An Analysis of Student Reading as Measured on the Diagnostic Assessment of Reading (DAR)

Abstract

As part of the reporting of Delaware’s State Improvement Grant (DelaSIG), the Delaware Education Research and Development Center (R & D Center) completed a study on the Diagnostic Assessment of Reading (DAR) scores of students whose teachers attended either one or both Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) professional development program(s) designed to help focus teacher instruction of struggling readers in Grades 4 through 12, Success for Secondary Struggling Readers (SSSR), and/or Implementing Multiple Practices for Activating Comprehension in Teaching (IMPACT). Each of these programs includes 30 hours of training in reading content knowledge, pedagogy, and application. An additional 60 hours of implementation are necessary to meet the requirements of each “cluster”, a 90-hour professional development program provided by the DDOE.