Search

An Australian study investigated the destinations of adult literacy students in nationally-funded programs, including their economic and employment patterns, educational development (maintenance of educational involvement and advancement, skill development), social well-being (family and personal development, life satisfaction, self-esteem), and community participation and enjoyment of community facilities. Data were collected over four years using a combination of survey and case study analysis and drawing on other research and policy information. Results indicate adult literacy education participants had diverse expectations and motivations, making evaluation of program impact inappropriate; literacy gains were only part of student motivation. Participants developed a noticeable shift in reading and cognitive problem- solving strategies, clearly moving away from dependence on tools and personal support. Literacy classes significantly improved employment opportunities, but inequities persisted. Sociability measures were initially higher while students were in the classroom, but this appeared a temporary effect. Retention rates differed for sample groups. Only a small proportion pursued further study, but overall, social and community participation increased. Functional and everyday literacy activities were substantially and positively altered for participants. Recommendations for program improvement are made. (Contains 49 references.) (MSE) (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on Literacy Education)

A study evaluated the Title I Early Literacy program that served 1,503 underachieving pupils in grades 1 (1,169) and 2 (334) in the Columbus, Ohio, public schools. The purpose of the Early Literacy program was to provide early intervention to underachieving first- and second-grade pupils who appeared unlikely to learn to read successfully without additional reading instruction. The program featured small group instruction each day for 40-45 minutes on reading and writing activities. A major part of the evaluation effort was accomplished through the administration of the Metropolitan Achievement Tests (MAT7, 1992). Administered on a spring-spring test cycle, the test series served as the pretest and posttest for grade 2 pupils. the spring administration to grade 1 pupils in April, 1996 served as the pretest for grade 2. Results indicated that: (1) 70.3% of a treatment group of 944 pupils displayed over time each of 3 strategic processing behaviors (constructing meaning, monitoring reading, and integrating sources of information; (2) 382 (53.4%) grade 1 pupils read 5 or more books at level 8 or above and 146 (64.0%) grade 2 pupils independently read at least 5 books at text reading level 15 or above; (3) in reading comprehension, discontinued pupils (61) gained 0.85 normal curve equivalents (NCEs) and not discontinued pupils (97) lost 7.88 NCEs; and (4) parent involvement information showed that 3,728 contact were made with program teachers. Findings support continuation of the program with consideration given to 7 areas of concern. (Contains 10 figures of data.) (RS)

A study evaluated the effectiveness of the 1996-97 Reading Recovery program as implemented in the Columbus, Ohio, public schools. The program featured individualized one-on-one lessons provided by 58 specially trained teachers serving 470 grade 1 pupils. The treatment group consisted of the 230 pupils who were either discontinued (202) or received 60 or more lessons but not discontinued (28). Results indicated that (1) of the 230 treatment group pupils, 217 (94.3%) displayed over time each of the 3 strategic processing behaviors (monitoring reading, constructing meaning, and integrating sources of information); (2) of the 202 pupils who were discontinued from the Reading Recovery program, 197 had available scores from a benchmark reading assessment administered to all grade 1 pupils in the district, and of those, 173 (87.8%) passed the assessment; (3) of the 28 pupils who were not discontinued but received at least 60 lessons, 24 had available benchmark scores, and of those, 9 (37.5%) passed the benchmark; (4) of the treatment group of 230 pupils, 219 (95.2%) read 5 or more books at text reading level 8 or above (criterion was 75.0%); (5) a total of 1,639 parent contacts were made with program teachers, and average of 3.5 contacts for each pupil served; and (6) the 230 treatment group pupils represented 48.9% of the 470 pupils served, but represented 58.4% of the total number of contacts made with parents or guardians. Findings support continuation of the program with attention given to seven recommendations. (Contains eight figures of data.) (RS)

A study evaluated the Early Literacy program that served 2,021 underachieving pupils in grades 1 (1600) and 2 (421) in the Columbus, Ohio, public schools. The purpose of the Early Literacy program was to provide early intervention to underachieving first- and second-grade pupils who appeared unlikely to learn to read successfully without reading instruction. The program featured small group instruction each day for 40-45 minutes on reading and writing activities. A major part of the evaluation effort was accomplished through the administration of the Metropolitan Achievement Tests (MAT7, 1992). Results indicated that: (1) 74% of a treatment group of 1,314 pupils displayed over time each of three strategic processing behaviors (constructing meaning, monitoring reading, and integrating sources of information; (2) 1,028 (59.8%) grade 1 pupils read 5 or more books at level 8 or above and 136 (82.4%) grade 2 pupils independently read at least 10 books; (3) in reading comprehension, 80 discontinued grade 2 pupils had normal curve equivalent (NCE) gains of 4.01, with not discontinued pupils (110) lost 8.48 NCEs; and (4) 1,838 different parents or guardians were involved in the program, and 3,986 contacts were made by these individuals. Findings support continuation of the program with consideration given to seven areas of concern. (Contains 13 figures of data.) (RS)

