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System 44: KIPP NYC (2012–2013)

At a glance

  • Demonstrates a Rationale
  • Programs: System 44®, Read 180®
  • Subjects: Literacy Curriculum, Intervention Curriculum
  • Report Type: Efficacy Study
  • Grade Level: Middle
  • Region: Northeast
  • Population: English Learners, Students with Disabilities
  • District Urbanicity: Urban
  • District Size: Medium
  • Implementation Model: 40-59 Minutes, 60-79 Minutes, 80+ Minutes
  • District: KIPP NYC, New York City, NY
  • Participants: N=56
  • Outcome Measure: Northwest Evaluation Association Measures of Academic Progress (NWEA MAP), Reading Inventory, Phonics Inventory
  • Evaluation Period: 2012–2013
  • Study Conducted by: Scholastic Research

Read 180 now incorporates the comprehensive foundational literacy skills scope and sequence from System 44.

Overview

Middle school children at an urban charter school demonstrate improvements in decoding, fluency, and reading comprehension.

Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) is a national network of free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public charter schools with a track record of preparing students in underserved communities for success in college and in life. KIPP NYC, a part of the national network, consists of 10 schools enrolling approximately 3,600 students in Grades K–12. There are four elementary schools, five middle schools, and one high school in KIPP NYC. The majority of the student body is African American (48%) or Hispanic (49%) and receives free or reduced-price lunch (88%). Fifteen percent are students with disabilities, and 8% are English learners (EL). The student attendance rate is 95.4%, and the annual student mobility rate is 5%. KIPP NYC’s mission is “to teach our students to develop the character and academic skills necessary to succeed in high school and college, to be self-sufficient, successful, and happy in the competitive world, and to build a better tomorrow for themselves and us all.”

During the 2012–2013 school year, 56 fifth- and sixth-grade students in three of KIPP NYC’s middle schools (Academy, Infinity, and Washington Heights) were selected to participate in a study of System 44’s effectiveness. Students were eligible to participate in System 44 if they first scored below 600L on the Reading Inventory®, and then scored as Pre-Decoder, Beginning Decoder, or Developing Decoder on the Phonics Inventory®. Of the students in the study sample, 96% received free or reduced-price lunch, 31% were African American and 69% were Hispanic. Forty-five percent were students with disabilities, and 35% were EL.

Students who were placed into System 44 classrooms at KIPP NYC were expected to receive 45 to 90 minutes of instruction five times per week. The model varied across the schools with some classrooms using a stand-alone System 44 implementation and some classrooms using an integrated System 44/READ 180® model.

Results

Phonics Inventory, Reading Inventory, and NWEA® MAP® data were collected and analyzed for students who used the program during the 2012–2013 school year. Results demonstrated that the KIPP NYC System 44 students improved in word-reading skills, as measured by the Phonics Inventory, and in reading comprehension, as measured by the Reading Inventory and NWEA MAP.

Analysis of Phonics Inventory Decoding Status showed that the percentage of System 44 students identified as Advancing Decoder increased from the first Phonics Inventory assessment to the last; whereas, the percentage of students identified as Pre-Decoder or Beginning Decoder decreased (Graph 1). There was a remarkable increase from only 2% of students (1 student) performing at the Advancing Decoder level at the beginning of the year to 30% of students (17 students) performing at the Advancing Decoder level by the end of the year. Of these students, nine graduated out of the program before the end of the year.

Overall, System 44 students also made significant gains in Phonics Inventory Total Fluency (7.5 points) from the first Phonics Inventory assessment to the last. When disaggregated by grade, the gains in Phonics Inventory Total Fluency made by fifth and sixth graders were significant, with fifth graders moving from the 10th percentile at the beginning of the year to the 24th percentile by the end of the year, and sixth graders moving from the 12th percentile at the beginning of the year to the 28th percentile by the end of the year (Table 1). These significant findings held for students with disabilities and ELs, who made significant gains of 7.7 points and 7.5 points, respectively.

On the Reading Inventory, System 44 students demonstrated significant gains in their Lexile® (L) scores from pretest to posttest (301L), with an average of three-quarters of students (75%) exceeding their individual yearly growth expectations. These significant findings held for students with disabilities and ELs, who made gains of 321L and 308L, respectively (Graph 2). On NWEA MAP, students in the fifth and sixth grades demonstrated gains in their reading scores from pretest to posttest with the fifth-grade students demonstrating significant gains (13.5 points and 2.9 points, respectively).

2 1 Kipp Graph 1

GRAPH 1. KIPP NYC System 44 Students, Grades 5–6 (N=56)

Performance on Phonics Inventory by Decoding Status, 2012–2013

Note. The pretest window for Phonics Inventory was June 2012 to September 2012. All posttest scores were collected in May–June 2013.

2 1 Kipp Table 1
Note. *Gain significant at p < .05. Phonics Inventory Form 1 was used for the first fluency percentile rank, and Phonics Inventory Form 3 was used for the final fluency percentile rank.
2 1 Kipp Graph 2 1

GRAPH 2. KIPP NYC System 44 Students, Grades 5–6 (N=56)

Performance on Reading Inventory, 2012–2013

Note. The pretest window for Reading Inventory was June 2012 to September 2012. All posttest scores were collected in May–June 2013.