Date of Award
2018
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Department
School of Education
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine if SuccessMaker Reading had an
effect on at-risk students when used with a Language Arts course. SuccessMaker Reading
is a web-based system that provides reading skills practice that align with state standards.
The sample of this study consisted of seventh (2019) and eighth (2018) grade classes
from a Midwestern suburban middle school district during the fall of the 2017-2018
school year.
At-risk Language Arts students who have not achieved proficiency in reading
were enrolled in SuccessMaker Reading. This study analyzed if SuccessMaker Reading
had an effect on growth on the NWEA-MAP winter reading assessment, MyPerspectives
pre and post assessments, and a student's Language Arts course grades. A comparison
was performed on students who were not enrolled in SuccessMaker Reading. This study
was a quasi-experimental study using a pretest-posttest design.
The results of this study indicated that SuccessMaker users closed the
achievement gap on the NWEA-MAP reading assessment by 31.0%. SuccessMaker users
had higher mean composite/percent reading growth, slightly higher means on the
MyPerspectives post assessment and higher mean quarter and semester grades than nonSuccessMaker
users. There was statistical significance with NWEA-MAP winter reading
growth, grade, gender, race, and time spent or incremental growth on SuccessMaker
Reading.
According to the 2016 Illinois School Report Card, only 38% of reading students
met or exceeded the goal of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and
Careers (PARCC) exam. This past 2017 school year only 36% of students met or
exceeded the reading goal for PARCC (Illinois School Report Card, 2017). If students are
to prepare for college and career the percentage of students meeting or exceeding the goal
established by PARCC must improve. Educators need proven interventions to assist
students in learning the skills necessary to meet the outlined criteria of proficiency.
Recommended Citation
Branch Housing, Tanya, "An Analysis of the Implementation and Effectiveness of Successmaker Reading on Closing the Achievement Gap Through a Separate Class Middle School Reading Intervention" (2018). Dissertations. 2774.
https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/2774
Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2018 Tanya Branch Housing
