Abstract
Purpose. This study was conducted to determine how mastery of the Direct Instruction program, Corrective Reading, in middle school, impacted the ability of students to achieve passing grades in high school. Methodology. Both quantitative and qualitative statistics were used. For the quantitative analysis, the Chi-Square Test of Independent Samples was used to determine whether there was a significant difference in passage rate in English CP I and Algebra between those students who had mastered Corrective Reading in the seventh grade and those who had not. For the qualitative analysis, interviews were conducted with high school teachers and students who had mastered Corrective Reading to determine if students' achievement and self-esteem had been impacted as a result of the program. Findings and conclusions. It was concluded from the quantitative analysis that there was no significant difference in passage rate in English CP I and Algebra between students who had mastered Corrective Reading in the seventh grade and those who had not. However, the qualitative analysis did show evidence that students who had mastered Corrective Reading in seventh grade had better reading fluency, comprehension, decoding/word recognition, and writing skills than those who had not. Students who mastered Corrective Reading had increased participation and willingness to take risks in the classroom. Students that mastered the program also commented that reading for pleasure had increased as a result of the program. It appeared that the reason that students were not passing was due more to a lack of motivation than a lack of skills. Recommendations. Because mastery of the Corrective Reading program impacted reading fluency, comprehension, word recognition/decoding, and writing skills, it should continue to be implemented as an intervention for students performing below grade level in middle school. More research needs to be done in the areas of continuing to use a Direct Instruction model to teach students who have had Direct Instruction in middle school, as well as ways to motivate students who have skills.