Ohio's Phonics Demonstration Project: A Longitudinal Study. Reading Instruction in Ohio's Phonics Demonstration Project Classrooms and Teacher Preparation Programs.

N

187

Case Studies; Demonstration Programs; Educational Practices; Longitudinal Studies; Phonics; Primary Education; Program Effectiveness; Public Schools; Qualitative Research; Reading Instruction; Reading Programs; State Programs; Statistical Analysis; Teacher Education

During the 2000-2001 school year, an 18-month evaluation of Ohio's Phonics Demonstration Program (PDP) was conducted by the same evaluation team that had conducted a similar evaluation in 1997. In addition to evaluating phonics instruction in PDP schools, the evaluation also addressed the preparation of teachers for reading/phonics instruction in Ohio's colleges and universities. The evaluation included quantitative and qualitative data, and the dual foci were on programs and practices in teacher education, and public school programs and practices concerning effective reading/phonics instruction. The Reading Teacher Preparation Inventory (RTPI) was used to assess the degree to which teacher education programs prepare their students to teach reading effectively. The public school programs were addressed through case studies of 12 PDP schools, 6 from each of the cohorts funded in 1997 and 1999. Observation of reading instruction, grades K-2, was conducted in all 12 schools, and student achievement results were collected through 6 different instruments/interviews. In general, information about teacher preparation revealed a wide variation in program effectiveness. Also, data showed that phonics instruction plays a significant role in enhancing reading instruction in the PDP schools. It is generally accepted that phonics is a necessary but not sufficient part of an effective reading and language arts program. It was found that those students who have been in the PDP program the longest had the highest gains in reading proficiency test pass rates. Eighteen appendixes include items such as: Reading Teacher Preparation Inventory; Telephone Interview Script for FY1997 Case Study Schools; Reading Teacher Inventory; Teacher, Principal, and Literacy Coordinator Interview Scripts; Student Interview Questions; and Classroom Environment Checklist for All Schools in the Study. (Contains 55 tables, 7 figures, and 66 references.) (NKA)

2003

ED471627