Education and Human Sciences, College of (CEHS)
Date of this Version
10-16-2006
Abstract
This report outlines the results of a two year implementation of the Nebraska's Reading First initiative. Over three thousand six hundred students from Kindergarten to Third grade were included in the project. Results indicated significant growth across all demographic groups. Student performance in the earlier grades has shown great promise for later years. Growth in fluency and comprehension in grades 2 and 3 were not as impressive and require additional attention. The assessment results were triangulated by observations in the classrooms, interviews, and teacher responses to professional development- teachers know how to teach Phonemic Awareness and the alphabetic principle but were still struggling with finding time and effective strategies for fluency, comprehension strategies, and self monitoring. Growing gaps for special education student, Ethnic minorities and English Learners suggest an emphasis on the secondary and tertiary levels of intervention in the schools. (Contains 25 figures and 11 tables.)