Baltimore City Schools Make Progress With SRA/McGraw-Hill's Open Court Reading and Direct Instruction Programs

Baltimore City Public Schools continue to make gains in elementary reading achievement after almost a decade of dedicated teaching with SRA/McGraw-Hill's Open Court Reading and Direct Instruction curricula.

The latest Stanford 10 standardized test results showed Baltimore's Grade 1 students outscored 46 percent of children in a national sample, up from 41 percent last year. Grade 2 students scored in the 43rd percentile, up from the 41st percentile last year.

SRA's Open Court Reading was implemented in the majority of Baltimore's Grades K-2 classrooms in 1998, adding more schools each year. Other schools in the city have used SRA's Direct Instruction programs since 1996.

In an interview with the Baltimore Sun, Chief Academic Officer Linda Chinnia pointed to a more faithful implementation of Open Court Reading, extensive professional development, and focused intervention for struggling readers as reasons for the improvements.

To learn more about the history and continued progress with SRA reading programs at the district, read SRA's Baltimore City Public Schools Efficacy Report available at: www.sraonline.com/download/OCR/EfficacyReports/Baltimore_ocr.pdf

About Open Court Reading

Open Court Reading is a leading Pre-K-6 language arts program published by SRA/McGraw-Hill. Developed from nearly 50 years of intense study and field-testing, Open Court Reading incorporates sound teaching practices from scientific research. In the schools and districts where the program has been implemented, not only have students' reading test scores increased, but teachers and principals also are seeing gains in student achievement overall.

About Direct Instruction

Direct Instruction is a scripted teaching method based on more than 30 years of research and pioneered by Siegfried "Zig" Engelmann in the 1960s. Now it is used in classrooms of all types throughout the world, with students ranging from those with learning difficulties to very bright students. Direct Instruction's programs are based on two beliefs: All children can learn regardless of their learning histories, and all teachers can be successful when given effective materials and presentation techniques. These programs have been proven to work even when other programs fail. They provide a structured learning process that helps students learn "how to learn" while they build specific skills in reading, math, spelling, and language arts. Today, more than 1 million students in a third of the country's schools use a Direct Instruction program.

About SRA/McGraw-Hill

SRA/McGraw-Hill is the top provider of specialized research-based educational programs and professional development for the elementary market. Leading programs include Open Court Reading, Direct Instruction, and Real Math. SRA is part of McGraw-Hill Education, a leading global provider of instructional, assessment and reference solutions that empower professionals and students of all ages. McGraw-Hill Education is a division of The McGraw- Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP). Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 290 offices in 38 countries. Sales in 2005 were $6.0 billion. Additional information is available at mheducation.com. For more information on SRA/McGraw-Hill's products, call 1-888-SRA-4543 or visit SRAonline.com.

SOURCE: SRA/McGraw-Hill

CONTACT: Sue Andrews
SRA/McGraw-Hill
614-430-6613
sue_andrews@mcgraw-hill.com
Melina Metzger
Paul Werth Associates
614-224-8114 Ext. 236
mmetzger@paulwerth.com

Web site: http://www.mheducation.com/
http://www.sraonline.com/