Achievement gaps in learning can be identified as early as entry into kindergarten. This longitudinal study explored reading outcomes of 60 students over the course of five years to determine the impact of an additional year of school prior to kindergarten. The program was created to provide alternative options for students who attended preschool…

Several considerations need to be made when monitoring student reading progress using Curriculum-Based Measurement: the instructional level of the student, the goal set for the student, and the material selected. This study examines whether similar material or challenging material would be the most sensitive for progress monitoring of student oral…

Third grade students involved in group-assisted reading made greater achievement gains in comprehension and vocabulary than did those who were given no assistance. Group-assisted reading is easy to implement and may be used to help remedial readers perform better. (JD)

Examines the effects of computer assisted instruction (CAI) on the reading achievement of male and female first graders. Results indicated that statistically significant achievement gains were sex specific, with only males exhibiting a significant average increase when exposed to CAI. Implications of the findings are discussed. Contains 55…

Concludes that a preschool intervention program contributed in positive ways to the school achievement of the participating primary school migrant children. (FL)

Reading Recovery is a highly structured, early-intervention program for children with reading difficulties. It targets first graders with the lowest reading and writing scores. This article describes Reading Recovery, discusses teacher training, and notes important program aspects (assessment must drive instruction; teachers must choose books…

An action research project focused on how a child's academic achievement is affected by his or her chronological age. The population consisted of kindergarten and third-grade students in a growing middle class community within a southwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois. Evidence for the existence of this problem was gathered from teacher surveys,…

A study examined one SAIL (Students Achieving Independent Learning) teacher's development of instructional practices from a reading strategies instructor who promoted some group discussion to an experienced transactional strategies teacher. The teacher taught the same story for three consecutive years to three comparable groups of low-achieving…

A second-grade teacher studied student development when writing occurred daily in the classroom. Assignments included journal, paragraph, and creative writing. The teacher assumed that with daily writing, reading, and spelling would improve. Results indicated that students' reading and writing improved but not spelling; and with forced daily…

A practicum addressed the problem that the traditional Chapter 1 program of a school district had not been effective in promoting literacy growth. The students repeatedly read the same stories with equal lack of success each time. They were not motivated to read or write because the purpose was irrelevant and failure was probable. The strategy…

This study was an action research project designed to improve students' reading comprehension. Students in the targeted kindergarten, second, and third grade classes exhibited a lack of reading comprehension, which interfered with their academic achievement. Data was collected by student and parent surveys, observations, and document analysis.…

Results from the 1979-80 evaluation of Philadelphia's Follow Through program--part of a nationwide attempt to provide unique educational settings for low-income students in kindergarten through grade 3--are reported. The evaluation dealth with five components of the program: education, staff development, parent involvement, health and social…

Aimed at grades pre-K through 2 in five selected elementary schools, this program was to provide an overlay of staff and services in addition to those already provided by other poverty area school projects. Academic achievement, parental involvement, and better communication among the grades were the objectives. The emphasis was on reading and…

Examination of about 300 Black and White first graders demonstrates that providing a great deal of instructional time and using high-quality, challenging materials are critical to student success in reading and that grouping students by ability within a class and then matching the pace of instruction to students' ability bolsters achievement. (BJV)

The following objectives of the study are discussed in detail: 1) to determine if a successful experimental field study of incentives could be implemented; 2) to develop and refine the methodology required to carry off a large-scale field study of incentives based on six models; and 3) to obtain a preliminary estimate of the effects of incentives…