This report examines changes in the reading skills of elementary students in three rural Midwestern school districts after the implementation of Reading Mastery (RM) with support from the National Institute for Direct Instruction (NIFDI). Data from two sets of student cohorts: 1) cohorts that began school before RM was implemented and did not start the curriculum until first grade or later (partial exposure cohorts), and 2) cohorts that had RM beginning in kindergarten with teachers fully complying with the NIFDI model (full exposure cohorts). By the middle of kindergarten, those in the full exposure cohorts had significantly higher DIBELS scores than students in the partial exposure cohort and scores that were equal to or significantly higher than those in the national sample. Differences remained strong and significant through the primary years, and effect sizes surpassed usual standards of educational significance. Data on fourth graders from one district showed statistically significant and educationally important increases in scores on the state reading assessment after exposure to RM.
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