Miami Elementary School Boosts FCAT Scores with Reading Mastery

This case study examines the implementation of McGraw-Hill's Reading Mastery program at Parkway Elementary School, a public elementary school in the Miami-Dade School District, located in Miami, Florida. The school serves approximately 554 students in grades PreK–5, with 91% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunches. Before implementing Reading Mastery, the school was recognized as the lowest-performing in its region. The school piloted Reading Mastery, eventually expanding it across all grades, including PreK. The study uses descriptive statistics to track longitudinal trends in student achievement. Outcomes examined include reading scores on the state summative assessment, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), specifically focusing on the percentage of grade 4 students scoring at or above Level 3 (proficient) from 1999 to 2005, and overall reading levels for grades 3–5. Descriptive results show that the percentage of grades 3–5 students reading at or above grade level rose from 7% in 1997 to 57% in 2005. Additionally, the percentage of grade 4 students scoring at or above Level 3 on the FCAT reading assessment rose from 29% in 1999 to 60% in 2005, with intermediate scores of 43% in 2000, 38% in 2001, 47% in 2002, 52% in 2003, and 58% in 2004.