Evaluation Plan for VRMS Reading Counts

Evaluation Plan for VRMS Reading Counts

Introduction:

Technology has been utilized in many ways to grasp the very elusive attention of the average middle school student. A computer-based reading management software program by Scholastic called Reading Counts™ is currently being required in many schools to encourage students to read more and thus improve achievement.(Grenawalt, 2005) A computer-based program that is designed to motivate students to read independently, Reading Countsalso boasts a wealth of statistical information that can be accessed and utilized by teachers. Reports that determine reading level are based on quizzes that are generated by the software program or by the teachers. The ease of this program and the potential it offers the classroom teacher, has led many schools to adoptthis or similar computer-based software as a reading management program and to require students to read for a grade.

The client in this evaluation, Villa Rica Middle School(VRMS), is a part of the Carroll County School in system in Georgia. The schoolhouses grades six through eight with approximately 540 students and 9 literature teachers. Analysis and reports will be submitted to VRMS. The stakeholders of the evaluation include the students, parents, teachers, and administration of VRMS. All stakeholders share the common goal of increasing reading interest and ability level in order to improve academic achievement.

Purpose:

Reading Counts software had previously been obtained with the intent of using it strictly as an incentive based program to encourage reading. Goals were set and rewards were distributed during an event established by the media center specialist. The current administration implemented the use of this program as a motivational tool that will reflect a portion of the total grade in the student’s literature class. Teachers are now required to use the points earned as 10% of the total literature grade.

While most teachers are familiar with the software and had encouraged students toparticipate in Reading Counts, many have not previously requiredthat students participate. With the current requirements in place, teachers must utilize this program and its reports for grading purposes. Literature teachers had previously used a variety of methods to obtain the desired reading goals of 25 books or 1,000,000 words for students. By requiring teachers to utilize a program that was already in place, there were no new costs incurred for this implementation. This formative evaluation will determine the effectiveness of using Reading Counts for grading purposes and meeting reading goals during the first quarter of the school year. A secondary focus will be evaluating the success of the implementation and the preparedness of the teachers who currently teach literature. Potential decisions for continuing the requirement for a grade in literature and/or possible improvements in implementation may be made based on the results of this evaluation.

Evaluation Questions:

The reading program that is currently in place was recently required as a portion of the total literature grade at VRMS. Reading Counts, previously used as an incentive only program, is now a reading requirement for grades 6-8. This evaluation will determine the effectiveness of using grades as a motivational element for reading and if it is an effective means of reaching goals established for the 25 books or 1,000,000 words. This goal which is framed as research questions are as follows:

• Is the current accountability requirement for grades motivating students to utilize the Reading Counts program and realize growth in reading interest and achievement?
• Do teachers, students, and media specialist perceive this as an effective means of reaching reading goals of 25 books or 1,000,000 words?

Methods:

Multiple methods are used to evaluate themotivational impact of assigning grades to the Reading Counts program participation as well as the overall success of the program in reading achievement. Teachers of literature are ultimately responsible for implementing the requirements of this program in the classroom and will be surveyed to establish perceived success. This same survey will also contain questions pertaining to amount of training involved to successfully utilize the program as well as comfort level with the technology. Student reports are generated through the Reading Counts program and will be utilized in this evaluation as well as the grade reports that are generated at the end of the first quarter. These reports will provide hard data while the soft data will be gathered through teacher and media specialist surveys. The survey that will be completed by the media specialist is specifically designed to compare current use of the library services as compared with previous use as well as the overall success of the program.

Instruments:

1) Survey of literature teacher’s attitudes and preparedness, a survey designed to measure the success of program that will use Likert items ranked 1) very dissatisfied to 5) very satisfied

2) Student reports generated through Reading Counts for proficiency on quizzes.

3) Grade report averages compiled at the end of the first quarter will be analyzed to determine what if any gains were made and how reading requirement affects overall grades in literature class.

4) Survey with media center specialist will assess perceived overall success, teacher comfort with the program, and student participation. The questions will be Likert items ranks 1) strongly agree to 5) strongly disagree.

Table 1. Data Analysis Instruments

Project Objectives: / Instruments
Teacher Survey / Student Reports / Media Specialist Survey
Does Reading Counts program provide teachers and students with an effective means of reaching 25 book, 1,000,000 word goal for VRMS? / X / X
Does reading requirement provide means of establishing student accountability? / X

Data Analysis:The Literature teachers will furnish reports with percentages of all students who participated in the Reading Counts program. They will also provide details from grade reports that indicate pass/fail rates of the first quarter and whether the reading requirement positively or negatively affected overall grade. Students shall remain anonymous with only class totals being averaged. Scores will be correlated and gains or losses will be noted. Individual and class gains will also be compared.

Qualitative data from the teacher survey and media specialist survey will also be used to report perceptions, advantages, and disadvantages of using this technology.

Conclusion:

Reading management programs provide classroom teachers, media specialist, and parents with a means to spark student interest and track achievement. Utilizing a program that is already in place makes this project cost effective. The results in requiring this program for a portion of the literature grade may positively or negatively affect the overall grade. The teacher’s attitude and preparedness also create positive or negative results with regard to implementing this program as a requirement. This project was implemented to meet a specific reading goal. This evaluation will clarify the benefits and suggest future recommendations for the program.

References:

Grenawalt, V. (2005). Going beyond the debate: using technology and instruction for a balanced reading program. Teacher Librarian , 12-15.

Appendix for Instruments:

Appendix A – Teacher Survey

Appendix B- Media Specialist Survey

Data Collection Organization Matrix

Questions / Does the requirement to use technology in the form of a reading management program (Reading Counts) result in positive results for student achievement toward literacy goals? / Do teachers perceive Reading Counts as an effective management tool to reach goals and provide accountability?
Related Results / Grade reports and points earned through Reading Counts quizzes. / Teacher attitudes, technology comfort, and training results.
Level (mega, macro, micro) / Mega- The intended result would be that themastery would be achieved and literacy would lead to overall successful completion of education. / Macro-The intended result would be that the school meets AYP when a student meets literacy standards and pass competency exams. / Micro- The intended result would be that individual students meet the reading requirements of 25 books or 1,000,000 words.
Data Source / Grade reports / Teacher Survey
Data Collection Tools/Procedures / Literature teacher will provide grade report percentages. Media specialist will provide Reading Counts reports. / Evaluator collects survey data.
Data Collected By / November 1, 2010 / November 1, 2010
Primary Responsibility / Evaluator / Evaluator