Explore · I4I

Reading Apprenticeship Academic Literacy and Xtreme Reading

2008

Reading Apprenticeship Academic Literacy (designed by WestEd) and Xtreme Reading (designed by the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning) are supplemental literacy programs designed as full-year courses for ninth-grade students reading two or more years below grade level. Both programs replace a ninth-grade elective class and aim to help students adopt strategies used by proficient readers, improve comprehension skills, and increase motivation to read. The programs meet for a minimum of 225 minutes per week in classes of 12-15 students. Reading Apprenticeship uses 'flexible fidelity' with teachers adapting lessons to student needs while maintaining program themes. Xtreme Reading follows prescribed daily lesson plans with structured activities. Both programs received five-day summer training institutes, booster training sessions during the school year, and minimum two one-day coaching visits. Teachers were experienced English/language arts or social studies teachers with an average of over 11 years of teaching experience.

9th Grade

Classroom Assessment for Student Learning (CASL)

2011

Classroom Assessment for Student Learning (CASL) is a professional development program in classroom and formative assessment published by the Assessment Training Institute of Pearson Education. CASL consists of a primary textbook, DVDs, ancillary books, and an implementation handbook. The program targets K-12 teachers and is typically implemented via teacher learning teams of 3-6 members who meet regularly to discuss and reflect on the content of the textbooks and DVDs and share their experiences applying the program in their classrooms. Teachers study the CASL materials and apply CASL principles, practices, and tools in their classrooms. The program is designed to be self-executing without a coach or external facilitator. CASL focuses on five key components of classroom assessment: assessment purposes, clear learning targets, sound classroom assessment practices, communication and management of results, and student involvement in classroom assessment. The developers recommend approximately 60 hours of total training time, including reading, completing activities, trying out applications in the classroom, reflecting, and participating in learning team meetings. This study focused on mathematics instruction in grades 4 and 5.

4th Grade 5th Grade

Regular Upward Bound

2004

Regular Upward Bound is a federal precollege program designed to generate skills and motivation necessary for success in education beyond high school among young people from low-income backgrounds and inadequate secondary school preparation. The program serves approximately 52,000 students in 727 projects nationwide, with at least two-thirds of participants being both low-income and potential first-generation college students. Students typically enter in ninth or tenth grade and participate for about 21 months on average, though they may continue through the summer following twelfth grade. Projects provide instruction, tutoring, and counseling through regularly scheduled meetings during the school year and an intensive six-week summer program that meets daily. The vast majority of projects are hosted by four-year colleges. The average cost per student served is approximately $4,800 per year.

8th Grade 9th Grade 10th Grade 11th Grade 12th Grade

Middle School Mathematics Professional Development Program

2011

The Middle School Mathematics Professional Development Program is a two-year intervention designed for seventh-grade mathematics teachers focusing on rational number topics (fractions, decimals, ratio, rate, proportion, and percent). The program targets teachers in urban school districts serving high proportions of economically disadvantaged students. Delivered by two providers (America's Choice and Pearson Achievement Solutions), the PD includes summer institutes (3 days in year 1, 2 days in year 2), school-year seminars (5 days in year 1, 3 days in year 2), and in-school coaching visits (10 two-day visits in year 1, 8 two-day visits in year 2). The program emphasizes developing teachers' specialized knowledge of mathematics for teaching (SK) through problem-solving activities, discussions of student misconceptions, use of mathematical representations, and collaborative lesson planning. Teachers participate in both individual and group activities during institutes and seminars, and receive individual and group coaching that includes planning, observation, and debriefing cycles. The intended dosage is 114 total contact hours across two years (68 hours in year 1, 46 hours in year 2). Teachers who enter the study after the first-year summer institute receive a condensed 12-hour makeup institute.

7th Grade

VISTA (Vision Inspired Scholarship Through Academic Achievement)

2011

VISTA is a performance-based scholarship program at the University of New Mexico designed for low-income entering freshmen. The program provides up to $1,000 per semester for four consecutive semesters, paid directly to students in three installments (first payment at enrollment, second at midterm, third at semester end). To qualify, students must enroll in 12 or more credits in the first semester and 15 or more credits in subsequent semesters, maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher, and meet with a designated VISTA advisor at least twice per semester. Students can recoup missed payments by taking winter intersession or summer session courses. The program aims to improve college outcomes and address unmet financial need for low-income students by providing financial incentives tied to academic milestones and enhanced academic advising with consistent advisor assignment.

