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Myers Elementary Pilot Results - Year 2
Location
The teachers were excited to continue to use My Reading Coach with all four 2nd grades based on the previous year's positive results. (See year 1 data)
Environment
A newer 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 room 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 four 2nd grade teachers agreed to participate. Two teachers had used My Reading Coach with their 2nd graders the previous year. The two teachers new to Myers received minimal training during an on-site in-service. Teachers were encouraged to print the management reports daily so that they could effectively manage and assist each student. Teachers were encouraged to set a goal that each student should complete two lessons every week. Student Selection and Pilot Period
All 2nd grade students including bilingual, SEI and LD students took part in the pilot program. 91 students were tested before beginning My Reading Coach in the fall and 76 of these same students were available to be re-tested again in the spring after using the program. The testing mechanism used was the Degrees of Reading Power® (DRP), a national standardized reading comprehension test. Student performance was analyzed for those 76 students.
All four 2nd grade teachers agreed to participate. Two teachers had used My Reading Coach with their 2nd graders the previous year. The two teachers new to Myers received minimal training during an on-site in-service. Teachers were encouraged to print the management reports daily so that they could effectively manage and assist each student. Teachers were encouraged to set a goal that each student should complete two lessons every week. Student Selection and Pilot Period
All 2nd grade students including bilingual, SEI and LD students took part in the pilot program. 91 students were tested before beginning My Reading Coach in the fall and 76 of these same students were available to be re-tested again in the spring after using the program. The testing mechanism used was the Degrees of Reading Power® (DRP), a national standardized reading comprehension test. Student performance was analyzed for those 76 students.
Pilot Results
Time Spent on My Reading Coach
Five students completed the entire program within the pilot period. The time on task for students to complete the entire 47 lessons ranged from 34 to 55 hours. The average amount of time students spent on My Reading Coach during both semesters was 50 hours. Pre-test scores for this population were significantly below a normal second grade level. 64 of the 76 students (84%) present for both pre- and post- testing had pre-test scores at the lowest level - stanine 1. Bilingual / SEI Students
25 SEI (Spanish / English Immersion) or bilingual students were present for pre-testing and post- testing. On average these students completed 34 of the 47 lessons. Two of these students completed all 47 lessons. Five of these students were also identified as LD. LD Students
15 LD students were present for pre-testing and post-testing. On average these students completed 21 of the 47 lessons. None of these students completed more than 30 lessons. ive of these students were also identified as SEI. Regular Education Students
41 students were neither LD nor bilingual/SEI
Five students completed the entire program within the pilot period. The time on task for students to complete the entire 47 lessons ranged from 34 to 55 hours. The average amount of time students spent on My Reading Coach during both semesters was 50 hours. Pre-test scores for this population were significantly below a normal second grade level. 64 of the 76 students (84%) present for both pre- and post- testing had pre-test scores at the lowest level - stanine 1. Bilingual / SEI Students
25 SEI (Spanish / English Immersion) or bilingual students were present for pre-testing and post- testing. On average these students completed 34 of the 47 lessons. Two of these students completed all 47 lessons. Five of these students were also identified as LD. LD Students
15 LD students were present for pre-testing and post-testing. On average these students completed 21 of the 47 lessons. None of these students completed more than 30 lessons. ive of these students were also identified as SEI. Regular Education Students
41 students were neither LD nor bilingual/SEI
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 National Reading Performance
This chart shows the progress improvement of the 2nd grade students against the national average. It compares where they were before the pilot and again after the pilot against the national norm. Post-test results (yellow line) show significant gains, particularly given the number of SEI and LD students as well as the socio-economic background of the neighborhood. Of the 64 students who were in stanine one at the pre-test 50 made at least 2 stanines growth. In fact, 20 increased 2 stanines, 9 increased 3 stanines, 9 increased 4 stanines, 9 increased 5 stanines, 1 increased 6 stanines, 1 increased 7, 1 increased 8 stanines. In the entire population only 2 students decreased raw score and 2 students decreased 1 stanine level.
Detailed Performance Summary
76 students including 25 SEI and bilingual students, 15 LD students including five students who were both SEI and LD were present for both pre-testing and post-testing. They are included in the results. On average students gained 11.9 raw score units over both semesters (8 raw score units increase is equal to 1 year's growth). Students who completed 41 or more of the 47 lessons made the most gains (18.5 raw score units).| Average time of 50 hours over 2 semesters |
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My Reading Coach Lessons Completed |
# of Students | Ave. Raw Score Improvement |
|---|---|---|
| Completed all 47 lessons | 13 | 18.5 |
| 41-43 | 25 | 13.5 |
| 31-40 | 26 | 8.2 |
| 8-20 | 26 | 9.6 |
| 8 raw score units = 1 full year's reading comprehension growth |
Conclusion
Both the qualitative and quantitative data indicate that My Reading Coach was effective for all students at this grade level regardless of their previous performance. All students demonstrated improvement even the few who did not show quantitative gains in the time period showed growth in self-esteem and confidence according to their teachers. 75 of the 76 students improved in raw score. The students who completed 31 or more My Reading Coach lessons achieved better results.
