Annual Research QuestionsElliott Benzle2022-08-31T08:24:36-05:00

Annual Research Questions

Answering Research Questions With Data From the Annual Results Packet

Data and reports can be used to communicate the success of the intervention and help Reading Recovery Teachers monitor progress and effectiveness over time. The Annual Results Packet provided by IDEC for each site answers the five required and three of the four optional research questions. Following are brief explanations of information provided by IDEC to answer each question.

A publication on the IDEC website, “Guide to the Annual Results Packet,” may also be helpful. The site coordinator and teacher leader will use this information to prepare the official site report.

Required Research Questions

Question 1: How many children were served and who was served in Reading Recovery?

Tables to answer Question 1 reveal the number and description of the children served in your site according to sex, lunch costs, race/ethnicity, disability, native language, and English proficiency.

Question 2: What was the intervention status of children when exiting Reading Recovery?

The six exit status categories, or outcomes, are listed below and defined in Figure 11.1 in Chapter 11. (See Doyle, 2020, for detailed information about the exit status categories.) Tables and graphic displays from IDEC show the numbers and percentages of children in each intervention status category:

Accelerated Progress: Achieved Intervention Goal
Progressed: Monitoring and Support Essential for Ongoing
Literacy Progress
Recommended: Additional Evaluation and Ongoing Intervention Essential for Ongoing Literacy Progress
Moved
Incomplete
None of the Above

A second way to examine the effectiveness of your Reading Recovery implementation is to look at the number of children whose lessons yielded each of the following positive outcomes after the opportunity to complete up to 20 weeks of instruction: Accelerated Progress, Progressed, or Recommended.

Question 3: What was the progress of Reading Recovery children on literacy measures?

To answer this question, scores on all six tasks of the Observation Survey are shown for all groups tested at specific points in time across the academic year.

Question 4: What proportion of Reading Recovery students scored in each national achievement group for each measure of the Observation Survey?

The distribution of scores in the nationally stratified random sample was divided equally into fifths, each comprising a quintile or achievement group. Tables in this section show the percentage of Reading Recovery students at your site scoring in each national achievement group (quintile) on each subtest of the survey in the fall and at year-end.

Question 5: What were the gains from exit to year-end testing of Reading Recovery children whose lessons began in fall and were successfully discontinued after meeting exit standards for Accelerated Progress?

The response to this question represents the first follow-up study of the current year’s Reading Recovery children. This short-term follow-up study explores the gains of children served in the fall from the time of their exit from service to the end of the first-grade year who made Accelerated Progress. A table is available to show gains for all six subtests. Specific attention is given to progress in text reading in a figure that compares progress of Reading Recovery children with a random sample representing the general population of U.S. first graders.

Optional Research Questions

Question 6. Was there a change in the reading group placement of Reading Recovery children from beginning to end of the school year?

Classroom teachers describe each child’s reading group placement at the beginning and end of the school year. A table shows changes in classroom teacher perceptions for all Reading Recovery status groups.

Question 7. What percentage of Reading Recovery children were referred to and placed in special education?

An issue related to cost benefits is the potential reduction of referrals and placements in special education programs. The answer to this question is revealed in tables showing the number and percentage of Reading Recovery children referred and placed in special education. Additional tables are available to explain the reasons for the referrals and for placements and details about the types of placements.

Question 8. What percentage of Reading Recovery children were considered for retention and retained in first grade?

This question is also related to cost benefits. A table shows the number and percentage of Reading Recovery children who were considered for retention and who were actually retained. Reasons for retention also are described.

Question 9. What informal responses to Reading Recovery did teachers, administrators, and parents make?

Many UTCs and sites collect informal responses (via surveys) to the Reading Recovery intervention from parents, teachers, and administrators. Likert-scale responses are accompanied by open-ended responses. The site coordinator, advisory council, and teacher leader may wish to add targeted questions to gain site/district-specific information to inform the implementation.