The study examined the Making Meaning curriculum in nine classrooms, including grades 1 through 4, across
three schools (two of which shared a principal) in a single district in Massachusetts during the 2014–2015
school year. Each classroom teacher in the study received professional development and coaching during
the year. The nine teachers remained in the same classes throughout the pilot. By the end of the year, as
measured by Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment, a greater percentage of students were reading at
grade level compared to students from those same grades at the end of the previous year. The increases
from the previous year ranged from 3 percentage points for students in grade 1 to 16 percentage points
for students in grade 4.
In the following year (2015–2016), the same district implemented Making Meaning across all its elementary
schools, and provided professional development and coaching on the curriculum to all teachers. By the end
of the year, as measured by the Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment, a greater proportion of students
across the district in kindergarten and grades 1, 3, and 4 were reading at grade level compared to students
from those same grades at the end of the previous year. These increases ranged from 5 percentage points
in grade 4 to 18 percentage points in grade 3. There was no change in the proportion of students in grade 2
reading at grade level compared to students in grade 2 from the previous year.
In the 2016–2017 school year, the district continued with its district-wide implementation of Making Meaning
and began district-wide implementation of the Being a Writer program. Professional development and
coaching on both curricula were provided to all teachers. By the end of the year, as measured by the
Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment, a greater proportion of students across the district in kindergarten
and grade 4 were reading at grade level compared to students from kindergarten and grade 4 at the end of
the previous year. The increase was 5 percentage points for kindergarten students and 13 percentage points
for grade 4 students. However, students in grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3, did not see growth compared to
the same grade students from the previous year.
References
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015) 114th Congress, S 1117.
U.S. Department of Education (2016). Non-Regulatory Guidance: Using Evidence to Strengthen Education Investments.
Washington, DC. Accessed at: https://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/essa/guidanceuseseinvestment.pdf