Abstract:
This report examines data from two elementary schools in the Bethel, Oregon,
school district. One school adopted the Direct Instruction program, Reading Mastery, as
the core reading curriculum for the primary grades. The other, termed the Control School,
used a traditional curriculum, employing a “three tiered” model and occasionally using
Direct Instruction for students that teachers felt would benefit from the program. This
report examines the growth in reading achievement of two cohorts of students from
kindergarten through third grade in each of these schools. Full details on the methodology
and the statistical results are included in a technical appendix.
