Chattahoochee Students Raise Scores After One Year With SRA/McGraw-Hill's Imagine It! Reading and Language Arts Curriculum

Reading scores are on the rise at the Chattahoochee County Education Center after only one year with SRA/McGraw-Hill's researched-based elementary reading and language arts program Imagine It! On average, scores increased by nearly 12%.

Teachers implemented Imagine It! in Grades K-5 in the fall of 2007. One year later, reading scores on the Criterion-Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) rose across the board. Grade 1 increased the percentage of students meeting or exceeding reading standards on the CRCT from 78% in 2007 to 91% in 2008. Grade 2 rose from 84% to 90%, and Grade 3 jumped from 71% to 82%. The best results occurred in Grade 4, where scores rose by more than 28%.

Principal Tabitha Walton said Imagine It! works because Chattahoochee educators implement it with fidelity.

"Our teachers focus on accountability, and not just at state testing time," she explained. "They know they are accountable for their students' progress every day. For example, they routinely turn in their benchmark scores so we can focus on what needs to improve or change. I'm also in and out of their classrooms daily so I can provide feedback."

Walton said one of the program's key strengths is its comprehensive nature, which means all components work together and complement each other.

"All the materials are right there in front of you, like Differentiated Instruction," she said. "If teachers want to customize a lesson, they don't have to dig for information and conduct research on their own. The components are right there for them."

One way Chattahoochee teachers provide Differentiated Instruction is through the program's workshops. Walton said workshops are advantageous because they give teachers an opportunity to do two very important things.

"First, they can pre-teach concepts they know students might struggle with. When they introduce the concept again the next day, students are already beginning to understand it. Second, teachers use workshops to target struggling students. Many kids need that extra one-on-one time with the teacher to practice concepts," Walton said. "Differentiated Instruction is very powerful in a workshop. In fact, workshops work so well with our children that we're carrying the concept over into our math program."

Walton said another of the program's key strengths is consistency from grade level to grade level.

"We're really looking forward to students' reading scores in 2009 because they will reflect two solid years with the program," she said. "Overall, we're very pleased with Imagine It! This program will work if you carefully and diligently 'work' it."

About Chattahoochee County Education Center

This Title I school serves nearly 300 students in Grades Pre-K-5: 58% of students are Caucasian, 34% African American, 1% Hispanic, 1% Asian, and 6% multicultural. Seventy-five percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. For more information, please visit chattahoochee.k12.ga.us. (http://www.chattahoochee.k12.ga.us/)

About Imagine It!

Imagine It! is the result of 45 years of research and field study. It contains all the elements recommended by the National Reading Panel: instruction in phonological and phonemic awareness, explicit phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The program has a focus on Response to Intervention and covers all daily Reading, Language Arts, and Writing curriculum requirements. It also has abundant curriculum links to Science and Social Studies. Imagine It! fully integrates state-of-the-art technology tools to enhance learning.

The authors, who are researchers themselves, continue to update the program as new studies are published revealing the latest findings on effective instructional methods. For more information, visit ImagineItReading.com. (http://imagineitreading.com/)

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 SRA Imagine It! reading program, Direct Instruction, SRA Number Worlds, additional core and supplemental programs. 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. McGraw-Hill Education has offices in 33 countries and publishes in more than 60 languages. Additional information is available at mheducation.com (http://www.mheducation.com/). For more information on SRA/McGraw-Hill's products, call 1-888-SRA-4543 and visit SRAonline.com. (http://www.sraonline.com/)

   Contact: Suzanne Toney                    Melina Metzger
            SRA/McGraw-Hill                  Paul Werth Associates
            (614) 750-7286                   (614) 224-8114 Ext. 236
            suzanne_toney@mcgraw-hill.com    mmetzger@paulwerth.com

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SOURCE: SRA/McGraw-Hill

CONTACT: Suzanne Toney
SRA/McGraw-Hill
+1-614-750-7286
suzanne_toney@mcgraw-hill.com
Melina Metzger
Paul Werth Associates
+1-614-224-8114 Ext. 236
mmetzger@paulwerth.com

Web site: http://www.mheducation.com/
http://www.sraonline.com/
http://imagineitreading.com/
http://www.chattahoochee.k12.ga.us/