Language Development Component, Compensatory Language Experiences and Reading Program. Final Evaluation Report.

Program Description: The Compensatory Language Experiences and Reading (CLEAR) program served 5457 pupils. Funding of the component was made available through the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act Chapter 1 of 1983. The purpose of the Couipc-nsatory L%nguage Experiences and Reading program (CLEAR) was to provide assistance to selected underachieving pupils in grades one through eight in order that they might attain more fully their potential for and improvement of language and reading skills. The program featured individual and small group instruction arranged according to pupil needs, as determined by continued cooperation between the program teacher and the classroom teacher. Various subgroups of program teachers were provided with a total of 11 inservice sessions. Within the CLEAR program there were two pilot projects utilizing Computer Assisted Instruction/Computer Management System (CAI/CMS). At the elementary level, 20 schools participated in a project which used Apple microcomputers. The Apple microcomputers were used under a contract with the Prescription Learning (PL) Company of Springfield, Ill:.nois. Other computer systems were used in an additional five elementary schools. Six middle schools were served by a project using Dolphin minicomputers and software licensed from the Educational Software Division of the Houghton Mifflin Company. One additional middle school used the Sperry Network System under an agreement with Wasatch Company. Time Interval: For evaluation purposes, the CLEAR program started on September 15, 1986 and continued through April 3, 1987. This interval of time gave 130 possible days of program instruction. Pupils included in the final pretest-posttest analysis must have attended at least 104 days (80%) during the time period stated above. Activities: Implementation of the program was accomplished through daily instructional activities to strengthen and extend regular classroom instruction without pet-suing the basic reading textbooks. Instructional techniques and materials based on skill-centered objectives were applied to fit individual needs. Achievement Objective: The average language/reading growth for the pupils who attended the program for at least 80% of the instructional period will be 1.0 Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE) point for each month of instruction. Growth will be measured by a nationally r-1-andardized achievement test of language/reading. Evaluation Desiei The major evaluation effort was accomplished through the administration of the Corprehensive Tests of Basic Skills. Analyses of the data included comparison of pretest to posttest change scores in terms of grade equivalents, percentiles, and NCE’s. EVALSRVCS/P502/ABSTCLE87 3 Major Findlaeljtecommeadations: The intormation collected on the Pupil Census Forms indicated the program served 5457 pupils for an average of 3.6 hours of instruction per week. The average dajAy memberohip the program was 4627.2 pupils. The average days of enrollment per pupil was 110.2 days and the average attendance per pupil was 101.1 days. The average number of pupils served per teacher was 54.6. Tne attendance criterion was met by 3833 pupils, which was 70.2% of the 5457 pupils served. The evaluation sample consisted of 3425 pupils who met the attendance criterion, took the pretest and posttest, and were English-speaking, Analysis of pretest-posttest achievement data indicated an average gain of 5.9 NCE points for the 6.5 month treatment period, or 0.907 NCE point per month of measurable instruction. This approached, but did not attain, the 1.0 NCE point per month criterion sco-e for the program’s performance objective. When data were analyzed by grade, it was noted that the evaluation criterion was met or exceeded in grade 3 (1.7 NCE’s per month), in grade 4 (1.0 NCE per month), and in grade 7 (1.0 NCE per month). The evaluation criterion score was not met at grades 1, 2, 5, 6, or 8. Comparisons of achievement test data were also made between pupils in the CAI/CMS projects and pupils in the same grade levels of the regular treatment group. At the elementary level (grades 4-5), the average NCE gains for the year were 5.2 for the CAI/CMS group and 3.9 for the regular group. At the middle school level the average NCE gains for the year were 7.4 for the CAI/CMS group, and 4.6 for the regular group. Process evaluation was conducted in a series of observations and interviews. Teachers used a variety of approaches to diagnosis and instruction. They were concerned with building pupil self-esteem and positive attitudes toward learning, as well as with actual improvement in reading. Teachers conveyed their high expectatiops to pupils in various ways and made liberal use of praise and encouragement. Concerns of program teachers included low parent response to teachers’ efforts