Academy of READING Helps NC’s Largest School District Make “Strong Gains”
The Academy of READING (AoR) is resulting in “strong” gains in the Wake County Public School System, according to a recent study prepared by the district’s Evaluation & Research Department. The study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the AoR as it is being used by almost all Wake County secondary schools. A total of 3,640 Wake secondary school students participated in the AoR during the 2009-10 school year.
Overall, the study found, “The program appears to be meeting a need at a reasonable cost.” TE21 provides training and support for the AoR in Wake County. Reports and interviews with TE21 staff were a part of the evaluation.
Highlights of the study include:
- Growth for 2009-10 AoR participants on End of Grade/Course reading/English tests was strong (with the percentage of students reaching their academic growth targets increasing from 37.5% before service to 60.1% after they took part in AoR).
- AoR “did appear to meet the need of improving many students’ foundational reading skills.”
- The study said the objective that students would improve reading comprehension as measured by the state’s EOG/EOC program was met.
- Comparison of academic growth scores for Spring 2009 and Spring 2010 indicated “statistically significant improvement.”
- A Wake survey of AoR teachers found that they like the focus on basic skills, the self-pacing, the motivators, feedback, and the opportunity to work one-on-one with students.
- Teachers also said that the AoR training helped them understand and implement the program “reasonably well” (over 90%).
- Students appeared to benefit whether they finished at least 80% of their program or not.
The report concludes by stating, “Overall, the AoR program in 2009-10 in WCPSS appeared to attain positive and promising results on EOC reading growth.”
The report is online at www.wcpss.net/evaluation-research
For more information about how the Academy of READING can make a similar difference in your school district, contact TE21 at 843-579-2520 or 866-982-8321.
