Summary of Gainesville Reading Groups Study (continued)

were reading at grade level. At post-test none of the students were reading below grade level and sixty-two percent were reading one or more years above grade level on the word identification test. The average gain on that test, across the eight month study period was one year, five months, with poor intake readers gaining one year, eight months and average and good intake readers gaining one year, four months. The average pre-test score on the word attack sub-test of the Woodcock was first grade, seventh month. Post-test score on the word attack was seventh grade-second month, reflecting an average gain of over five years. Average phoneme manipulation gains were four on a ten point scale, reflecting a thirty-eight percent performance improvement. Average segmenting gains were fifteen on a sixty-three point scale reflecting a twenty-four percent performance improvement. Blending gains were two points on a five point scale reflecting a thirty-five percent performance improvement. Average code knowledge gains were thirty-two percent.

The gains made during this study were extraordinary. Also clear, however, is that the population of this school, as reflected by the intake scores was above the norms reflected in today's schools. However, with twenty-five percent of the students reading below grade level at intake, they were not a perfect class. We looked at the gains of just that twenty-five percent and found they made an average word identification gain of one year, seven months in the eight month study period.

The extraordinary gains made by these students begs the question--are normal and good readers getting short changed too? Just because some children seem to do average or above average with almost any instructional method, doesn't mean they couldn't do better with a better method. If we have a method that brings good readers to superior levels shouldn't we use it on them too?

Results of the Phillipsburg Middle School Study

A study was conducted in Phillipsburg, NJ. Fifty-three middle school students were isolated as needing special reading help. They participated in special nine or twelve week classes in which they received Phono-Graphix reading instruction in groups of four to six, for forty minutes, five days per week, for the duration of the nine or twelve week class.

Gains are reported in standard scores. The average gain on the Woodcock Reading Mastery Word Identification sub-test was 12ss. The average gain on the Woodcock Reading Mastery Word Attack sub-test was 15ss. 94.3% of the students showed improvement in this study. Since completion of this study the county have gone on to implement Phono-Graphix at the elementary level. In September of 1998 the district and Carmen McGuinness hosted officials visiting from the Ministry of Education in Great Britain on a tour of Phono-Graphix classrooms.