Curriculum influences on growth in early reading fluency for students with academic and behavioral risks: A descriptive study

Kamps, D.; Wills, H.; Greenwood, C.; Thorne, S.; Lazo, J.; Crockett, J.; Akers, J.; Swaggart, B.

Abstract:

This study examined the growth of reading skills of students in kindergarten through second grade who had been identified for academic and behavioral risk. Students in five schools were selected to participate in this three year study. Reading Mastery (RM) was used in one school, Success for All (SFA) in another, and the other three used literature-based programs (n=111 students for RM, 107 for SFA, and 164 for literature-based). Student growth in reading skills was measured using the indicators in the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) system over a three-year period. Results indicated that students in the RM group had stronger gains in reading fluency than students in all the comparison groups. Additionally, students with academic, behavioral, or both risk factors in the RM group recorded greater growth in reading skills than similar students in all other programs. Effect sizes were calculated using the end-point performance for each curriculum group and standard deviations obtained from Good, Wallin, Simmons, Kame’enui, and Kaminski (2002). (Copyright © 2011, National Institute for Direct Instruction (NIFDI). All rights reserved).

Research areas:

• Project Follow Through

Year:

2003

Main publication type:

Program Effectiveness

Subtype:

Article

Keywords:

Reading Mastery; Success for All; Reading; DIBELS; Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders; Early Screening Project

Source:

Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Volume:

11

Number:

4

Pages:

211-224

Design type:

Pretest Posttest Control Group with Statistical Controls

Fidelity monitored:

No

Students included:

Kindergarten students, elementary students, at-risk students, students with behavioral problems, African American students, Caucasian students, Hispanic students

Location/Setting:

Midwest, Elementary School, Charter School, urban area