REVIEWS Reading Mastery REVIEWS

REVIEWS Reading Program Overview Reading Master REVIEWS

Intervention: Reading MasteryREVIEWS

Program Description

Reading Mastery, one of several curriculum components that constitute the Direct Instruction curriculum from SRA/McGraw-Hill, is designed to provide systematic instruction in reading to students in grades K–6. Reading Mastery, which can be used as an intervention program for struggling readers, as a supplement to a school’s core reading program, or as a stand-alone reading program, is available in three versions:

1. Reading Mastery Classic (for use in grades pre-K–3) aims to help beginning readers identify letter sounds, segment words into sounds, blend sounds into words, develop vocabulary, and begin to learn comprehension strategies.
2. Reading Mastery Plus (for grades K–6) has a language-arts focus with an emphasis on reading, writing, spelling, and language.
3. Reading Mastery Signature Edition (for use in grades K–5) includes three strands: (a) the Reading strand addresses phonemic awareness, phonics, word analysis, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, spelling, decoding, and word recognition skills; (b) the Oral Language/Language Arts strand addresses oral language, communication, and writing skills; and (c) the Literature strand is designed to provide students with opportunities to read a variety of different types of text and to develop their vocabulary.

During the implementation of Reading Mastery, students are grouped with other students at a similar reading level, based on program placement tests. The program includes a continuous monitoring component.

Research

One study of Reading Mastery that falls within the scope of the Adolescent Literacy review protocol meets What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) evidence standards, and one study meets WWC evidence standards with reservations. The studies included 361 students in grades 4 and 5, who attended schools in the midwestern and northwestern United States.³

Based on two studies, the WWC considers the extent of evidence for Reading Mastery on adolescent learners to be small for the reading fluency and comprehension domains. No studies that meet WWC evidence standards with or without reservations examined the effectiveness of Reading Mastery on adolescent learners in the alphabetics or general literacy achievement domains.

Effectiveness

Reading Mastery was found to have potentially positive effects on reading fluency and no discernible effects on comprehension for adolescent learners.

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WWC IS AN INITIATIVE OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION'S INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES, THE WWC:

Produces user-friendly practice guides for educators that address instructional
challenges with research-based recommendations for schools and classrooms;
Assesses the rigor of research evidence on the effectiveness of interventions
(programs, products, practices, and policies), giving educators the tools to
make informed decisions; Develops and implements standards for reviewing
and synthesizing education research; and

Provides a public and easily accessible registry of education evaluation 
researchers to assist schools, school districts, and program developers
with designing and carrying out rigorous evaluations.

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