The four reading interventions did not improve state assessment (PSSA) scores; for fifth graders they lowered reading and mathematics scores¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2007 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? No significant impacts of the four interventions combined on PSSA reading or mathematics scores were detected for the third-grade cohort, and the interventions lowered PSSA reading and mathematics scores for the fifth-grade cohort. → Torgesen 2007

Evidence¶

Torgesen 2007¶

Torgesen, J., Schirm, A., Castner, L., Vartivarian, S., Mansfield, W., Myers, D., Stancavage, F., Durno, D., Javorsky, R., and Haan, C. (2007). National Assessment of Title I, Final Report: Volume II: Closing the Reading Gap, Findings from a Randomized Trial of Four Reading Interventions for Striving Readers (NCEE 2008-4013). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. https://www.mathematica.org/publications/national-assessment-of-title-i-final-report-volume-ii-closing-the-reading-gap-findings-from-a-randomized-trial-of-four-reading-interventions-for-striving-readers

q3 · i? · causal · r2

PSSA scores were collected during the intervention year, capturing roughly the first two-thirds to three-quarters of the interventions. Table 3 shows statistically significant negative PSSA reading and math impacts for the fifth-grade cohort (-27.3 and -28.8 for all interventions combined); the report states the interventions "lowered the reading and mathematics scores" for fifth graders.

"For students in the third-grade cohort, we did not detect significant impacts of the four interventions combined on reading and mathematics test scores from the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Failure Free Reading, the only word-level-plus-comprehension program, showed impacts for third graders but no impacts for fifth graders — related
• The interventions narrowed some reading gaps, reducing the Word Attack gap by about two-thirds for third graders and one-half for fifth graders — related
• Impacts of the curricula were not statistically significantly larger after schools had one year of experience using them (Cohort 2 fifth graders). — related
• Four supplemental reading comprehension curricula had no positive impact on fifth-grade students' test scores, with negative impacts in some cases — related
• Four remedial reading interventions combined improved phonemic decoding, word reading accuracy and fluency, and reading comprehension for third-grade struggling readers one year after the interventions ended, though not on all measures — related
• The four supplemental reading comprehension curricula had no statistically significant impacts on students one year after the end of their implementation (Cohort 1 follow-up in sixth grade). — related
• After one school year of implementation (first cohort), the curricula produced no statistically significant positive impacts, and four statistically significant negative impacts were observed. — related
• For fifth-grade struggling readers, the four interventions combined improved phonemic decoding on one measure but produced a small reduction in oral reading fluency one year after the interventions — related
• Younger struggling readers benefited more: the interventions generally helped third-grade cohort students more than fifth-grade cohort students — related
• A national evaluation design was produced to assess supplemental reading comprehension programs for fifth-grade students — related
• Reading for Knowledge had a statistically significant negative impact on students' reading comprehension scores in the study's first year — a narrower finding that bears on this claim