for parent involvement, the perception of having a lack of time to do coordination of program instruction with classroom instruction, and tl?. need for more inservice. They also waned more flexibility in the use of their $250 teaching materials budget, and were concerned about the requirement of having to serve so many pupils. Program recommendations were: (a) implement findings of focus groups; (b) increase the involvement of program teachers in Districtwide Testing; (c) try to determine cause for less growth at certain grade levels; (d) increase inservice, with emphasis en reading comprehension; (e) study ways to increase parent involvement; (f) schedule time for cooperative planning between program and classroom teachers; (g) address existing problems in classroom environment space, temperature, etc.; and (h) continue use of CAI/CMS. EVALSRVCS/P502/ABSTCLE87 4 Education Consolidation and Improvement Act Chapter 1 FINAL EVALUATION REPORT LANGUAGE DEVELCL dENT COMPONENT COMPENSATORY LANGUAGE EXPERIENCES AND READING PROGRAM July 1987 Program Description The purpose or the Compensatory Language Experiences and Reading program (CLEAR) was to provide assistance to selected underachieving pupils in grades one through eight in order that they might attain more fully their potential for and improvement of language and reading skills. To accomplish this purpose the program featured individual and small group instruction arranged according to pupil needs, as determined by continued cooperation between the program teacher aad the classroom teacher. Instructional techniques and materials based on skill-centered objectives were applied to fit individual needs. Inservice was provided for program teachers. The CLEAR program first operated in 1978-79 when previous Primary and Intermediate Language Development Programs were combined to achieve greater continuity and consistency of service for elementary school pupils. The first CAI/CMS unit in the CLEAR program was piloted in the second semester of the 1981-82 school year in one elementary school. In 1986-87 the CLEAR program was comprised of 100 teachers serving 88 public and five non-public Chapter 1 eligible schools. Of the 88 public schools, 24 were middle schools. Each teacher provided services to a maximum of 50 elementary pupils or to a maximum of 56 middle school pupils at any given time, with the exception of the CAI/CMS units. Since the use of microcomputers was intended to expand the number of pupils served, elementary and middle school CAI/CMS teachers served a maximum of 60 pupils. Within the CLEAR program two projects utilizing Computer Assisted Instruction/Computer Management System (CAI/CMS) operated at the elementary and middle school levels. The elementary CAI/CMS project, serving grades 4-5, operated with 29 teachers in 25 schools, and the middle school CAI/CMS project operated with seven teachers in seven schools. Twenty-two elementary labs utilized Apple microcomputers leased from the Prescription Learning (PL) Company, along with other teaching machines, educational and management software and the services of an educational and a technical consultant. Four elementary labs had Tandy TRS-80 microcomputers and were served by B&B Computer Services. of these four labs, two also had Commodore PET computers which are now owned by the school system. Ia two elementary labs Apple computers were linked to a CCC Microhost and serviced by Computer Curiiculum Corporation (CCC). One elementary lab and one middle school lab utilized the Sperry Network System, and were served by Wasatch. The remaining simiddle school CAI/CMS labs utilized Dolphin minicomputers and terminals which are now owned by the school system, but still contract services with the Houghton Mifflin Company. The Dolphin computers are hard-programmed with educational and management routines. In addition to providing a technique to reading and language instruction, the use of CAI/CMS was also intended to enable participating teachers to sere more pupils than would be possible in a regular CLEAR program unit. The use of CAI/CMS was also intended to be a cost-effective alternative to replacing badly worn conventional equipment. EVALSRVCS/P502/RPTFCLE87 The CLEAR program served a total of 5457 publ and non-public school pupils, This included 5325 public school pupils in grades 1-8 and 132 non-public pupils in grades 1-3. The number of public school pupils in grades 1-3 was 1948, with a total of 2080 public and non-public pupils in the primary grades. At the intermediate grades (grades 4-5) 1838 pupils received CAI/CMS treatment and 235 received regular CLEAR program treatment, for a total of 2073 intermediate grade pupils. In middle school (grades 6-8) a total of 1304 pupils was served, which included 932 pupils in the regular CLEAR program treatment group, and 3/2 pupils in the CAI/CMS group. A total of 3247 public and non-public pupils in grades 1-8 received regular CLEAR program treatment.