Understanding and addressing the literacy needs of middle school students is critical in ensuring their academic success. This quantitative study examines the literacy growth among middle school students participating in Tier II Response to Intervention and Instruction (RTI[superscript 2]) programs over the 2023-2024 academic year. It investigates…

The inclusion of prekindergarten programs has increased awareness as to whether or not children are gaining the readiness skills necessary for a successful entry into kindergarten. This study examined the impact of preschool experiences on kindergarteners' reading readiness levels. This study determined whether or not there were differences in…

The purpose of the study was twofold. The first purpose of the study was to determine if a correlation existed between the Standardized Test for the Assessment of Reading (STAR), created and distributed by Renaissance, and the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) Achievement Test in Math and Reading for grade 3, grade 4, and grade 5.…

This study compared the number of discipline referrals in a Middle Tennessee elementary school for two years, during the implementation of School-Wide Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (SWPBIS). This study also examined the relationship between the number of discipline referrals and academic achievement by comparing TCAP scale scores in both…

Educators have been faced with increasing demands to not only achieve, but also improve reading scores across the nation. Educational research of literacy abilities and reading achievement performance on state assessments have been researched and documented for decades. However, there has been little research on middle school literacy and state…

The purpose of this ex post facto study was to compare the effect the Read Well and the Reading Street curriculums had on achievement test scores. Data from the "Stanford Achievement Test, 10th ed." (SAT10) were examined using total reading scale scores for males and females at the kindergarten and first- and second-grade levels. Three…

Using a quantitative ex post facto causal comparative research design, this study analyzed the effects of the Academy of Reading software program on students' reading achievement. Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) reading scale scores of students in the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades from 2013-2014 were utilized in this study. The…

In order to identify students at risk of failing the Tennessee high-stakes achievement test known as the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP), early literacy skills are monitored using reading assessments. Common reading assessments are based upon varying theories of reading development and do not reflect the necessary reading…

This research study was conducted to examine the effects of the Kindergarten Readiness program in a large suburban school district in Tennessee as measured by third grade Reading and Mathematics TCAP Achievement Test scores. In addition, the study examined the relationships between the chronological ages of the students at kindergarten entry and…

Research shows the effectiveness of encouraging safe and supportive learning environments for all students. Unfortunately, many of today's classrooms fail to positively implement these learning environments, especially within middle schools. The assumption for students struggling with reading has often been associated with low teacher…

This study examined the effect of middle school student mobility on standardized test achievement in mathematics and reading. The variables of gender and poverty were also examined in the context of their relationship to a student's mobility. The data set consisted of the mathematics and reading scores of 9,083 middle school students in a large…

This study was conducted to see if a difference exists in the mean Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills: Oral Reading Fluency scores of students who entered kindergarten as 4 year olds, 5 year olds, and 6 year olds inclusively. Specifically, this dissertation considered the possibility that holding children out of kindergarten an…

Despite flexibility waivers granted to states by the United States Department of Education from some provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act, our nation's public schools continue to struggle to improve reading proficiency as measured by high stakes assessments. To reach state targets for reading proficiency schools must use data at the earliest…

The topic of Pre-Kindergarten (pre-K) education has become very well known throughout the nation, especially with the ever-increasing pressures for schools to produce better and brighter students. Schools are challenged to educate all children adequately, no matter their background (race, socioeconomic status, parental education level, etc.) or…

This research examined the effects of the new English/Language Arts standards, brought about by the Tennessee Diploma Project, on the ACT Reading test scores of high school seniors. The effects on student achievement, perceptions of secondary and postsecondary educators, as well as the effects on the test scores of at-risk students were measured.…