Stevens and Slavin (1995) found statistically significant positive effects of CIRC on CAT Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary subtests, while Jewell (1994) found no statistically significant effects¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · quant-synthesis r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2010 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 2 of 2 entries) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? In the Stevens and Slavin (1995) quasi-experiment, CIRC showed statistically significant positive effects on the Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary subtests of the California Achievement Test. → Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition® 2010 q2 i? In the Jewell (1994) quasi-experiment, effects on the Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary subtests of the Gates–MacGinitie Reading Test were not statistically significant, and the WWC-calculated average effect was below the 0.25 substantive-importance threshold. → Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition® 2010 (2)

Evidence¶

Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition® 2010¶

Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition®. (2010). WWC Intervention Report, Adolescent Literacy. What Works Clearinghouse, U.S. Department of Education. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/InterventionReport/111

q2 · i? · quant-synthesis · r2

Findings section of the WWC review reporting the Stevens and Slavin (1995) matched quasi-experiment (411 treatment vs. 462 comparison students in Maryland); the WWC confirmed the reported significant positive effects on the named CAT subtests.

"Stevens and Slavin (1995) reported, and the WWC confirmed, statistically significant positive effects of Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition ® on the Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary subtests of the California Achievement Test (CAT) for students in grades 2 through 6."

Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition® 2010 (2)¶

Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition®. (2010). WWC Intervention Report, Adolescent Literacy. What Works Clearinghouse, U.S. Department of Education. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/InterventionReport/111

q2 · i? · review · r3

WWC review reporting the Jewell (1994) quasi-experiment (15 CIRC vs. 15 comparison classrooms) with non-significant effects; the printed average effect fell below the WWC's 0.25 substantive-importance threshold, coded i null as only the threshold is printed.

"Jewell (1994) did not find statistically significant effects of Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition ® on the Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary subtests of the Gates–MacGinitie Reading Test for students in grades 2 through 6, and the WWC-calculated average effect across the two measures was not statistically significant or large enough to be considered substantively important"

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Vocabulary — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• CIRC showed a statistically significant positive effect on CAT Language Expression but not CAT Language Mechanics in Stevens and Slavin (1995), and no significant effect on the Bass Academic Skills Sample Reading Proficiency subtest in Jewell (1994) — related
• WWC finds CIRC has potentially positive effects on general literacy achievement for adolescent learners (average improvement index +2 percentile points) — related
• CIRC shows no discernible effects on general reading achievement for beginning readers (effect size 0.02) — related
• CIRC has potentially positive effects on comprehension for beginning readers, with an average improvement index of +12 percentile points across two studies — a broader claim this one bears on
• Reading Go! showed positive but not statistically significant effects on reading comprehension — related
• WWC finds Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition® has potentially positive effects on comprehension for adolescent learners (average improvement index +7 percentile points) — related
• In a quasi-experimental study, CIRC showed no statistically significant effect on comprehension outcomes after WWC clustering and multiple-comparison adjustments — related