Abstract:
This study examined how the Reading Recovery early intervention program affected the literacy needs of Hispanic English Language Learners (ELLs) based on their reading performance on the Criterion Reference Competency Test (CRCT). It examined how the Hispanic students sustained their reading performance through third grade in comparison to their peers (non-Hispanic students). Results from 2009, 2010 and 2011 reading portion of the CRCT were used to determine the progress made during the 3 years after the initial implementation of the Reading Recovery intervention. The quantitative research designed used was a 2 x 2 x 3 mixed factorial analysis to determine the effect of student ethnicity, student status, and administration year. Ethnicity and student status were between-subject variables, but administration year was within-subject variable. The sample population consisted of 135 former Reading Recovery students who had attended a rural school district in south Georgia. The Statistical Software for Social Science (SPSS) was used to analyze the data. The results indicated that there was a significant difference between average CRCT scores for the discontinued and recommended students. The discontinued students scored significantly higher than recommended students. However, there was no significant difference between average CRCT scores for the Hispanic and non-Hispanic students. There was no significant interaction between Reading Recovery status and ethnicity. The results also concluded that there was no significant difference between CRCT score for the 3 consecutive years. The CRCT scores were very similar in range. They consisted of 2009 (M = 819.43), 2010 (M = 820.82) and 2011 (M = 817.82). There was no significant interaction between CRCT scores and Reading Recovery status. Likewise, there was not a significant interaction between CRCT scores and Ethnicity. The final analysis of the study indicated that there was not a significant interaction between CRCT scores, ethnicity, and Reading Recovery status. The qualitative analysis consisted of four descriptive case studies that followed two Hispanic students and two non-Hispanic students through the Reading Recovery process. Each descriptive case study reflected the Reading Recovery process for the selected students during 2008-2009 school-term and CRCT reading scores for 2009- 2011. CRCT reading scores were presented in the case studies: (a) students who scored above 800 on the assessment successfully met the criterion to pass; (b) students who scored 850 or above on the CRCT exceeded the required expectations; and (c) students who scored below 800 failed to meet the minimum requirement. The final analysis of the case studies indicated that in 2009, the average CRCT reading score was 814.50. The average reading score for 2010 was 816, and the average reading score for 2011 was 817. Overall, the average student population continued to maintain the necessary strategies to perform successfully over a 3-year period on the CRCT reading test after receiving Reading Recovery lessons.