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Myers Elementary Pilot Results - Year 1
Location
Myers Elementary is located in Tucson, Arizona in a low socio-economic neighborhood. At the time, Myers was a Title 1 school with a high non-English speaking population. Both principal and teachers felt that their current second graders were functioning well below average for their grade level. They elected to use My Reading Coach with all five second grade classrooms based on the results of a previously successful pilot at Myers.
Environment
A new Windows® computer network was established to enable each student to receive 40 minutes of My Reading Coach daily. This lab was a subsection of the existing lab and partitions were added to limit one student's visual access to his or her neighbor. Each computer was equipped with headphones and was attached to a file server that hosted My Reading Coach - Version 3 Professional Edition.
Pilot Methodology
Teacher Training / Support and Feedback
All five 2nd grade teachers agreed to participate in the program and each teacher received a full day of My Reading Coach teacher instruction. One of the five classes was Bilingual and another was ESL (English as a Second Language). The 2nd grade teachers determined the schedule for My Reading Coach use. Teachers were encouraged to print the management reports daily so that they could effectively monitor and assist a struggling student. One teacher, uncomfortable with computer usage, received an additional day of training. Teachers were encouraged to set a goal that each student should complete three lessons every week. Student Progress was reviewed bi-weekly by all second grade teachers. Student Selection and Pilot Period
All second grade students including Bilingual and ESL students were selected to take part in the pilot program. Each student was tested before beginning the program and re-tested after only 12 weeks on My Reading Coach using the DRP® , a standardized reading comprehension test. Student performance was analyzed for the entire population of 72 students with 64 being present for both the pre and the post-test.
All five 2nd grade teachers agreed to participate in the program and each teacher received a full day of My Reading Coach teacher instruction. One of the five classes was Bilingual and another was ESL (English as a Second Language). The 2nd grade teachers determined the schedule for My Reading Coach use. Teachers were encouraged to print the management reports daily so that they could effectively monitor and assist a struggling student. One teacher, uncomfortable with computer usage, received an additional day of training. Teachers were encouraged to set a goal that each student should complete three lessons every week. Student Progress was reviewed bi-weekly by all second grade teachers. Student Selection and Pilot Period
All second grade students including Bilingual and ESL students were selected to take part in the pilot program. Each student was tested before beginning the program and re-tested after only 12 weeks on My Reading Coach using the DRP® , a standardized reading comprehension test. Student performance was analyzed for the entire population of 72 students with 64 being present for both the pre and the post-test.
Pilot Results
Time Spent on My Reading Coach
No students had completed the entire program within the pilot period. In general, the number of lessons completed by students in the pilot ranged from 15 to 42 and the average amount of time spent on My Reading Coach during the 12-week period at Myers was 27 hours. Pre-test scores for this population were significantly below a normal second grade level. 41 of the 64 (65%) students present for both pre and post testing had pre-test scores at the lowest level - stanine 1. Bilingual Classroom
The bilingual class included 17 students. These students were Spanish speakers and were being taught in Spanish. 12 of the 17 students were present for pre- and post- testing. 4 students completed 30 or more lessons. ESL Classroom
The ESL class included 20 students. These students spoke English and were being taught in English although their native language was Spanish. 17 of the 20 students were present for pre- and post- testing.
No students had completed the entire program within the pilot period. In general, the number of lessons completed by students in the pilot ranged from 15 to 42 and the average amount of time spent on My Reading Coach during the 12-week period at Myers was 27 hours. Pre-test scores for this population were significantly below a normal second grade level. 41 of the 64 (65%) students present for both pre and post testing had pre-test scores at the lowest level - stanine 1. Bilingual Classroom
The bilingual class included 17 students. These students were Spanish speakers and were being taught in Spanish. 12 of the 17 students were present for pre- and post- testing. 4 students completed 30 or more lessons. ESL Classroom
The ESL class included 20 students. These students spoke English and were being taught in English although their native language was Spanish. 17 of the 20 students were present for pre- and post- testing.
Performance Summary: Total Population by Student Category
| This comparison was based on the primary DRP test form for fall grade 2 students using published national norms year 1999-2000. Comprehension level used was P = .75 - J0, K9. |
Progress Toward a Normalized Curve
This chart shows the progress improvement of the 2nd grade students against a normalized curve (yellow line). It compares the students reading level before the pilot and again 12 weeks into the pilot. Post-test results (magenta line) show significant gains, particularly given the ESL, and Bilingual populations and their socio-economic background.
| Note: The drop in stanines 5 and 6 occurred because these students moved up to stanines 7 though 9. No students pre-tested at stanines 2 or 3, which limited movement to higher levels. |
Detailed Performance Summary
64 students including 12 Bilingual students and 17 ESL students were present for both pre- and post-testing and are included in the results. Bilingual students may not have scored as well because of their limited English proficiency; however, the 4 Bilingual students who completed more than 30 lessons had gains equal to their peers.
Reading Comprehension Gains Match My Reading Coach Lessons Completed
| Average time of 27 hours over 12 elapsed weeks |
|
My Reading Coach Lessons Completed |
# of Students | Ave. Raw Score Improvement |
|---|---|---|
| Completed all 47 lessons | 0 | N/A |
| 41-43 | 2 | 12 |
| 31-40 | 8 | 6 |
| 21-30 | 29 | 5 |
| 15-20 | 25 | 3 |
| 8 raw score units = 1 full year's reading comprehension growth |
Conclusion
Both the quantitative and the qualitative data reported by the teachers indicate that My Reading Coach was effective for all students at this grade level regardless of their previous performance. All students quickly demonstrated improvement, even the few who did not show quantitative gains in the short time period showed growth in self-esteem and confidence. Overall, students improved in both raw score, percentile standing and stanine growth. Those students who completed more My Reading Coach lessons achieved better results.
