Third grade is a critical checkpoint in a child's educational journey. By the end of third grade, children need literacy skills that prepare them for increasing curriculum demands in fourth grade and beyond. Students who are not reading on grade level by this point are significantly more likely to drop out of high school or fail to graduate on…

National testing standards have increased pressure on school personnel to identify and implement instructional practices that facilitate the academic achievement of at-risk students. No Child Left Behind legislation currently mandates that reading programs at the middle school level receiving federal funding must use scientifically validated…

This evaluation is presented in four parts. Part I provides the background of the preschool program and includes the provisions of ESEA Title III, a description of the planning for the Title III grant, characteristics of the tri-county area in Maryland where the program is located and a brief description of other subsidized programs in that area.…