A study evaluated the effectiveness of the 1995-96 Reading Recovery program as implemented in the Columbus, Ohio, public schools. The program featured individualized one-on-one lessons provided by 67 specially trained teachers serving 497 grade 1 pupils. Data included results of administration of Metropolitan Achievement Tests (MAT7, 1992) and Scott Foresman text reading level testing. The treatment group consisted of the 220 pupils who were either discontinued (129) or received 60 or more lessons but not discontinued (91). Results indicated that (1) of the 220 treatment group pupils, 197 (89.5%) displayed over time each of the 3 strategic processing behaviors (monitoring reading, constructing meaning, and integrating sources of information); (2) of the 190 Reading Comprehension evaluation sample pupils, 14.7% were at the 50th percentile or above and 72.1% were below the 37th percentile; (3) of the 28 pupils who reached the 50th percentile in Reading Comprehension, 16 (57.1%) were discontinued pupils and of the 137 pupils below the 37th percentile, 81 (59.1%) were discontinued pupils; (4) the average normal curve equivalent (NCE) score for the 190 Reading Comprehension evaluation sample pupils on the posttest was 38.6 NCEs, with discontinued pupils (114) having an average score of 39.1 NCEs and not discontinued pupils (76) having an average score of 37.8 NCEs; (5) of the treatment group of 220 pupils, 183 (83.2%) read 5 or more books at text reading level 8 or above (criterion was 50.0%); and (6) a total of 614 different parents or guardians were involved in some way with the program. Findings suggest continuation of the program with attention given to 7 recommendations. (Contains 13 figures of data.) (RS)

A study examined the effectiveness of the Title 1 Middle School Summer program that provided students at two middle schools in the Columbus, Ohio public school district with background experiences to help them connect learning to living. Mathematics and literacy lessons were developed around travel experiences to museums, zoos, baseball games, Sea World, and German Village. The program also featured a parent component. Pupils attended the program 3 days a week for a total of 12 days during the 4-week program. Of the 45 pupils in grades 5 or 6 served, 43 (95.6%) met the attendance criterion for inclusion in the treatment group. Results indicated that (1) 90.7% of the pupils in the treatment group displayed at least two problem solving strategies; (2) 88.4% of the treatment group displayed at least 2 literacy strategies; (3) 90.7% used at least 2 types of available technology; (4) 95.3% displayed at least 2 of the positive attitudes toward learning behaviors; and (5) 56 different parents or guardians were involved in the program. Findings suggest that the program should be expanded; a follow-up study should determine how successful the summer program pupils are in the regular school-year program; and every effort should be made to include more parents in the program, especially in the area of planning. (Contains 6 figures of data. A data collection form is attached.) (RS)

A study evaluated the Early Literacy program that served 2,332 underachieving pupils in grades 1 (1,842) and 2 (490) in the Columbus, Ohio, public schools. These students appeared unlikely to learn to read successfully without additional reading instruction. The program featured small group instruction each day for 40-45 minutes on reading and writing activities. A major part of the evaluation effort was accomplished through the administration of the Metropolitan Achievement Tests. Results indicated that: (1) 77.3% of a treatment group of 1,521 pupils displayed over time each of 3 strategic processing behaviors (constructing meaning, monitoring reading, and integrating sources of information; (2) of the 1,479 treatment group pupils with available retention data, 1,376 (93%) were promoted; (3) 755 (65.1%) grade 1 pupils read 5 or more books at level 8 or above and 208 (86.3%) grade 2 pupils independently read at least 10 books; (4) 204 (77.6%) pupils of 263 grade 2 students had normal curve equivalent (NCE) gains of 2.0 or more in Total Reading, with discontinued pupils having an average gain of 8.34 NCEs and not discontinued pupils showing greater improvement than did not discontinued pupils; and (5) 2,014 different parents or guardians were involved in the program, and 4,249 contacts were made by these individuals. Findings suggest continuation of the program with consideration given to 6 areas of concern. (Contains 15 figures of data.) (RS)

