Reading Recovery Study

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Publication Name: Joan Schuman, Collaborative for Educational Services
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Earlier this month, study results were published that demonstrated what the educators, children and families participating in Reading Recovery have known for decades, the program works.

A new national study funded by the US Department of Education has shown that Reading Recovery, a comprehensive reading intervention program for young readers, was found to have strong, positive impact on general reading achievement of beginning readers. The program had the highest rating of 175 reading intervention programs that were reviewed.

Most students who complete the full program are reading at grade level within a few months time.

The local cost of providing Reading Recovery services for 12 to 20 weeks will be substantially less than those for retention and special education, particularly when the majority of Reading Recovery children sustain their learning gains.

The intensity of the program is one of the key reasons for its effectiveness. Reading Recovery’s one-on-one tutoring sessions help struggling readers to quickly gain the skills they need to be successful in school._ As a result, very few of the students receiving the intervention require costly special education services. In Massachusetts, 93% of Reading Recovery students were able to continue through school without special education.

We applaud schools across the Commonwealth that support struggling readers with one of the most effective early literacy intervention programs available.

Easthampton, South Hadley, Westhampton, Williamsburg, Leyden, Bernardston, Deerfield, Sunderland, and Whately are among over 40 schools in the state that provide Reading Recovery to first grade students. Administrators and teachers in those districts are to be commended for taking advantage of available state and national funding for a program that is clearly making a difference.

Joan Shuman
Executive Director
Collaborative for Educational Services

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