Florida Elementary Students Master Reading in Preparation for Junior High

Clay Hill Elementary School in Jacksonville, Florida, implemented SRA/McGraw Hill’s Direct Instruction reading programs—Corrective Reading and Reading Mastery—to raise literacy performance across grades K–6. The rural public school serves 593 students, with 47% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. In the mid-1990s, about 40% of students in grades 3–6 read below grade level. Teachers began using Corrective Reading with grades 4–6 in 1996–1997 and Reading Mastery with grades K–3 to build foundational reading skills early in students’ education.  Instruction time for Corrective Reading was initially 90 minutes per day, later increased to 120 minutes. Both programs were taught in uninterrupted blocks to promote consistent focus and engagement. Principal Lenore Paulk emphasized that maintaining complete attention during reading periods helped students recognize reading as an academic priority.  After several years of program use, outcomes showed significant progress. In 2005, more than 72% of Clay Hill students scored at or above grade level on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), compared to fewer than 60% only three years earlier. Grade 3 reading proficiency rose from around 60% in 2002 to nearly 90% in 2005. Similar improvements were reflected in other grades, with consistent upward trends in performance from 2002 through 2005. Teachers reported a reduction in the need for later reading interventions, attributing continuing success to early mastery of phonics and foundational literacy skills.  Parents and administrators observed that Clay Hill graduates demonstrated high confidence and strong reading abilities upon entering junior high school. The school continues to use Reading Mastery in early grades, applying Corrective Reading only as needed to maintain strong literacy outcomes.