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UROK Learning Institute is a researched based organization
UROK utilizes research based interventions in reading, writing and math. Over the past ten years UROK has been gathering data and conducting research on the effectiveness of the interventions and academic processes used. Here you will find the empirical evidence that supports our organization's impact on California students.
Specifically, UROK implements Literacy Links, a comprehensive empirically proven reading program, as well as an extensive supplemental course through the REWARDS curriculum. CAHSEE math preparation is facilitated in conjunction with Accelerated Math, an adaptive computer program that assesses ability, outlines target areas, and monitors progress toward goals. Writing Essentials is a component which builds skills necessary for response to literature and other types of writing, aiding in higher levels of comprehension as well as organization of information. Foremost in the UROK Learning Institute’s Mission is the fostering of safety, self-esteem, and competence in a students educational experience.
Since 2001 UROK has been delivering services in a variety of settings. The main clinic is located in the Dede Alpert Center for Community Engagement at the San Diego State University Foundation building. In addition to the main clinic, UROK services students at satellite centers, schools, and in student’s homes. The primary mission of the organization is to improve student’s reading and math levels, their study habits, and self-esteem through achievement and mastery. To achieve these goals UROK has implemented an extensive assessment component to the program. Students are evaluated before any intervention and then again at the completion. Assessment results help validate the program and monitor student progress.
The Literacy Links program is a reading intervention program developed by an educational team at the Calgary Academy. It is a systematic and explicit program designed to assist students who are struggling with reading. This program emphasizes several factors that address Adams’ Four Processor Model. In addition, research has consistently shown that students who have well-developed phonemic awareness are better readers than those who do not, therefore the program is embedded with a phonological structure. It also utilizes different modalities for teaching and learning, including tactile, visual, and auditory methods. The instruction is provided on a 1:1 basis and the lessons are consistent and include repetition and structure to enable the student to focus on the new content presented every day instead of the methods being used.
In an initial study to measure the effectiveness of the Literacy Links intervention seventy-two students completed the 30-hour Literacy Links program at the UROK Learning Institute. Each student is scheduled to complete the program over a three-week period. They attend 1:1 classes two hours per day and five days per week. With school holidays, illnesses, and family schedules there were some minor alterations to this schedule. In addition, for some students it took time to build a comfort level with the program and instruction was slowed at the beginning and up to five days were added on to the end of the program. To be included in this study a student completed from 30 to 40 hours of instruction.
Of the 72 participants, 44 were male and 28 were female. They ranged in age from 16 to 5-years-old and ranged in grade from kindergarten to 11th grade. The majority of the 72 students, (42) were in 1st or 2nd or 3rdgrade, however the others were distributed equally among the other grades.
Students were assessed using selected subtests of the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test – Second Edition (Word Reading, Pseudoword Decoding, Reading Comprehension, and Spelling) and the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (C-TOPP) both before and after completing the Literacy Links program. Students were considered good candidates for the Literacy Links program if they showed weaknesses on the Word Reading and Pseudoword Decoding subtests of the WIAT-II. In addition, students were included if they also exhibited a weakness on at least one factor of the C-TOPP (Phonological Awareness, Alternate Phonological Awareness, Rapid Naming, and Phonological Memory Composite scores).
After completing the program students made significant gains in the WIAT-II targeted areas of Word Reading (p<.001) and Pseudoword Decoding (p<.001) when comparing both the grade level increase and the standard score increase from before to after completing the Literacy Links program. The average grade level improvement for Word Reading was .52 and Pseudoword Decoding was 1.15 after participating in the 3-week program (see table 1). The standard score gains students made after completing the program were also significant with students increasing their score an average of 4.40 points on Word Reading (p<.001) and 7.45 on Pseudoword Decoding (p<.001).
Significant increases were also identified with the WIAT-II Reading Comprehension (p<.001) and Spelling (p<.001) subtests. While these areas were not directly addressed with the Literacy Links program, it appears that the skills the students learned in the program transferred to reading comprehension and spelling. The average grade level improvement on these subtests was 1.33 on Reading Comprehension and .50 on Spelling. The standard score gains students made after completing the program were also significant with students increasing their score an average of 8.07 points on Reading Comprehension (p<.001) and 3.72 on Spelling (p<.001).
Table 1. WIAT-II
Average Grade Level Improvement- Word Reading = 0.52
Average Grade Level Improvement- Pseudoword Decoding = 1.15
Average Grade Level Improvement- Reading Comprehension = 1.33
Average Grade Level Improvement- Spelling = 0.50
Students also showed significant improvements on the C-TOPP on 8 of the 12 subtests.
Overall, the results of this study indicate that Literacy Links is a very effective way to improve the reading skills of students who are struggling with reading decoding. Students averaged a half of grade level increase in Word Reading and Spelling and a full grade level increase in Pseudoword Decoding and Reading Comprehension after completing the three-week Literacy Links program. Those gains are particularly significant in light of the fact that the program only lasts three weeks.
