the beginning of the first study year, and in general improved their implementation over the course of the study. Success for All calls for a 90-minute reading block each day, which appeared to have been adhered to in most (if not all) schools. Other aspects, such as regular tutoring for struggling students, periodic testing and regrouping, and support for families, were applied less consistently but appeared in some form in most schools.

Comparison Group

Before the study both intervention and comparison schools implemented commonly-used programs from well-known publishers such as Macmillan/McGraw-Hill, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and Scott Foresman. During the study period, most comparison schools continued to use the same curriculum as before the study began, while the others switched from one common program to another.

Support for implementation

Each school implementing Success for All appointed a facilitator who oversaw the implementation of the program. Principals and other school leaders attended a week-long conference the summer before implementation, in which they were introduced to the various parts of the programs. SFA coordinators visited the schools for 4 days before the beginning of the school year. One day of programming focused on principals and school leaders, the second day on all teachers, and the third and fourth days on reading teachers. During the school year SFA coaches visited the schools implementing the program to provide additional support. This was focused primarily on assisting principals and other leaders in implementing program features, but also included classroom visits and feedback on lessons.

Reviewed: March 2017



Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.

Study sample characteristics were not reported.
 

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