Literacy Achievement in Children: An Analysis of the Effects of Half-Day Versus Full-Day School Readiness

The purpose of this thesis was to determine if there is a difference in students’ literacy skills gained in a school year based on whether they attended a full-day versus a half-day inclusive school readiness preschool classroom. Data were collected by ServeMinnesota Reading Corps staff at a rural public elementary school in Minnesota. These quantitative data were gathered and compared half-day and full-day inclusive school readiness preschool classrooms from two different school years in the same district with the same early childhood and early childhood special education teacher using the same standardized literacy assessments. These assessments included the Individual Growth and Developmental Indicators (IGDI) and Formative Assessment System for Teachers (FAST) as used with guidance and permission from ServeMinnesota and their Reading Corps program. The participants in this study included 18 students who attended a full-day inclusive school readiness preschool classroom and 12 students who attended a half-day inclusive school readiness classroom. Of these students who attended full-day, five of them received special education and related services. Of the 12 students who attended a half-day inclusive school readiness program, five of them received special education and related services. The results of this study indicated there was a more positive impact for students who attended a full-day versus a half-day inclusive school readiness preschool program for the overall group of children as well as the students who received special education and related services. When comparing the percentage growth of students on or above target from fall to spring benchmark using the IGDI’s and FAST assessments, all but one area showed a higher percentage of growth for students who attended a full-day inclusive school readiness preschool program. Students who received special education and related services outperformed those who attended a half-day classroom in four out of the five areas assessed. When comparing the percentage growth from fall to spring for typically developing students who attended a full-day versus half-day classroom, half-day outperformed full-day classrooms in three out of the five areas