Utah School District Maintains High Language Arts Scores with Direct Instruction

Cache County School District in North Logan, Utah, has a long history of success with McGraw Hill's Direct Instruction programs, which have been in use for over 30 years. This descriptive study highlights the sustained high performance of students on the Utah Criterion-Referenced Test (CRT) in Language Arts. After implementing Corrective Reading, 70% of Grade 8 students met or exceeded standards in 2002, a significant increase from 57% when they were in Grade 6. The district uses Corrective Reading in Grades 3-5, Reading Mastery in Grades K-5, and Language For Learning for ESL students in Kindergarten. Data from 2004 to 2005 shows that the percentage of students scoring at or above proficient remained high across elementary grades, with Grade 5 students, for example, scoring 90% proficient in both years. The district serves 13,428 students in Grades K-12 and has a student population that is 92% Caucasian, with 30% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.