A study evaluated the effectiveness of the 1994-95 Reading Recovery program as implemented in the Columbus, Ohio, public schools. The program featured individualized one-on-one lessons provided by 69 specially trained teachers serving 546 pupils. Data included results of administration of Metropolitan Achievement Tests and Scott Foresman text reading level testing. The treatment group consisted of the 237 pupils who were either discontinued (161) or received 60 or more lessons but not discontinued (76). Resulted indicated that (1) of the 237 treatment group pupils, 218 (92%) displayed over time each of the 3 strategic processing behaviors (monitoring reading, constructing meaning, and integrating sources of information); (2) of the 237 pupils in the treatment group retention data were available for 232 pupils; of these 232 pupils, 220 (94.8%) were not retained (criterion was 75.0%); (3) of the treatment group of 237 pupils, 209 (88.2%) read 5 or more books at text reading level 8 or above (criterion was 50.0%); (4) 4.6% of the 219 Total Reading evaluation sample students were at grade level, while 90% were below the 37th percentile and still eligible for Chapter 1 services; (5) of the 221 Reading Comprehension evaluation sample pupils, 8.1% were at grade level, while 80.5% were below the 37th percentile; (6) the average normal curve equivalent (NCE) score for the 219 Total Reading evaluation sample pupils was 31.2 NCEs, and the average NCE score for the 221 Reading Comprehension sample on the posttest was 35.5 NCEs; and (7) 648 different parents or guardians were involved in some way with the program. Findings suggest continuation of the program with attention given to 7 recommendations. (Contains 13 figures of data.) (RS)

A study evaluated the effectiveness of the 1992-93 Reading Recovery program as implemented in the Columbus Public Schools. The program featured individualized one-on-one lessons provided by 66 specially trained teachers serving 305 pupils. Data included results of administration of Metropolitan Achievement Tests and Scott Foresman text reading level testing. The treatment group consisted of the 162 pupils who were either discontinued (82) or received 60 or more lessons but not discontinued (80). Results indicated that: (1) 149 pupils (92%) reached Scott Foresman level 8; (2) 91.9% of the pupils were not retained in grade one; (3) 355 different parents or guardians were involved in some way with the program; (4) 34 (21.8%) of the evaluation sample students reached the average normal curve equivalents (NCE) for the district as a whole; and (5) of the 368 pupils from the 1990-91, 1991-92, and 1992-93 treatment groups who remained in the Columbus Public School, 90.5% (333) followed a normal grade-level progression. Findings suggest continuation of the program with attention given to seven recommendations. (Contains 13 tables of data. Survey and evaluation instruments are attached.) (RS)

A study evaluated the Early Literacy program that served 2,278 underachieving pupils in grades one (1,655) and two (623) who appeared unlikely to learn to read successfully without additional reading instruction. The Early Literacy program teacher and each small group of pupils worked together each day for 40-45 minutes on reading and writing activities. A major part of the evaluation effort was accomplished through the administration of the Metropolitan Achievement Tests. Results indicated that: (1) 137 (64%) of the grade two evaluation sample of 214 students gained at least 3.0 normal curve equivalents (NCEs) in reading comprehension; (2) in total reading, 202 grade two pupils had an average NCE gain of 5.01 NCEs, with 79 discontinued pupils gaining 7.42 NCEs and 123 not discontinued pupils gaining 3.46 NCEs; (3) of the 820 grade one and two treatment group pupils with available retention data, 770 (93.9%) were promoted; (4) 440 (77.6%) grade 1 pupils read five or more books at level eight or above and 139 (89.7%) grade 2 pupils independently read at least 10 books; and (5) 2,104 parents or guardians were involved in the program and that 4,347 contacts were made by these individuals. Findings suggest continuation of the program with consideration given to six areas of concern: examine the process for discontinuing pupils; increase the number of pupils in the evaluation sample; increase parent involvement; provide coordination between the program and classroom teachers; establish structured observation procedures; and maintain a viable inservice program. (Contains eight tables of data. Evaluation and assessment instruments are attached.) (RS)

A study evaluated the Early Literacy program that served 2,280 underachieving pupils in grades 1 and 2 in the Columbus, Ohio, public schools. These students appeared unlikely to learn to read successfully without additional reading instruction. The program featured small group instruction for these pupils each day for 40-45 minutes on reading and writing activities. A major part of the evaluation effort was accomplished through the administration of the Metropolitan Achievement Tests. Results indicated that: (1) of a treatment group of 1,547 pupils, 1,117 (72.2%) displayed over time each of 3 strategic processing behaviors (constructing meaning, monitoring reading, and integrating sources of information); (2) of the 1,506 treatment group pupils with available retention data, 1,366 (90.7%) were promoted; (3) 810 (67.8%) grade 1 pupils read 5 or more books at level 8 or above and 201 (81%) grade 2 pupils independently read at least 10 books; (4) normal curve equivalent (NCE) gains in Total Reading for grade 2 pupils was 3.22 NCEs, with discontinued pupils having an average gain of 8.34 NCEs and not discontinued pupils having an average gain of 1.25 NCEs; and (5) 1,956 different parents or guardians were involved in the program, and 3,804 contacts were made by these individuals. Findings suggest continuation of the program with consideration given to 5 areas of concern. (Contains 8 tables of data. Appendixes present the Concepts about Print scoring sheet, a matrix of data, teacher census form, a calendar worksheet/parent involvement log, evidence.) (RS)

