The Long Term Effects of the Reading Intervention Program, an Early Intervention Program Similar to Reading Recovery

Abstract

During the 1995-1997 school years, 35 students were identified at Holmes Road School (in Greece, NY) as being in the lowest 20% of their peer group in reading and related skills during first or second grade. These students received 12-16 weeks of individualized, one-on-one, reading instruction in a program similar to Reading Recovery called the Reading Intervention Program (RIP). During this program, students made significant gains. The purpose of this study was to determine if RIP has had a lasting effect on the performance of students who have had the 'treatment" as compared to their peers. Standardized test scores of the treatment group were compared to their peer group. If no statistically significant difference was found between the two groups at the time of the testing, then the treatment (RIP) was proven effective. Data were analyzed against the median scoring levels of students at the local and national levels. The findings were calculated including the scores of the students later identified and classified as Special Education and excluding those scores of the students placed in Special Education. Using the Chi square calculations and a significance level of .05, the RIP students' scores were not statistically significantly different from the median level of students at the national level. The RIP students' median DRP scores remained significantly different from the Greece median scores on these DRP tests.