Focus

Improve higher-level reading skills for at-risk students.

Subjects

• Study I – All 4^th-5^th grade (N = 163)
• Study II - Students in the 7^th after-school program for at-risk students (N = 35)
• Each school used "treatment" and "control" groups of students. The "control" group has the same/similar group characteristics, but did not receive a "treatment

Treatment

• Use of TCR/NewsBank as a supplemental reading program
• Minimum 180 minutes of use
• Access both in-school and at-home
• Focus on graphic organizers, content-area reading using non-fiction, embedded assessments on reading comprehension
• Combined both teacher-guided and self-directed learning

Instrument

Pre- and post-tests were given in regular classroom settings on three questions measuring overall star reading level and three reading skill areas targeted for improvement: (1) recognizing supporting detail; (2) making inferences and drawing conclusions; and, (3) recognizing author’s main purpose. In addition, individual reading level scores were captured and analyzed.

& Findings

• Grade 4 students showed statistically significant improvement at .05 level
• Grade 5 students showed positive upward trend statistically significant improvement at .10 level
• Grade 7
• Program use (both in-school and at-home) increased between 49-52% during the two studies.

Researchers

Ann McCormick and Dr. Nancy Holmes, Harnett County SD