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The purpose of this study was to compare the impact of reading programs of students who used the Reading Program One, Reading Program Two, and Reading Program Three reading programs and those students who were taught using no basal reading program in North Mississippi. The study also assessed teachers’ perceptions of the various reading programs based on gender, age, educational attainment, and years of teaching experience. The research design for this study included a descriptive analysis. Ten elementary schools in North Mississippi using the Reading Program One, Reading Program Two, Reading Program Three, and no basal reading program were analyzed. This study also included a descriptive design to analyze teachers’ perceptions of their reading programs. Comparisons were made across gender, age, educational attainment, and years of experience of the participants. The findings in this study indicated that students who were taught using no basal reading program and Reading Program One scored significantly higher on the Mississippi Curriculum Test in reading in 2005 than students taught using basal Reading Program Two and Reading Program Three. The findings in this study also indicated that students who were taught using no basal reading program scored significantly higher on the Mississippi Curriculum Test in reading in 2006 than students taught using Reading Program One, Reading Program Two and Reading Program Three. There was not a significant difference based on gender. The findings in this study revealed that some differences existed in student achievement on MCT reading scores based on the accreditation level of the school. The analysis of the teachers’ perceptions revealed that their reading programs or strategies contributed to students' success.

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Given that standards are legislated through the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and the Standards of Learning have been implemented in the Commonwealth of Virginia, educational reforms call for extended learning opportunities and a requirement that leaders implement programs that are scientifically research-based which concentrate on the achievement of all students. Year round education is scientifically research based. The purpose of this study was to compare year round and traditional education at an urban middle school on attendance, academic performance, and behavior patterns. The school had both year round education and traditional education from 1998-2001. This is a unique factor to this study, as no one has compared year round education and traditional education on attendance, academic performance, and behavior patterns in an urban setting with both year round education and traditional education in the same building. The population in this quantitative quasi-experimental study was 113 grade 8 year round education (87) and traditional education (26) students from one urban middle school in southeastern Virginia, who had been in the programs for three years (grades 3-6). The over- riding research questions were: (1) does year round education make an impact on attendance as measured by grade 8 attendance data after controlling for initial differences in grade 5 attendance? , (2) does year round education have an impact on academic achievement as measured by the SOL after controlling for grade 5 Degrees of Reading Power (DRP)? , (3) does year round education impact students’ behavior patterns as measured by grade 8 out-of-school suspensions (OSS) and in-school-suspensions (SIPS) data? Two one-way ANCOVAs, two chi squares, and t-tests were conducted to determine the statistical significant differences in attendance, academic performance, and behavior patterns (the first time placements in in-school suspension and out-of school suspension) of year round education and traditional education students with a pre-determined alpha of .05. The results indicated no statistically significant findings. The conclusions and implications in this study were limited by the size of the sample, lack of random student assignment, students interacting with each other, and students having the same teachers. Year round education provides an educational option for students and families. / Ed. D.

A current educational practice in grouping students is looping. Looping involves teachers remaining with the same students for two or more years. This practice was implemented in the elementary school in this study. This is an evaluation of looping in the first and second grades. The study has both qualitative and quantitative components. An administrator, teachers, and students in four looping and four non-looping cohorts were participants. Criterion variables were attendance; achievement in English, mathematics, science, and history and social science; instructional time; relationships among students; and relationships between teachers and students. A t-test was used to test for differences between looping and non-looping cohorts for attendance and achievement. Teachers used a log to record instructional time spent reviewing previously learned skills and teaching new skills in mathematics. Observations were conducted to describe the relationships among students and between teachers and students. There were no differences between looping and non-looping cohorts in attendance, instructional time, and achievement, except in history and social science, for one of the years studied. In that year, students in the looping cohort scored higher on the Standards of Learning test in history and social science than students in the non-looping cohort. Relationships among students were better in looping cohorts, and relationships between teachers and students appeared stronger in non-looping cohorts. / Ed. D.