What is this study about?

This study examined the effects on student test scores of hiring reading coaches to work with middle school teachers. The program was funded through the statewide Just Read, Florida! (JRF) literacy initiative.

The study included 987 Florida schools serving sixth- through eighth-graders.

The authors analyzed school-level student reading and mathematics test score data from 1998 to 2006 drawn from statewide databases.

Effects were measured by comparing school-level test score gains for several years before and after the reading coaches were hired and by comparing gains in schools that implemented the program to gains in schools that had not yet implemented it.

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What did the study authors report?

The study examined effects separately for four cohorts of schools, based on the year the schools implemented the program. The authors reported higher reading and mathematics test score gains for the earliest cohort and higher reading score gains for the third cohort.

The WWC does not consider these results to be conclusive because the groups of schools compared in the anaysis were not initially equivalent.

 

WWC quick reviews are based on the evidence published in the report cited and rely on effect sizes and significance levels as reported by study authors. WWC does not confirm study authors’ findings or contact authors for additional information about the study. The WWC rating refers only to the results summarized above and not necessarily to all results presented in the study.