National Study Shows Elementary Students Using SRA/McGraw-Hill's Open Court Reading Surpass Non-Open Court Reading Students

Students using Open Court Reading, a Grades K-6 literacy curriculum from SRA/McGraw-Hill, performed better on standardized tests, according to new research from the University of Wisconsin. The national randomized evaluation found statistically significant improvements in achievement in reading, vocabulary, and comprehension among students using the program. The study also found exposure to Open Court Reading closed the achievement gap between minority students and their peers by 40%.

  (Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070514/NYM147-a )
  (Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070514/NYM147-b )
  (Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070514/NYM147-c )

Forty-nine Grades 1-5 classrooms from predominately minority and low- income contexts from diverse locations across the country participated in this multi-level evaluation. After one year of Open Court Reading, researchers found these effects achieved across this diverse group of classrooms and schools from across the nation demonstrate the potential for large-scale improvement of literacy outcomes through the scale-up of Open Court Reading.

"With a proven program and capable instructors, we can close the achievement gap. This study demonstrates that it can be done," said Dan Caton, president of McGraw-Hill Learning Group, which includes SRA/McGraw-Hill. "Open Court Reading has been instrumental in helping children learn to read and succeed for more than half-a-century."

In the study, classrooms were randomly assigned to Open Court Reading, which included curricular materials, progress-monitoring tools, and professional development opportunities for the teachers or non-Open Court Reading classrooms, where teachers continued to teach methods they had been using previously.

During the 2005-2006 school year, students were pre-tested and post-tested by independent trained testers using TerraNova™ reading comprehension and vocabulary tests.* Students in Open Court Reading classrooms increased scores in reading by 46 points from the beginning to the end of the year, compared to students in the control group, who increased reading scores by just 39 points.

Vocabulary and reading comprehension scores for students using Open Court Reading also were higher.

Geofrey D. Borman, N. Maritza Dowling, and Carrie Schneck of the University of Wisconsin-Madison performed the research. The complete report will be released later this month.

"As a strong proponent of evidence-based education policy, I believe this study offers important new evidence for what works for elementary school students learning reading and language arts," said Dr. Borman, professor of education leadership and policy analysis, educational psychology, and education policy studies at the University of Wisconsin.

  * TerraNova is published by CTB/McGraw-Hill. SRA and CTB are both
    businesses of McGraw-Hill Education.

  About Open Court Reading

Open Court Reading is a leading Pre-K-6 reading and language arts program published by SRA/McGraw-Hill. Developed from 45 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.

The program weaves together crucial elements that research shows are necessary for learning how to read: phonemic awareness, the alphabetic principle, explicit phonics, print awareness, fluency, vocabulary, strategies and skills for comprehension, authentic and award-winning literature, and writing process. Open Court Reading meets every recommendation specified in The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), and its instructional methods align precisely with the recommendations in Put Reading First: The Research Blocks for Teaching Children to Read, the foundational document for NCLB.

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 division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP). McGraw-Hill Education is a leading global provider of instructional, assessment, and reference solutions that empower professionals and students of all ages. Additional information is available at http://www.mheducation.com/. For more information on SRA/McGraw-Hill's products, call 1-888-SRA-4543 and visit http://www.sraonline.com/.

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SOURCE: SRA/McGraw-Hill

CONTACT: Sue Andrews
SRA-McGraw-Hill
+1-614-750-7371
sue_andrews@mcgraw-hill.com;
or Melina Metzger
Paul Werth Associates,
+1-614-224-8114 Ext. 236
mmetzger@paulwerth.com

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