In addition to results generated at the clinic, UROK has demonstrated the effectiveness of Literacy Links in a variety of school and home settings. At the O’Farrell Community School, in San Diego, 53 middle school students (grade 6-8) were identified as having significant difficulty with reading skills. After implementation of a modified Literacy Links program, which included small group teaching, results were obtained that were in line with previous findings (see Table 2).
Table 2. Woodcock Johnson –III Test of Reading Fluency
Average pre-test raw score 40.57
Average post-test raw score 47.83
Average raw score improvement 7.26
Average pre-test grade equivalent 4.70
Average post-test grade equivalent 6.10
Average grade equivalent improvement 1.40 grades
UROK Sound Symbol Assessment (USSA)
Average pre-test raw score 65.9 (range 42-93)
Average post-test raw score 102.4 (range 86-120)
Average raw score improvement 36.5
At the Memorial Academy in San Diego County, 32 elementary school children were identified as having significant difficulty with reading skills. After implementation of a modified Literacy Links program, which included small group teaching, results were obtained that were again consistent with previous findings (see Table 3).
Table 3. UROK Sound Symbol Assessment (USSA)
Average pre-test raw score 45 (range 12-80)
Average post-test raw score 92 (range 67-106)
Average raw score improvement 47 (a 104% gain)
At the Darnell E-Campus, a California Charter Elementary School in San Diego County, 25 elementary school children were identified as having significant difficulty with reading skills. After implementation of a modified Literacy Links program, which included small group teaching, results were obtained that were again consistent with previous findings (see Table 4).
Table 4. UROK Sound Symbol Assessment (USSA)
Average pre-test raw score 36.3 (range 16-58)
Average post-test raw score 99.4 (range 80-110)
Average raw score improvement 63
A dynamic, multifaceted intervention is currently being conducted at the San Pasqual Academy, in San Diego County. The Academy is home to high school students who are active wards of the Court of San Diego County. It is a residential school that serves a population of students who generally have very poor academic skills primarily due to their inconsistent educational history. Table 5 presents the reading portion of the program and Table 6 presents the results of the Accelerated Math scores. Nearly 60 students completed the program which is ongoing today.
Table 5. Woodcock Johnson –III Test of Reading Fluency
Average pre-test raw score 60.8
Average post-test raw score 69.6
Average raw score improvement 8.8
Average pre-test grade equivalent 8.3
Average post-test grade equivalent 10.6
Average grade equivalent improvement 2.3 grades
UROK Sound Symbol Assessment (USSA)
Average pre-test raw score 78.8 (range 56-91)
Average post-test raw score 116.2 (range 105-121)
Average raw score improvement 37.4
Another large scale intervention has been occurring in Southern California this past year. Student who qualify for extra services have been able to request the UROK Learning Institute come to their home and complete Literacy Links in a 1:1 format that closely mirrors the clinic program. Students received pre and post testing, and at least 30 hours of instruction in their own home. The ability of the program to come to the students homes is a true benefit in that many families are unable to drive their children to a regional center five days a week. Table 7 depicts the scores for more than 150 children who participated in the program. The scores are broken down by age and school district.
Table 7. Los Angeles Unified School District (99 students)
Woodcock Johnson –III Test of Reading Fluency
Grades 1-6
Average pre-test grade equivalent 2.85
Average post-test grade equivalent 3.54
Average grade equivalent improvement .69 grades
Grades 7-8
Average pre-test grade equivalent 6.28
Average post-test grade equivalent 8.40
Average grade equivalent improvement 2.12 grades
Grades 9-11
Average pre-test grade equivalent 5.24
Average post-test grade equivalent 7.90
Average grade equivalent improvement 2.66 grades
UROK Sound Symbol Assessment (USSA)
Grades 1-6
Average pre-test raw score 72.21 (range 45-98)
Average post-test raw score 111.82 (range 73-122)
Average raw score improvement 39.60
Grades 7-8
Average pre-test raw score 73.06
Average post-test raw score 115.25
Average raw score improvement 42.19
Grades 9-11
Average pre-test raw score 63.77
Average post-test raw score 111.08
Average raw score improvement 47.31
Santa Ana Unified School District (18 students)
Woodcock Johnson –III Test of Reading Fluency
Grades 1-7
Average pre-test grade equivalent 3.68
Average post-test grade equivalent 4.72
Average grade equivalent improvement 1.04 grades
UROK Sound Symbol Assessment (USSA)
Grades 1-7
Average pre-test raw score 69.31 (range 49-90)
Average post-test raw score 111.31 (range 85-122)
Average raw score improvement 42.0
Ontario Unified School District (29 students)
Woodcock Johnson –III Test of Reading Fluency
Grades 1-6
Average pre-test grade equivalent 2.73
Average post-test grade equivalent 3.76
Average grade equivalent improvement 1.03 grades
Grades 7-8
Average pre-test grade equivalent 4.95
Average post-test grade equivalent 5.90
Average grade equivalent improvement .95 grades
UROK Sound Symbol Assessment (USSA)
Grades 1-6
Average pre-test raw score 66.18 (range 36-87)
Average post-test raw score 108.82 (range 55-122)
Average raw score improvement 42.76
Grades 7-8
Average pre-test raw score 72.75 (range 63-86)
Average post-test raw score 116.50 (range 113-121)
Average raw score improvement 42.75
Accelerated Math is another one of the UROK Learning Institutes proven intervention strategies. It is excellent for use in any grade and with any curriculum, Accelerated Math has been proven by research time and time again to dramatically raise student math achievement. More than 2,000 third- through tenth-grade students in 125 classrooms from 24 states participated in a study shown here. Students in Accelerated Math classrooms out-gained non-AM students by between 7 and 18 percentiles, as shown in the graph.
