Special education students at California elementary school achieve AYP with Direct Instruction

SRA/McGraw-Hill,

Abstract:

This study examined the effect of Direct Instruction (DI) reading programs on the reading achievement of special and general education elementary students. In response to students reading well below grade level, Virginia Primrose Elementary implemented Reading Mastery in kindergarten through third grade classrooms and Corrective Reading in fourth and fifth grade classrooms in the fall of 2004. Prior to the implementation of DI, the majority of fifth grade students were reading on a second grade level. Following the implementation of DI, students’ reading proficiency improved. During the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 school years, Virginia Primrose Elementary was the only school in the district to have special education students achieve Adequate Yearly Progress. Results from the California Standards Test (CST)in the spring of 2007 indicated that 77% of special education students advanced from far below basic to below basic or from basic to proficient. The percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced in English Language Arts on the CST more than doubled in the second and third grade during the 2006-2007 school year in comparison to 2004-2005, before the implementation of DI. (Copyright © 2011, National Institute for Direct Instruction (NIFDI). All rights reserved).

Research areas:

• Project Follow Through

Year:

2008

Main publication type:

Program Effectiveness

Subtype:

Article

Keywords:

Reading Mastery; Corrective Reading; reading proficiency; Adequate Yearly Progress; California Standards Test; reading fluency; special education referral

Source:

Columbus, OH The McGraw-Hill Companies

Design type:

Cohort Control Group Design

Fidelity monitored:

No

Students included:

Kindergarten students, elementary students, special education students, Hispanic students, African American students, Caucasian students

Location/Setting:

Fontana, California, elementary school