Reading Recovery and Student Achievement

Reading is a skill, which is essential for a child's school success. The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative study was to investigate the effects of the Reading Recovery (RR) Program. The data utilized were from two groups of students at-risk in the area of reading, first-grade students involved in at least 12 weeks of Reading Recovery, and students who received services through Georgia's Early Intervention Program (Non-Reading Recovery EIP). Scores on the Reading portion of the Georgia Criterion-Referenced Competency Test for these two groups of students from their first-grade school year (2006-2007), their third-grade school year (2008-2009), and their fifth-grade school year (2010-2011) were compared. An independent t test was used to analyze the data between the two groups' Reading CRCT scores and resulted in a two-tailed p value of less than 0.0001 in support of the Non-Reading Recovery EIP group. An ANCOVA adjusted for any initial differences using the CogAT Verbal Standard Age Scores as a covariate. There was a statistically significant difference between the scores of the two groups of first-grade students in support of the Non-Reading Recovery EIP students. When the Reading Recovery students were compared to themselves, the data confirmed the students were meeting or exceeding grade level expectations at an exceptional rate. The data revealed the Reading Recovery Program is an effective intervention for eligible first-grade students in Gwinnett County. Teachers from two schools (one with RR and EIP and one with EIP only) were surveyed regarding reading strategies. Key Words: reading, student achievement, Reading Recovery, Georgia's Early Intervention Program