Jamestown Education in the News
STUDY SHOWS JAMESTOWN READING NAVIGATOR CAUSES STRONG
GROWTH
IN READING SKILLS OF MIDDLE, HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
Students Read One-Half Grade Level Better After Just
Seven Weeks
NEW YORK (Sept.
17, 2008) – Struggling readers using Glencoe/McGraw-Hill’s
Jamestown Reading Navigator showed
significant improvement in their reading skills, with some
reading a half-grade level higher after only seven weeks of
instruction, according to a study from the National Dropout
Prevention Center (NDPC) at Clemson University.
The study found that middle and high school students reading
below grade level demonstrated statistically significant improvement
once they used
Jamestown
Reading Navigator, a reading
intervention program for middle and high school students. A
control group not exposed to the program did not demonstrate
overall improvement in reading skills.
The study assessed the ability of
Jamestown
Reading Navigator to
improve reading performance among struggling students during
the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 school years in multiple districts
and schools nationwide. Two school districts included in the
report are Davenport Community Schools in Davenport, Iowa and
San Juan Unified Schools in Carmichael, Calif.
Davenport Community Schools
Data was analyzed for three groups of Davenport high school
students enrolled in nine-week reading improvement courses
for 90 minutes a day, five days a week.
Students who used
Jamestown
Reading Navigator (217
test students) and completed Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic
Evaluation (GRADE) pre- and post-tests demonstrated statistically
significant improvement in reading skills, including comprehension
and vocabulary. Test students were capable of reading higher
level reading materials successfully (one half a year higher)
after approximately seven weeks with the program.
Students who experienced a different reading improvement program
(61 control students) did not demonstrate overall improvement
in their reading skills, according to GRADE results.
San Juan Unified Schools
Following approximately five months of
Jamestown
Reading Navigator in full-year classroom situations (50-60 minutes
a day, five days a week), San Juan middle and high school students
demonstrated statistically significant reading improvement,
as measured by their GRADE pre- and post-tests.
The 67 test students read successfully using higher grade
level materials after five months with the program. In fact,
these students read materials approximately one half-grade
level higher. In comparison, the 69 control students did not
demonstrate comparable improvement in overall reading skills
during the same time interval of instruction.
Teachers’ and students’ perception of Jamestown
Reading Navigator
A longitudinal aspect of this same study assessed teachers’
and students’ perceptions of the program.
The majority of students’ surveyed expressed satisfaction with
Jamestown
Reading Navigator, indicated that they felt the
program helped them become better readers, and said they wanted
their teachers to continue using it in their classes.
Teachers reported that their students enjoyed using
Jamestown
Reading Navigator and noted improvements in their attitudes
toward reading, state assessment scores, and oral reading
fluency. This finding relates importantly to the effects
of program participation on graduation rates for high school
students and successful transfer into high school for middle
school students.
National Dropout Prevention Center/Network
The National Dropout Prevention Center/Network (NDPC/N) was
begun in 1986 to serve as a clearinghouse on issues related
to dropout prevention and to offer strategies designed to
increase the graduation rate in America's schools. Over the
years, the NDPC/N has become a well-established national
resource for sharing solutions for student success. It does
so through its clearinghouse function, active research projects,
publications, and through a variety of professional development
activities. In addition, the NDPC/N conducts a variety of
third party evaluations and Program Assessment and Reviews.
Additional information is available at http://www.dropoutprevention.org.
