Title I Schools in North Carolina District Meet All-State Reading Targets with Direct Instruction

In Brunswick County, North Carolina, three Title I elementary schools (Belville, Jessie Mae Monroe, and Lincoln) that had previously been in the School Improvement category for not achieving Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) all met their state reading targets during the 2006-2007 school year. This success followed the implementation of McGraw Hill's Direct Instruction programs beginning in the fall of 2004. The study examined the percentage of students scoring at or above proficient in reading on the state's End-of-Grade (EOG) test. The programs implemented were Reading Mastery as an intervention for Grades K-5, Language for Learning in Kindergarten, and Corrective Reading for intervention. The data shows improved reading proficiency scores across Grades 3, 4, and 5 in all three schools between the 2003-2004 and 2006-2007 school years. For instance, at Belville Elementary, Grade 5 proficiency increased from 71% to 92%. The study was conducted in a district with 11,644 students (PreK-12), where 51% are eligible for reduced-price lunch.