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Waterford Early Reading
www.awl.com/elec-edu
Evidence of Effectiveness:
This study compared the student achievement of Glenridge Elementary kindergarten students using the Waterford Early Reading Program Level 1 with kindergarten student achievement at a control school of similar demographics and instructional focus. Both the experimental and control groups were urban populations, the majority of who were considered at-risk of reading failure. The overall conclusion from the study is that the Waterford program was effective in helping the vast majority of kindergarten students at Glenridge achieve considerable growth in literacy development. Moreover, these students’ progress was significantly greater than that experienced by students in Title I regular kindergarten programs. Some highlights from the overall findings include:
· Students’ mastery of essential pre-literacy concepts tripled, with an average of 309% growth between pre- and post-tests.
· Average growth for ESL students was very significant at 630.8%.
· ESL students at Glenridge achieved a relatively higher percentage of growth than did ESL students at the control school.
· Almost twice as many Glenridge students (50.9%) could identify all 52 upper and lowercase letters than the comparison group (27.9%)
· Nearly half of Glenridge students (46.8%) could generate almost all of the letter sounds (24-26 letters), compared to less than one-third (32.5%) of the control group.
Dallas, TX – Three Urban Schools
Professors at Harvard University and University of Texas at Austin are conducting an extensive study of the Waterford Program in three urban Dallas schools. The treatment groups include significant Hispanic, ESL, and African American populations. The study compares reading achievement between 15 treatment classes in 1997 and 12 treatment classes in 1998 against historical control groups from each of the three schools. Preliminary test results show that for both years, students in the Waterford classrooms significantly outperformed the historical control groups in all three schools. Some highlights from the overall findings include:
· Students using the program achieved 10.68 percentage points higher than the control group in 1997 and 14.27 percentage points higher in 1998.
· For Hispanic ESL students, the average gain was 82.37%, totaling 24.84 percentage points higher than the historical control group.
Professors at Rutgers University and Kean College of New Jersey conducted a study during the 1997-98 school year to examine the effectiveness of the Waterford Early Reading Program Level 1 in kindergarten classrooms in Newark, New Jersey. Students in these eight classes plus seven control classes (a total of 265 students) were pre-tested in September and October and post-tested in June using the Waterford Reading Inventory (WRI), the Test of Early Reading Ability- (TERA-2) and the Lindamood Auditory Conceptualization Test.
The evaluation found that students in the experimental classes outperformed students in the control classes on all three of the assessment measures used. Significant results favoring the experimental group were found using the WRI and the TERA-2. Nonsignificant results, favoring the Waterford students were found using the Lindamood test. Highly significant differences were found in favor of the Waterford students’ gain scores in comparison to the control group (p<.001). Significant differences were found in favor of the Waterford students on the TERA-2 (p<.02). Results of the WRI and TERA-2 are listed on the following table. Seventy-six Waterford students and 55 control students took the WRI; 74 Waterford students and 60 control students took the TERA-2. An NCE (normal curve equivalent) of 50 indicates the national average.
(WRI) and the Test of Early Reading Ability-2 (TERA-2)
Newark, New Jersey 1997-98
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WRI Pre-Test Mean Scores (points) |
WRI Post-Test Mean Scores (points) |
WRI Mean Gain Scores (points) |
TERA-2 Pre-Test Mean Scores (NCEs) |
TERA-2 Post-Test Mean Scores (NCEs) |
TERA-2 Mean Gain Scores (NCEs) |
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Waterford Students |
21.99 |
75.46 |
59.13 |
29.70 |
54.85 |
26.50 |
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Control-Group Students |
27.78 |
81.12 |
47.68 |
37.23 |
56.19 |
17.62 |
Program Description:
NOTE: Waterford Early Reading is a K-2 computer-based reading program; however, for remediation purposes, this program works well with students up to grade 6.
The Waterford Early Reading Program was developed by the nonprofit Waterford Institute, whose mission is to provide every child with the finest education possible through the effective use of technology. Each of the Waterford Early Reading Program’s three levels provides a full year of daily instruction for children. The research-based software adapts to each child’s learning pace, thus meeting each student’s individual needs. The Waterford Program also includes books, videotapes and audio cassettes for each child to keep, so that reading can easily extend from school to home.
· Build phonological awareness
· Automatically recognize letter names, sounds, and symbols
· Master basic print concepts
· Experience oral and written language through stories, songs, and rhymes
· Expand vocabulary
· Solidify phonemic awareness
· Blend letter sounds to make words
· Decode pattern words quickly
· Recognize sight words automatically
· Practice comprehension strategies
· Read and listen to a variety of literature and text
· Express ideas in writing
· Understand basic grammar, punctuation, and language rules
· Expand vocabulary
· Analyze word structure and patterns
· Utilize a variety of comprehension strategies
· Extend reading skills to other content areas
· Understand the steps in the writing process
· Practice grammar, punctuation, and language skills
· Spell pattern and sight words accurately
· Expand vocabulary
· Read aloud fluently and expressively
· Use of word processor
This program addresses the following aspects of reading:
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Completed. Correlation results by level are as follows:
Waterford Level 1 – Emergent Reading 100%
Waterford Level 2 – Beginning Reading 98%
Waterford Level 3 – Fluent Reading 100%
For a complete report of the correlation, please contact the program vendor.
Teacher Support:
· Computer and software installation with each system
· Teacher training before the start of the program (one day of formal training)
· Full day of support after the program is installed
· Toll-free telephone technical support for software
Equipment Requirements:
The program provides the hardware and software for the program. Hardware includes:
· Windows NT
· 500 MHz Intel Celeron
· 17 GB hard drive
· 15” monitor
· HP laser printer
· On-site service, parts and labor
Costs:
Software/
Hardware Materials Shipping Total
1-Station $3,534 $10,200 $306 $14,040
2-Stations $5,388 $16,350 $491 $22,229
3-Stations $7,241 $22,500 $675 $30,416
4-Stations $9,094 $28,700 $861 $38,655
For Information Contact:
Greg Barry, Area Sales Representative
Electronic Education
3327 E. Jerome Avenue
Mesa, AZ 85204
Phone: (480) 926-7002
(602) 363-6189
Current Location in Nevada:
Fitzgerald Elementary Lynch Elementary
2651 N. Revere Street 4850 Kell Lane
N. Las Vegas, NV 89030 Las Vegas, NV 89115
Contact: Yvonne Walker Contact: Sheila Jones-Mosley
Phone: (702) 799-0600 Phone: (702) 799-8820