Postsecondary

Access to Algebra I: Online Mathematics Course for Grade 8 Students

2011

This study evaluated an online Algebra I course offered to algebra-ready grade 8 students in schools that do not typically offer the course. The intervention provided access to a web-based Algebra I course delivered by Class.com, with three instructional components: online course software, an online teacher (hired and trained by Class.com), and an on-site proctor provided by the school. Students took the online course as their only grade 8 mathematics course during a full school year (2008/09). The course covered typical Algebra I content including symbols and expressions, linear equations, quadratic equations, functions, polynomials, and systems of equations. Schools were required to provide computers with high-speed internet access, designate a class period for the course, and assign a staff member as proctor to supervise students and communicate with the online teacher. The online teacher was responsible for grading, monitoring progress, and providing instruction through asynchronous online interactions.

8th Grade

Charter Management Organization (CMO) Schools

2012

Charter Management Organizations (CMOs) are nonprofit organizations that establish and operate multiple charter schools under a common structure and philosophy. CMOs were created to replicate educational approaches that appeared effective, particularly for disadvantaged students. The study examines CMOs operating four or more schools by fall 2007, focusing on their practices, impacts, and effectiveness. CMOs vary in their approaches but commonly emphasize practices such as extended instructional time, comprehensive behavior policies, intensive teacher coaching, performance-based compensation, and frequent use of formative assessments. Implementation varies by CMO but typically involves middle and high schools serving predominantly minority and low-income students in urban areas. Schools are generally smaller than district schools with slightly lower student-teacher ratios. Many CMOs require professional development and training for staff before implementation.

Prekindergarten Transitional Kindergarten Kindergarten 1st Grade 2nd Grade 3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th Grade 6th Grade 7th Grade 8th Grade 9th Grade 10th Grade 11th Grade 12th Grade

Curriculum-based professional development on science instruction

2011

This intervention is a year-long professional development program for ninth-grade science teachers that combines comprehensive instructional materials with focused training. The program includes seven days of instruction distributed across four events: a four-day summer institute followed by three follow-up events throughout the school year. The professional development focuses on introducing teachers to the physical and philosophical components of the instructional materials, strengthening their content background, and developing key instructional strategies essential to effective, high-fidelity use of the materials. Teachers implement the instructional materials with their students throughout the school year while receiving ongoing professional development support.

9th Grade

Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP)

2012

The Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) provides government-funded vouchers for low-income children to attend private schools (secular or religious) in the City of Milwaukee. The maximum voucher amount in 2010-11 was $6,442, and 20,996 children used vouchers. The MPCP is the oldest and largest urban school voucher program in the United States, having begun in 1990. Beginning with the 2010-11 school year, all MPCP schools were required to administer the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations (WKCE) in reading and math to all voucher students in grades 3-8 and 10 and publicly report results by named schools, introducing a test-based accountability policy for the first time.

3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th Grade 6th Grade 7th Grade 8th Grade 9th Grade 10th Grade

Four Reading Interventions: Corrective Reading, Failure Free Reading, Spell Read P.A.T., and Wilson Reading

2006

This study evaluates four widely used remedial reading programs for struggling readers in grades 3 and 5: Corrective Reading, Failure Free Reading, Spell Read P.A.T., and Wilson Reading. The interventions were delivered as pull-out programs in small groups of three students, meeting five days per week for approximately 50-minute sessions from November 2003 through May 2004, totaling about 90 hours of instruction on average. Three interventions (Corrective Reading, Spell Read P.A.T., and Wilson Reading) focus primarily on word-level skills including phonemic awareness, phonemic decoding, and reading fluency through systematic and explicit instruction. Failure Free Reading focuses on building sight vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension through computer-based lessons, workbook exercises, and teacher-led instruction. Teachers were recruited from participating schools and received approximately 70 hours of professional development and support during the implementation year, including 30 hours of initial intensive training, 24 hours during a practice period, and 14 hours of supervision during the intervention phase.

3rd Grade 5th Grade