69´«Ã½

69´«Ã½ & Literacy

Latest ‘69´«Ã½ First’ Study Reports Limited Benefits

By Kathleen Kennedy Manzo — October 10, 2008 4 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

The basic principles of the 69´«Ã½ First program have been widely implemented in participating schools, but those changes have resulted in limited student-achievement gains, concludes the on the federal initiative released late last week by the U.S. Department of Education.

The report describes the extent of the program’s reach to schools not getting 69´«Ã½ First funds. They have reported adopting many of the same practices as participating schools, such as an extended reading block, scientifically based instructional materials, professional development, and use of assessment data.

But the schools that shared in the $1 billion in annual federal grants tended to incorporate those tenets more fully, the report says.

“In general, we find reading practices in [69´«Ã½ First] schools and non-RF schools are similar in many ways, and have changed similarly over time in ways that are consistent with RF principles,†the study says. “We also find across a variety of indicators, that reading instructional time, professional development, use of reading resources, and supports [are] more widely available or extensively utilized in RF schools.â€

Federal officials said the report offers evidence that 69´«Ã½ First is having a positive effect on participating schools and Title I schools more broadly.

“More than ever, our nation’s youngest readers are benefiting from the additional time, resources, and access to research-based support that 69´«Ã½ First has provided,†U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings said in a statement. “We know that even Title I schools that are not receiving 69´«Ã½ First funds are applying many of the same strategies as those that are ... and seeing results.â€

The evidence of those results, in terms of improvements in student test scores, were statistically significant in some states but “small in magnitude,†according to the report.

The data for 3rd grade state reading assessments, for example, showed limited gains in half the 24 states sampled. On the 4th grade assessments, six of 17 states in the study saw improvements on at least one of four measures. The results were based on state-reported assessment data.

Conducted by the Cambridge, Mass.-based Abt Associates Inc., the report is the follow-up to an interim one released two years ago. That review found that 69´«Ã½ First schools that are part of the federal Title I program for disadvantaged schools had changed their approach to reading instruction significantly compared with their counterparts not taking part in the federal reading program. (69´«Ã½ First 69´«Ã½: More 69´«Ã½ Going On, Study Finds, Aug. 9, 2006.)

The final study, posted on the Education Department’s Web site Oct. 9, takes a closer look at changes in student achievement in participating and comparison schools. It includes data from surveys submitted by more than 1,000 69´«Ã½ First schools and some 500 Title I schools that are not in the program.

Data Unclear

Nearly seven years after 69´«Ã½ First was launched under the No Child Left Behind Act, with the goal of improving reading instruction and achievement in struggling schools, there is little definitive data on the program’s effectiveness. Moreover, the series of studies conducted on various aspects of the program have often provided confusing and sometimes conflicting data.

An interim federal impact study released earlier this year by the Institute of Education Sciences, the department’s research arm, found that 69´«Ã½ First funding had no measurable effect, on average, on students’ reading comprehension. (“‘69´«Ã½ First’ Research Offers No Definitive Answers,†June 4, 2008.)

That complex study had a more rigorous design, but was widely criticized for its complicated analysis. A number of researchers said the study failed to consider fully the impact of non-69´«Ã½ First schools that have largely adopted the tenets of the program. That contamination, critics of the report said, makes it less likely that the two categories of schools would have significant differences in reading performance. The final impact study is expected later this year.

Supporters of 69´«Ã½ First are hoping the final study will provide some ammunition for their efforts to save the program, which was handed a 62 percent funding cut in the fiscal 2008 federal budget. Two congressional panels proposed eliminating the program altogether in 2009.

“There is a real difference in the amount of instructional time across the groups, but the amount of time difference is marginal in terms of likelihood of improving kids’ learning,†Timothy Shanahan, the director of the Center for Literacy at the University of Illinois at Chicago, wrote in an e-mail. “The differences between 69´«Ã½ First and non-RF schools shrank each year,†he said. “This is partly due to RF requiring all of the changes in [the first year of implementation] and partly due to non-RF schools adopting 69´«Ã½ First strategies†later.

A version of this article appeared in the October 15, 2008 edition of Education Week as Latest ‘69´«Ã½ First’ Study Reports Limited Benefits

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
AI and Educational Leadership: Driving Innovation and Equity
Discover how to leverage AI to transform teaching, leadership, and administration. Network with experts and learn practical strategies.
Content provided by 
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School Climate & Safety Webinar
Investing in Success: Leading a Culture of Safety and Support
Content provided by 
Assessment K-12 Essentials Forum Making Competency-Based Learning a Reality
Join this free virtual event to hear from educators and experts working to implement competency-based education.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

69´«Ã½ & Literacy Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Student Literacy Data?
Answer 7 questions about the importance of student literacy data and how to collect and use it.
69´«Ã½ & Literacy 69´«Ã½ Interventions for Older 69´«Ã½ May Be Missing a Key Component
Many older elementary and middle school students still struggle with foundational reading skills.
6 min read
An illustration of a high school student looking in to an open book with black, gray, and red letters circling about around him.
iStock/Getty
69´«Ã½ & Literacy Q&A What Is Disciplinary Literacy?
Tim Shanahan's research helped crystallize the idea of "discipline specific literacy." How has it evolved?
10 min read
Illustration of directional signs and book.
Dan Page for Education Week
69´«Ã½ & Literacy What Happens When Every Teacher in a School Has the Tools to Improve 69´«Ã½?
In a whole-school literacy initiative, students learn metacognitive tools to help with reading and then apply them across content areas.
8 min read
Illustration of words being highlighted.
Dan Page for Education Week