Longitudinal Study of the Reading Recovery Program

Reading Recovery is an early intervention program for first grade designed to reduce reading failure. It is based on the assumption that intensive, high-quality help during the early years of schooling is the most productive investment of resources. Individually tailored intervention procedures are implemented for children identified by classroom teachers as achieving below-grade level. A longitudinal study was designed to assess the success of this program in the Detroit Public Schools (Michigan) over the 5 years from 1993-94 to 1997-98. A total of 135 students were studied, 75 in the experimental group participating in Reading Recovery and 60 in a comparison group who were approximately at the same reading achievement level at the start of the study. Data from the California Achievement Test, the Metropolitan Achievement Test, and the Michigan Education Assessment Program were used to measure student achievement. The Reading Recovery group showed improvement throughout the study--an improvement sustained over the 5 years. However, the Reading Recovery group consistently scored below the achievement levels of the comparison group. It is recommended that the program, if continued, be monitored closely for documentation of academic achievement and effectiveness. An appendix contains information about assessment tasks administered in Reading Recovery