Missouri Test Results
The Missouri research findings shown are from a three-year Grade 1 study of Ready Reading by Faye Crow at Thayer Elementary School, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, in the Waynesville R-VI School District. The test used at both the beginning and end of the school year was from SRA.
During the years studied, the first grade students were taught using Ready Reading as their primary word identification (phonics) program. This included writing activities incorporated in the lessons. The students were given a pre-test in September of each school year and a post-test in April of each year to determine gains in reading achievement during that school year. The students were also given the Educational Ability Series portion of the SRA test to determine approximate levels of learning ability.
Note: Due to the high mobility of students in this school on a military base, it was not possible to do testing in subsequent grades to follow progress of these students. However, once students were exposed to the Ready Reading program in Grades K and 1, it was seldom necessary for one of those students to need remedial reading so the remedial reading program became chiefly limited to new students moving into the school.
Graph A
Graph B
Graph C
Graph D
Graph A shows results of the tests for the total grade. The pre-test scores for reading show that the students were performing very close to their tested educational ability (EAS). In Year 1 the average EAS percentile score was 67% and the average September reading percentile score was 70%. In Year 2 the average EAS percentile score was 67% and the average September reading percentile score was 66%. In Year 3 the average EAS percentile score was 57% and the average September reading percentile score was 71%.When given the post-test for reading achievement in April of each year, in Year 1 the average gain was 18%; in Year 2 the average gain was 16%; in Year 3 the average gain was 18%. These gains were considered significant in relation to what might have been expected from the EAS scores.
Graph B shows test results when considering the same students in homogeneous classroom groupings of low, average, and higher ability levels. The lower ability students had an average EAS percentile score of 29% and an average September reading percentile close to what one might expect based on the EAS score of 34%. The April test for the lower ability students averaged 73%, a gain of 39%, which was considered to be very significant.
The test results for the homogeneous group of students of average ability showed the average EAS score to be 58% and the average September reading achievement score to be 65%. The gain in April for this group was 23% for an average reading achievement scoreof 88%, still a very significant gain in reading achievement.
The test results for the homogeneous group of students with higher ability showed theaverage EAS score to be 64% with the average September reading achievement score of85%. The gain for this group in April was 10% with the average score being 95%, also a good score in comparison with the EAS.
The difference in gains for low, average, and higher ability students shows that, although the lower ability group had much less general knowledge and fewer reading skills at the beginning of the year, the students of lower ability were able to make gains in reading achievement that enabled them to function successfully by the end of the year. Gains made by students in the average ability group showed that, with good instruction in basic reading skills, they could come close to the achievement of the higher group. It must be noted that, although one would not realistically expect that all students would reach the highest level of achievement, all were successful enough to function in all classroom activities involving reading and writing.
Graph C shows gains made by students as an individual example, remedial reading groups, and the total grade. The individual new student arrived at the school in February and tested with a zero percentile score, a nonreader. In the April testing of students, this student who received remedial instruction using Ready Reading tested at the 35th percentile, still below the goal of 44th percentile but a remarkable improvement in just six weeks. This was the only first grade student who tested below the 44th percentile in the spring, which was the score generally considered as qualification for Title I reading or remedial instruction.
The Remedial Reading group consisted mainly of students who were new to the school and whose pre-test scores averaged at or below the 20th percentile. These students had a post-test average score at the 60th percentile and were generally dismissed from the remedial reading program to regular classroom instruction for the following school year.
The Reading Total shows scores for the entire first grade. The pre-test scores for the entire grade in the fall averaged around the 40th percentile. The post-test score average for the entire grade was slightly above the 80th percentile. One-third of the students in the first grade were receiving instruction in third grade basal readers by the end of the year. Another one-third of the first grade students were receiving instruction in second grade basal readers by the end of the year. The remedial group of students finished most or all of the first grade materials, depending somewhat on the length of time they had been enrolled in the school, with varying enrollment dates.
Graph D is an example of test results for kindergarten students after the Ready Reading program was started at that level. The September scores show the average for a heterogeneous class using Ready Reading. The pre-test scores are in line with what might be expected from students just entering school for the first time. The post-test scores show a significant gain. The limits of the Metropolitan Readiness Test used at that time did not provide a basis for showing the actual reading abilities of students with basal textbooks. One-third of the class finished all of the school reading curriculum’s recommended first grade basal materials. Another third of the class finished all the pre-primer level and primer level basal materials. The remaining third of the class finished varying levels of the beginning first grade basal materials. All students knew the letter sounds and had ability to independently blend the sounds into words. All students were able to write independently in journals, learning logs for science/social studies activities, and various creative writing activities.