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Four Reading Comprehension Curricula (Project CRISS, ReadAbout, Read for Real, and Reading for Knowledge): Improving Reading Comprehension Among Fifth-Grade Students

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Intervention Details

Subject

English Language Arts

Academic Program

General Education

Duration

Full school year

Grade

5

Personnel

General Education Teacher

Intervention Summary

The study discusses four reading comprehension curricula: Project CRISS, ReadAbout, Read for Real, and Reading for Knowledge. These curricula aim to improve reading comprehension skills among fifth-grade students. They share common comprehension strategies, instructional strategies, and student activities, but differ in emphasis and approach. Project CRISS focuses on five keys to learning, including background knowledge, purpose setting, author's craft, active learning, and metacognition. ReadAbout teaches reading comprehension skills through a computer program, while Read for Real uses a six-volume set of books to teach reading strategies. Reading for Knowledge makes extensive use of cooperative learning strategies and a process called SQRRRL (Survey, Question, Read, Restate, Review, Learn).

Statistical Finding Summary

No positive effect on reading comprehension

Negative effect on reading comprehension for students with above-average baseline fluency levels

Negative effect on reading comprehension for students with baseline comprehension levels in the bottom third of the sample

Negative effect on reading comprehension for students of teachers with more than five years of teaching experience

Negative effect on reading comprehension for students attending schools with below-average School Professional Culture scores

Negative effect on reading comprehension for students attending schools with an above-average concentration of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

Negative effect on reading comprehension for students attending schools with a below-average concentration of English language learners

Negative effect on reading comprehension for students with teachers who had more than 10 years of teaching experience

Source

Carey, N., Deke, J., Dimino, J., Douglas, A., Faddis, B., Gersten, R., Hershey, A., James-Burdumy, S., Lugo-Gil, J., Mansfield, W. & Newman-Gonchar, R. (2009). Effectiveness of Selected Supplemental Reading Comprehension Interventions: Impacts on a First Cohort of Fifth-Grade Students. NCEE 2009-4032 (ED505578). ERIC. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED505578.pdf.

Data Sample by Population

These charts show the characteristics of the student populations studied. When assessing programs, you may want to prioritize interventions that yielded success in a similar demographic environment as your school or district.

The subgroup population data as studied here are not available. That means that while this study may work well for your setting, we cannot say based on the published study and results from our system’s reading of that study what the school/district subgroup characteristics were when evaluated here.