IMPACT STUDY REPORT
JULY 2023
Chesterfield RISE/RISE Up How Students in South Carolina Significantly Improved Reading Achievement
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IMPACT STUDY REPORT
JULY 2023
Chesterfield RISE/RISE Up How Students in South Carolina Significantly Improved Reading Achievement
RISE/RISE UP STUDENTS MAKE SIGNIFICANT GAINS ON MAP GROWTH READING TEST
Chesterfield County School District Demographics:
White: 60% Black or African American: 31% Hispanic or Latino: 4% Asian: 1% Two or More Races: 4% Median Household Income: $41,937 Bachelor’s Degree or Higher: 11.6%
OVERVIEW Chesterfield County School District (CCSD) is a rural school district in northeastern South Carolina. Located approximately 80 miles northeast of Columbia, the district spans 806 square miles and serves 6,901 students across 16 schools. Roughly 75 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. During the pandemic, CCSD students’ reading test scores declined significantly, and the district wanted to find a solution to help students get back on track. The district examined several reading interventions and decided to pilot RISE/RISE Up because of its targeted small-group instruction for reading comprehension, word study, phonics, and guided writing. The district implemented RISE/RISE Up with struggling first- to fourth-grade students in six schools. Students received 60 minutes of daily RISE/RISE Up instruction as part of their Tier 2 intervention program. To measure the influence of RISE/RISE Up on reading skills, Scholastic analyzed Measure of Academic Progress (MAP ® ) Growth Reading data from 149 RISE/RISE Up students who used the program during the 2021–2022 school year. RESULTS From fall 2021 to spring 2022, RISE/RISE Up students demonstrated significant gains on the MAP Growth Reading Test across all grade levels (see Figure 1). Students in Grade 1 made the largest improvements, improving from a pretest Rasch Unit (RIT) score of 149.75 to a posttest RIT score of 165.92, a statistically significant gain of 16.17 RIT points (p<.001). Data indicate that first-grade students exceeded the expected fall-to- spring RIT gain of 15.86 RIT points (as determined by the NWEA MAP Growth Reading 2020 normative sample).
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CHESTERFIELD RISE/RISE UP IMPACT STUDY
Figure 1. Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 MAP Growth Reading Scores of RISE/RISE Up Students by Grade Level
Fall
Spring
200 –
189.67
182.61
180.42
170.59
169.50
165.92
150 –
154.31
149.75
100 –
50 –
0 –
Grade 1 (n = 24)
Grade 2 (n = 54)
Grade 3 (n = 59)
Grade 4 (n = 12)
Researchers also calculated effect size estimates to provide insight into the magnitude of the findings. Results showed that reading effect sizes ranged from 1.05 to 3.14 for participants, suggesting a substantial impact on student learning. Effect sizes greater than 0.8 are considered large effects.
Figure 2. MAP Growth Reading Scores Effect Sizes by Grade Level
Effect sizes greater than 0.8 are considered large
Grade 1
0.80
3.14
2.09
Grade 2
1.83
Grade 3
1.05
Grade 4
Cohen’s d effect sizes: 0.20 = small, 0.50 = medium, 0.80 = large
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CHESTERFIELD RISE/RISE UP IMPACT STUDY
LESSONS LEARNED
After one year of implementation, results showed that students significantly increased reading test scores. The district attributed this success to increased:
• Teacher Collaboration The RISE/RISE Up program increased learning and professional development opportunities for teachers. Within schools, RISE/RISE Up teachers conferred with one another immediately after every lesson. During this time, teachers worked with each other to look at student data, discuss persistent challenges, and brainstorm new ways to help students master content material. This collaboration allowed teachers to better personalize and target instruction. • Student Engagement Program administrators commented that the RISE/RISE Up program was appropriately paced and differentiated. Teachers could slow down for students who needed reteaching, but activities moved quickly and ensured that students never got bored. As the Director of Federal Programs, Candace Hoffman, noted, “The program’s energy is high; students really like this, and none of them wanted to miss out.” • Access to a Wide Variety of Books RISE/RISE Up gives classrooms access to 96 unique book titles per classroom. Because most students in CCSD do not have extensive access to books, these engaging texts helped broaden students’ access to books and experience with fiction and nonfiction. Due to the program's overwhelming success, Chesterfield County School District decided to expand implementation to more students during the 2022—2023 school year. We are a high-poverty rural school district where kids do not have many books in their homes. We love RISE/RISE Up because it simultaneously teaches students critical literacy skills and exposes them to a large variety of books they would not normally have had access to. Shari Stubbs, Chief Academic Officer
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CHESTERFIELD RISE/RISE UP IMPACT STUDY
5252-08 12/23
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