A study evaluated the effectiveness of the 1993-94 Reading Recovery program as implemented in the Columbus, Ohio, public schools. The program featured individualized one-on-one lessons provided by 61 specially trained teachers serving 402 pupils. Data included results of administration of Metropolitan Achievement Tests and Scott Foresman text reading level testing. Pupils included in the final analyses for Desired Outcomes 1, 2, and 3 must have received 60 or more instructional lessons or have been successfully discontinued (completed) from the program. The treatment group consisted of the 145 pupils who were either discontinued (105) or received 60 or more lessons but not discontinued (40). Results indicated that: (1) 93.1% of the pupils displayed over time each of 3 strategic processing behaviors (monitoring reading, constructing meaning, and integrating sources of information); (2) 97.9% of the pupils were not retained (criterion was 75.0%); (3) 95.2% of the pupils read 5 or more books at text reading level 8 or above; (4) 434 different parents or guardians were involved in some way with the program; (4) 19% of the evaluation sample pupils reached the average NCE (42.2) for the district as a whole; (5) 34.6% (37) of the pupils from the 1991-92 treatment group and 42.7% (64) of the pupils from the 1992-93 treatment group were still being served in a compensatory education program; and (6) the overall retention rate for all 3 treatment groups was 4.3%. Findings suggest continuation of the program with attention given to 7 recommendations. (Contains 13 tables of data. Appendixes present survey and evaluation instruments.) (RS)

A study examined the effectiveness of the Chapter 1 Early Literacy Summer School program. The program provided additional reading instruction to underachieving first-grade pupils at seven schools located throughout the Columbus, Ohio public school district. The program featured group instruction (with many of the activities modeled after the Reading Recovery program) for 3.25 hours daily over a period of 19 days of instruction. Of the 626 pupils served, 523 (83.5%) met the attendance criterion for inclusion in the treatment group. Results indicated that: (1) 90.6% of the pupils in the treatment group read a minimum of 8 books; (2) 67.5% of the treatment group of pupils displayed all 3 strategic processing behaviors desired (constructing meaning, monitoring reading, integrating sources of information) at least once during the instructional period; (3) 68.1% of the 626 pupils had a parent/guardian attend at least one parent meeting during the summer program; and (4) 75.1% of the 523 students in the treatment group had a parent/guardian attend at least one parent meeting during the summer program. Findings suggest that inservice sessions for parents should continue, similar parent inservices should be considered for the regular school year, and program developers should focus on developing the observational and instructional skills of the teachers involved rather than increasing the number of pupils served. (A calendar worksheet for computing days of pupil service, a parent involvement log, the pupil independent reading record sheet, the evidence of strategic processing collection form, and the pupil data sheet are attached.) (RS)

This is a system description for the OSCAR defeasible reasoner., Comment: Nonmonotonic Reasoning Workshop, 2000

A study examined the effectiveness of the Chapter 1 Early Literacy Summer School program. The program provided additional reading instruction to underachieving first-grade pupils at six schools located throughout the Columbus, Ohio public school district. The program featured group instruction (with many of the activities modeled after the Reading Recovery program) for 3.25 hours daily in 23 classrooms for 20 to 25 pupils each over a period of 24 days of instruction. Of the 488 pupils served, 288 (59%) met the attendance criterion for inclusion in the treatment group. Results indicated that (1) of the 288 treatment group pupils, 258 (89.6%) read a minimum of eight books; (2) 88.5% of the pupils independently wrote at least two samples of meaningful text, with one of the two samples at pattern level IV or higher; and parents of 86.5% the pupils attended at least one parent meeting, and that 96.5% of the pupils were represented by an adult at one or more of the parent meetings. Findings suggest that inservice sessions for parents should continue, similar parent inservices should be considered for the regular school year, and program developers should focus on developing the observational and instructional skills of the teachers involved rather than increasing the number of pupils served. (A calendar worksheet for computing days of pupil service, a parent involvement log, and the pupil data sheet are attached.) (RS)

