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System 44: St. James Parish

At a glance

  • Demonstrates a Rationale
  • Programs: System 44®, Read 180®
  • Subjects: Intervention Curriculum, Literacy Curriculum
  • Report Type: Efficacy Study
  • Grade Level: Elementary, Middle
  • Region: Southeast
  • District Urbanicity: Suburban, Rural
  • District Size: Medium
  • Implementation Model: 60-79 Minutes, 80+ Minutes
  • District: St. James Parish School District, LA
  • Participants: N=112
  • Outcome Measure: 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

Elementary and middle school students improve on decoding and fluency after using System 44.

St. James Parish School District (SJPSD) enrolls approximately 4,200 students in Grades PreK–12 in 11 schools. The majority of students in St. James Parish are African American (66%), 33% are White, and 1% are Hispanic. Twelve percent are students with disabilities. 

During the 2012–2013 school year, SJPSD implemented System 44 across eight schools throughout the district. A total of 112 elementary and middle school students in Grades 2 through 8 were selected to participate in a study of System 44’s effectiveness. Students who were placed into System 44 classrooms at SJPSD were expected to receive 60 to 90 minutes of instruction five times per week. The model varied across the district with some schools using a stand-alone System 44 implementation and some schools using an integrated System 44/READ 180® model.

Results

Phonics Inventory® and Reading Inventory® data were collected and analyzed for students who used the program during the 2012–2013 school year. Phonics Inventory and Reading Inventory outcomes showed positive gains for the System 44 students on measures of decoding, fluency, and comprehension. Analysis of Phonics Inventory Decoding Status showed that the percentage of System 44 students identified as Developing Decoder or 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). System 44 students also made gains in Phonics Inventory Total Fluency from the first Phonics Inventory assessment to the last, with over half of students (54%) demonstrating a four point increase in fluency. On the Reading Inventory, System 44 students demonstrated gains in their Lexile® (L) scores from pretest to posttest (240L), with 41% of students exceeding individual growth expectations (Graph 2).

2 1 St James Graph 1

GRAPH 1. St. James Parish School District System 44 Students, Grades 2–8 (N=112)

Performance on Phonics Inventory by Decoding Status, 2012–2013

2 1 St James Graph 2

GRAPH 2. St. James Parish School District System 44 Students, Grades 2–8 (N=112)

Performance on Reading Inventory, 2012–2013