Making Meaning: Research Results

Scientific Basis  |  Research Results  |  Vocabulary Research  |  State Correlations

Newark Field-test Study

Details of the field-test study:

• Seven schools in Newark, CA
• 2,910 students in grade 1–6
• One year of instruction
• Assessments using the district's reading comprehension test
• Results show Year 2003 performance significantly better than Year 2002 (p <.0001)

Worcester Evaluation

An evaluation of the Making Meaning program was conducted in the Worcester Public School District in Worcester, MA during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 school years. The principal investigator was Dr. P. David Pearson, Dean of the School of Education at the University of California at Berkeley. The study involved all of Worchester’s 37 elementary schools, most of which serve large numbers of low-income, limited English speaking, and minority youth. The data show that at each grade level, 3-6, the test results of the students exposed to the Making Meaning program generally matched or slightly exceeded those of the students using the Houghton-Mifflin program. You can download a snapshot of this study here (PDF).

Using Multiple Programs from DSC

Integrity Charter School in National City, CA opened in fall 2003 with a single classroom at each grade level, K–4. The school’s curriculum included the SIPPS decoding program, the Making Meaning reading comprehension program, and the Caring School Community community-building program. The school added a fifth grade classroom in fall 2004 and a sixth grade classroom in fall 2005.  At the time of the data collection, Integrity Charter School faced strong financial constraints. There was no school-wide library. Each classroom has only one computer. Teachers did not have materials for all content areas and had to design their own learning activities for science and social studies.

During three school years (2003–04 through 2005–06), Integrity’s students made extraordinary progress on the California Standards Tests. The overall percentage of students meeting or exceeding state proficiency standards in both English/Language Arts and Math significantly. You can download a snapshot of the results here (PDF).