A study evaluated the effectiveness of the 1991-92 Reading Recovery program as implemented in the Columbus Public Schools. The program featured individualized one-on-one lessons provided by 48 specially trained teachers serving 227 pupils. Data included results of administration of Metropolitan Achievement Tests and Scott Foresman text reading level testing. The treatment group consisted of the 117 pupils who were either discontinued (78) or received 60 or more lessons but not discontinued (39). Results indicated that: (1) 102 pupils reached Scott Foresman level 8; (2) 93.8% of the pupils were not retained in grade one; (3) all pupils had parental involvement in the program; (4) 77.5% of 111 evaluation sample pupils gained 7.0 or more normal curve equivalents (NCEs); and (5) 84.8% of the teachers who had the Reading Recovery program serving children in their school found the program to be of value to their pupils. Results of analyses of long-term effects of Reading Recovery indicated that: (1) 40.4% of the pupils form the 1989-90 treatment group and 33.3% of the pupils from the 1990-91 treatment group were still being served in a compensatory education program; (2) of the 421 pupils from the 1989-90, 1990-91, and 1991-92 treatment groups who remained in the Columbus Public Schools through November 1992, 84.3% (355) followed a normal grade-level progression. Findings suggest continuation of the program with attention given to eight recommendations. (Twenty tables of data are included; survey and evaluation instruments are attached.) (RS)

A study evaluated the Early Literacy program that served 1,773 underachieving pupils in grades one and two who appeared unlikely to learn to read successfully without additional reading instruction. The Early Literacy program teacher and each small group of pupils worked together each day for 40-45 minutes on reading and writing activities. A major part of the evaluation effort was accomplished through the administration of the Metropolitan Achievement Tests. The treatment group consisted of 354 grade one pupils and 240 grade two pupils. Results indicated that: (1) 56% of the grade one treatment group pupils reached text reading level 8; (2) when combined, grade one and two pupils had an average gain of 8.28 normal curve equivalents (NCEs) in Total Reading; (3) in reading comprehension, grade two pupils had an average NCE gain of 8.59 NCEs; (4) of the 349 grade one treatment group pupils with available retention data, 308 (88.3%) were promoted to grade two; (5) of the 239 grade two treatment group pupils, 224 (93.7%) were promoted to grade 3; and (6) 98.3% of parents of treatment group pupils participated in the program in some manner. Findings suggest continuation of the program with consideration given to eight areas of concern. (Eight tables of data are included; evaluation and assessment instruments are attached.) (RS)

A study evaluated the effectiveness of the Reading Recovery/Early Literacy program, which provided early intervention to underachieving first-grade pupils. A trained Reading Recovery teacher assigned to the program at each of 2 elementary schools daily taught 3 Reading Recovery pupils for 30 minutes each and 4 Early Literacy groups of 5 to 6 pupils for 40 to 45 minutes each. The Reading Recovery part of the program featured individualized one-on-one lessons and the Early Literacy part featured small group sessions involving reading and writing activities. Data collected in four major areas was incorporated in the analyses of the three desired outcomes: pupil census information, pupil text reading level achievement, pupil retainee information, and parent involvement information. Results indicated that all three desired outcomes were met: (1) all Reading Recovery treatment group pupils and 21 (72.4%) of the Early Literacy treatment group reached level 8 during Scott Foresman text reading level testing; (2) all Reading Recovery pupils and 22 (78.6%) of the Early Literacy group pupils with available retention data were promoted to grade 2; and (3) all Reading Recovery pupils and 28 of the 29 Early Literacy pupils had parents who participated in the program. Findings suggest continuation of the program. (One table of data is included; a Concepts about Print scoring sheet, a dictation scoring sheet, the selection score matrix, the teacher census form, a calendar worksheet/parent involvement log, and a pupil data sheet are attached.) (RS)

A study examined the effectiveness of the Chapter 1 Early Literacy Summer School program. The program provided additional reading instruction to underachieving first-grade pupils at five schools located throughout the Columbus, Ohio public school district. The program featured group instruction (with many of the activities modelled after the Reading Recovery program) for 3.25 hours daily in 10 classrooms for 15 to 18 pupils each over a period of one month. Of the 162 pupils served, 108 met the attendance criterion for inclusion in the treatment group. Results indicated that: of the 108 treatment group pupils, 85 (78.7%) reached level 8 during Scott Foresman text reading level testing; and all of the parents were actually involved in the program. Teachers judged that of all pupils served, 137 (84.6%) showed improvements, including 54 pupils (33.3%) who showed much improvement. Of the 108 treatment group pupils, 106 (98.1%) were judged as showing improvement, with 46 (42.6%) showing much improvement. (A calendar worksheet for computing days of pupil service, a parent involvement log, and the pupil data sheet are attached.) (RS)