The Impact of Selected Initiatives on the Reading Criterion Referenced Competency Test Scores of African-American and Disadvantaged Students in Grades 3, 5, and 8

The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to examine the impact of selected research-based whole-school reading reform programs, Success for All (SFA), Core Knowledge, and Direct Instruction (DI) on the Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) reading scores of African-American students and students from disadvantaged subgroups in Grades 3, 5, and 8 in a large urban school system. The target sample consisted of 61 elementary schools and 16 middle schools. Student data consisted of 3,533 data points for African-American students and 7,550 data points for disadvantaged students attending reform and non reform schools respectively. A causal-comparative research design was the methodology employed. Chi square and Mann-Whitney statistical techniques were used to test 13 hypotheses to determine if there were any significant differences between the reading proficiency of schools and students with reforms compared to those without reforms using race (African American) and socioeconomic status (Disadvantaged) as control variables. The results did not provide any evidence of differences in reading proficiency between reform and non-reform at the school level. However, reading proficiency differed significantly at the student level where Disadvantaged students attending schools with reading reforms showed significant improvements. Reading proficiency rates differed significantly between reform models. Significant proficiency rates were found in schools implementing Direct Instruction or Core Knowledge when compared with the Success for All model