An important study was conducted by Dr. Semones and Dr. Springer in Arizona. They found that when using Accelerated Math four times as many sophomore students at San Manuel High School (AZ) who did not pass the Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS) test, required for graduation, passed after participating in a targeted math course using Accelerated Math. Fiftyseven percent of the students who took the AIMS Accelerated Math Class passed a retest of the AIMS math test during their junior year, compared to 14% for matched students who did not take the class.
S C I E N T I F I C R E S E A R C
Twenty-eight students who had failed the AIMS math test in grade 10 were divided into two groups, matched by their AIMS math score. Fourteen students were enrolled in a special AIMS math class using Accelerated Math from the beginning of the school year (August 2003) until they re-took the AIMS test in April of 2004. Fourteen matched control students were identified and matched to the Accelerated Math students by their grade 10 AIMS math scores. The AIMS math class used a custom Accelerated Math library that included all 76 math concepts that are tested on the AIMS test. The class met for 55 minutes, five days a week. Students worked at their own pace, and whenever they struggled with an objective, an adult tutor was available to intervene and teach that particular objective to the student. All students in the class mastered all 76 objectives and participated in two weeks of review prior to retaking the AIMS test. Control students participated in their normal eleventh-grade curriculum, without any additional math tutoring or support. As additional incentive for students to pass the AIMS test, each student in both the treatment and control groups was told that they would receive $50 for passing the AIMS test. This was done so that both groups, neither of which needed to pass the test to graduate that year, would seriously try to pass the test.
Eight of the 14 (57%) students enrolled in the special AIMS class successfully passed the AIMS math test (see chart on reverse). Only two (14%) of the control students passed. This difference is statistically significant at the p ≤ .01 level, suggesting that the use of Accelerated Math and the additional attention by adult tutors was the cause of the improved student performance. Additionally, all 14 students who participated in the Accelerated Math class demonstrated positive gains on the AIMS test, compared to only nine of the control students.
San Manuel students’ success on passing a retest of AIMS after engaging in a special class using Accelerated Math proves Accelerated Math’s effectiveness in preparing students in math for high-stakes testing. Based on the tremendous success experienced at San Manuel, Drs. Semones and Springer recommended in their report to Arizona principals that every high school in the state of Arizona implement the AIMS Math Skills Improvement Class using Accelerated Math. They estimated that about half of the tenth-grade students failing the AIMS math test would pass a retest after taking the class, compared with only about 15% passing without the class. Such a class would avert a likely crisis in Arizona by dramatically increasing the number of students who pass AIMS on retest.
In an initial trail of Accelerated Math, at on of our satellite centers on campus at the San Pasqual Academy, high school students demonstrated initial gains seen in Table 6.
Table 6. Accelerated Math
Average pre-test score 48.3 % correct
Average post-test score 83.3 % correct
Average score improvement 35%
When asked for his impression of the Accelerated Math intervention our math specialist, Jim Johnson, concluded that the results were dramatic. We implemented the program with our students placed in Algebra Foundations, based on the result of low scores on MAP testing. The objective of this course is to effectively address barriers to success in math (fundamental skills, motivation, etc.) while diminishing test anxiety.
Due to years of struggle with math, the students in Algebra Foundations often display very low motivation, and a high degree of resistance to engaging the material. For this reason, these students receive intense instructional support.
Direct instruction, targeting specific areas of need, is intended to build confidence upon success. Because a student may be impeded in math, not by her or his proficiency with the multiplication table or other ‘math facts,’ but instead by lacking the vocabulary necessary to comprehend the required task, a focused mini-lesson is often the key needed to unlock student understanding.
While many students progress through the Accelerated Math program offered by UROK at San Pasqual Academy through the incremental steps of diagnostic testing, completing exercises, followed by final testing, many others manage to progress through ‘diagnostic’ testing alone. This is especially prevalent on the Diagnostic Report for Foundations of Algebra.
Though the course titles are similar, truly the students in Foundations of Algebra have tested or completed class work commensurate with a higher level of math proficiency than those in Algebra Foundations. These students are more likely to have been impeded in the development of their math skills due to reading and language issues. For this reason, several students have no score data for exercise or final testing. Gains made by these students can be determined by examining work habits, the level of engagement exhibited by a student, and on future MAP testing.
The gains made by students moving incrementally can be assessed more easily given the report data generated by the Accelerated Math program. As intimated earlier, success on exercises leads to final tests. When comparing the average % correct for ‘Exercise’ with that of ‘Reg. Tests,’ we find that for almost every student the percentage increases from exercise to test, suggesting developing mastery.
© 2005 Renaissance Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.
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