Findings and results from our research and evaluation studies are detailed in reports available in PDF format.
Evaluation of Student Writing Performance in Grades 1–6 of Marshalltown Community School District
The Marshalltown Community School District partnered with the IRRC to evaluate students’ improvement in writing across the 2020–2021 school year and whether scoring by teachers and IRRC staff was predictive of performance on the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP). The IRRC developed writing prompts and scoring rubrics aligned to the state standards and ISASP for each grade level.
The two scoring types were found to be considerably similar but not exactly alike. The similarity between the teachers’ and IRRC’s writing criterion scores suggests that interim writing assessments evaluated by students’ teachers could identify strengths and weaknesses to help guide instruction. The unbiased IRRC human scorers were better predictors overall of students’ ISASP performance. Growth in student writing scores varied by grade, skill criterion, and the type of scorer.
Evaluation of Student Writing Performance in Grades 7–11 of the Council Bluffs Community School District
The Council Bluffs Community School District partnered with the IRRC to evaluate students’ improvement in writing across the 2020–2021 school year when scored by teachers, IRRC staff, and an electronic system. The IRRC developed grade-specific scoring rubrics for student writing that aligned to the state standards, the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP), and the rubrics from the electronic system.
The three scoring types were found to be considerably similar but not exactly alike. The teachers’ scores were slightly better than the other systems at predicting ISASP performance on specific criterion, which suggests that interim writing assessments evaluated by students’ teachers could identify strengths and weaknesses to help guide instruction. The unbiased IRRC human scorers were better predictors overall of students’ ISASP performance than their teacher or the electronic system. Growth in student writing scores varied by grade, skill criterion, and the scoring system used.
Evaluation of the Council Bluffs Community School District’s 2021 Summer Reading Program
The Council Bluffs Community School District in 2021 offered an in-person summer learning program to elementary students, during which students’ reading performance was assessed with the Measure of Academic Progress. On average, students in the program at all grade levels maintained their reading performance from spring of the previous academic year to the end of the program, and from the end of the program to a posttest in the subsequent fall.
The 2021 summer program was held after students had experienced inconsistencies in their education for over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which impacted the structure of the program. This also caused teachers to be out of practice with the usual instructional routines. Thus, it is not advisable to make direct comparisons to previous years’ summer programs.
Evaluation of the Sioux City Community School District’s Implementation of Small-Group, Skills-Based Literacy Instruction
Students’ literacy performance from the 2016–2017 and 2017–2018 school years is compared as Small-Group, Skills-Based Literacy Instruction is implemented by the Sioux City School District.
Evaluation of the Council Bluffs Community School District’s 2019 Summer Program
The summer reading program demonstrated positive effects on Grades 1–5 students’ pre- to posttest growth in reading skills and when comparing students who did participate to those who were eligible but did not participate. Because instruction during the academic year contributes more to students’ growth, it is recommended to use summer as a time to explore literacy curriculum and instruction in depth and use results to guide instructional decisions for the academic year.
Read the full “Evaluation of the Council Bluffs Community School District’s 2019 Summer Program”
Early Literacy Survey of Iowa Elementary Schools: Statewide Results
The November 2018 survey of Iowa elementary schools found that:
- The majority (65%) of schools responding to the survey indicated they are offering more than 90 minutes of daily core literacy instruction, and 46% to 53% reported offering more than 30 minutes of intervention each day.
- Approximately 64% of respondents indicated there is a high degree of consistency in the literacy instruction delivered by teachers across their buildings.
- Most commonly, respondents reported teachers meet with their colleagues weekly (37%) or monthly (25%) to discuss students’ literacy data, and participate in 4-5 days (27%) or 2-3 days (24%) of literacy professional development.
- Approximately 65% of schools reported offering their students summer learning opportunities, with 30% of such programs supported by community partners and 95% intended for students not reading proficiently.
Read the full “Early Literacy Survey of Iowa Elementary Schools: Statewide Results”
Evaluation of the Council Bluffs Community School District’s 2018 Summer Reading Program
The summer reading program demonstrated positive effects on Grades 1–3 students’ pre- to posttest growth in reading skills and when comparing students who did participate to those who were eligible but did not participate. The district also made great strides at reducing attrition of summer program participants.
An Investigation of Two Approaches to Fluency Instruction in the General Education Classroom: Repeated Reading Versus Varied Practice Reading
Results showed the Varied Practice Reading group statistically significantly outperformed the Repeated Reading group. In fact, Varied Practice Reading achieved slightly more than an extra week’s worth of improvement in reading fluency over Repeated Reading.
Evaluation of the Council Bluffs Community School District’s 2017 Summer School Program
Results indicate statistically significant growth in some literacy skills for students in kindergarten through Grade 4 when compared to students who did not attend summer school.
Report of the Kindergarten-Second Grade Phonics Materials Review for the Ames Community School District
The IRRC conducted a review of three instructional programs used in the Word Study Team Foundational Skills Materials Pilot study for the Ames Community School District. Each program was evaluated for how well it aligned with research-based content and instructional approaches for phonological awareness and phonics.
Report of the 2016 Intensive Summer Reading Program (ISRP) Study
Findings indicate intensive summer reading programs helped students who were struggling with reading at the end of Grade 3 maintain their reading skills during the summer months.
Read the full "Report of the 2016 Intensive Summer Reading Program (ISRP) Study"