This pilot study examined the outcomes of the pilot of the Being a Reader and Making Meaning programs in
Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191 (District 191), Minnesota. District 191 serves approximately 9,000
students in K–12. Of these, 55 percent were identified as non-white and 49 percent were eligible to receive
free or reduced-price school lunch during the pilot year.
In the 2016–2017 school year, fifteen K–5 classrooms—one in each of 15 schools—implemented the
Being a Reader and Making Meaning programs. The participating teachers attended regular professional
development sessions for these programs. In the following year (2017–2018), all K–5 schools in the district
(approximately 250 classrooms) are implementing the programs.
For the pilot study, the Northwest Education Association (NWEA) Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) was
used to measure growth in English language arts. Using this measure, 12 of the 15 pilot classrooms had a
higher percentage of students meeting growth targets compared to their school averages. The difference
ranged from to 1 to 18 percentage points above the building average. The three remaining pilot classrooms
had a lower percentage of students meet growth targets compared to their school averages. The author
collected qualitative data on teachers’ perception of the implementation, but she has not yet analyzed
those data.
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