Date of Award

2013

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

School of Education

Abstract

In 2006, the Neah-Kah-Nie School District developed and, subsequently, implemented a comprehensive Literacy Program in the district's two elementary schools. This evaluation investigated the effects of the Literacy Program at Garibaldi Grade School focusing specifically on teachers' perceptions of the Literacy Program and the impact of the Literacy Program on student performance. The findings of this study suggest that student performance on both the DIBELS assessment and OAKS reading assessment did improve since the implementation of the Literacy Program. The researcher did note that student performance on the DIBELS assessment was much lower than that on the OAKS reading assessment. Teachers strongly supported the different components of the Literacy Program, and credited these components for the improvement in their students' reading skills. Teachers also reported improvement in their own literacy instructional practices and attributed their students' success to the ongoing professional development and coaching provided through the Literacy Program. The researcher provided several recommendations for program improvement. Recommendations included researching and adopting an additional assessment tool to be used alongside the DIBELS assessment. Additionally, the researcher has recommended the building principal and teaching staff also investigate alternative interventions that specifically focus on comprehension skill development. Finally, the researcher highly recommends that the district continue the high-quality and intensive professional development with all staff.

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