Stunning Research Findings
- • On average, 57% of students improved their reading proficiency.
- • Nearly half of third graders increased reading proficiency.
- • Students performing below the 10th percentile showed the greatest gains.
- • Even students with strong reading skills, at or above the 90th percentile, increased reading proficiency.
- • Schools with the greatest improvements had a full culture change and strong parental involvement.
Our Research Findings
The Reading Is Fundamental Read for Success research study set out to test and confirm the efficacy of a new model to reduce summer learning loss in children from economically disadvantaged communities. Our hypothesis was that summer learning loss in reading could be cut in half, from 80% of students experiencing loss to 40%. Instead, we found:
• On average, 57% of students improved their reading proficiency, instead of 80% of children showing loss.• Nearly half of students in third grade—a critical grade for literacy skill building—increased reading proficiency. Third grade is commonly known as the time when students move from learning to read into reading to learn. This means that young readers who haven’t mastered reading by the end of 3rd grade are increasingly likely to be lost in more difficult content and vocabulary in the years that follow, as classwork on reading and writing about friends and pets changes to complicated subjects in biology, chemistry, U.S. history, algebra. Not having the skills to rise to the challenge is a factor for many among the 8,000 high schoolers who drop out each day.
• Students performing below the 10th percentile showed the greatest gains.
• Even students with strong reading skills, at or above the 90th percentile, increased reading proficiency.
• Schools with the greatest improvements had a full culture change and strong parental involvement. When schools were transformed into literacy-rich environments, students achieved greater results.
America's Literacy Crisis
Many people are unaware of America’s literacy crisis. A learning gap emerges before children even enter kindergarten, and it grows with each year. Students who don’t learn to read well become adults who can’t read well. In fact, nearly half the adult population reads at or below the basic level needed to complete everyday activities.
Over the summer, all students are at risk of losing some of the reading skills they acquire during the school year. This is commonly known as the “summer slide.” For most children who fall behind in school, who typically do not have access to books and learning opportunities over the summer, it is unlikely they will ever catch up.
Because of this lack of access to resources over the summer, 80% of children from low-income communities will lose up to three months of learning before school begins again in fall. That accumulated loss can put students three years behind their peers by the fifth grade. Poor academic performance contributes to the 8,000 high school students who drop out every day.
About the Read for Success Model
In 2012, RIF began a two-year study of a new model designed to reduce summer learning loss. This research, funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Innovative Approaches to Literacy grant, incorporated STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics) themes in informational texts and literacy resources to support academic content.
The model incorporated these six key elements to improve children’s reading proficiency:
Recent studies suggest that three are essential to promote reading:
- • Access to a lot of good, high-quality books
- • Child’s choice in selecting books
- • Book ownership
RIF’s Read for Success model is a roadmap for school systems and local organizations to promote systemic change within their own communities and improve reading proficiency among all their students. Read for Success can open new doors for teachers and students, particularly in the areas where children may not have books or learning materials at home to promote learning outside of school and over summer.
This study was funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Innovative Approaches to Literacy Grant.
For more information, contact us at readforsuccess@rif.org.
