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State reading test scores show remarkable
gains from 2001 to 2004 in seven middle schools participating
in a study of The Reading Edge, a scientifically based
literacy program including curricula, instructional
methods, and professional development for teachers of
young adolescents. Schools using The Reading Edge gained
an average of 24.6 percentage points in the number of
students passing their state reading assessments. During
the same timeframe, matched control schools gained 2.2
percentage points, and schools in their respective states
gained 4.2 points.
In all of the seven school pairs studied
(one experimental and one control school equal a pair),
the Reading Edge students gained more on their state
reading assessments. The schools participating in the
study are in both urban and rural areas, but all are
impoverished.
Daniels, C., Madden, N., & Slavin, R. (In press
2005). The Success for All Middle School: Adding Content
to Middle Grades Reform. Middle School Journal.
Slavin, R.E., & Madden, N.A. (Eds.) (2001). One
Million Children: Success for All. Thousand Oaks, CA:
Corwin.
Few programs are available to provide middle school
students with the advanced reading skills and strategies
to learn from both fiction and non-fiction materials,
and to build the study strategies students need to succeed
in high school.
The Reading Edge was developed by the Success for All
Foundation, and is a comprehensive, replicable model
for middle schools serving many at-risk adolescents.
It is based on the widely used and extensively evaluated
Success for All elementary model but designed to meet
the unique developmental needs of young adolescents.
Literacy, cooperative learning, and social skills make
up the core of this program.
To fill any gaps and build on strengths, The Reading
Edge provides every student with instruction in reading
at his or her instructional level. Students are assessed
regularly and moved to a higher level as soon as they
are ready. This approach motivates students to achieve
by making them aware of their gains, and what they still
need to learn to succeed.
The Reading Edge provides well-structured instructional
guides and materials for teachers and students, as well
as extensive professional development, follow-up support
from SFAF coaches, and opportunities for teachers to
work together to reach school goals. SFAF provides coaches
for school and district leaders to guide them through
a goal-focused process of continuous improvement in
classroom instruction and student achievement.
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