District/School Resources PK-16 Program Support
Office of Literacy

Massachusetts Middle and High School Reading Initiative

The Massachusetts Middle and High School Reading Initiative, now in its sixth year with the support of federal special education funding, has thus far funded 117 middle and high schools that are committed to improving adolescent literacy achievement. The project began in 2002 with the development of the Massachusetts Secondary Literacy Framework (see attached). This framework includes three key components: reading instruction for all students, additional intervention programs for struggling readers, and a comprehensive reading assessment system. The model's school-wide approach is based on eight fundamental principles: (1) involvement of all staff in literacy instruction; (2) a focus on reading across the content areas; (3) multiple interventions for struggling readers; (4) professional development for all staff; (5) adequate time for reading and writing in the school schedule; (6) flexible grouping patterns; (7) assessment that drives instruction; and (8) leadership support and guidance. Recipient schools receive small planning grants to form reading leadership teams and to develop a school profile of current practices and a related school action plan. For three succeeding years, schools then receive small grants to implement one or more elements of their action plans.

In addition to receiving a small grant, schools come together in network meetings three times a year to discuss current research on adolescent literacy and share their efforts to improve adolescent literacy achievement. Members of the Reading Leadership Team at each school (which consists of a cross-section of staff, including representatives from all content areas and special programs) attend these meetings. Topics discussed include: Creating a School-wide Approach to Improving Reading; Assessing Literacy Needs; Vocabulary Development; Improving Comprehension; Motivation; Helping the Struggling Adolescent Reader; Content Area Literacy; and Effective Writing Instruction. Participants have had an opportunity to hear from a number of national literacy experts, including Cathy Collins Block, Dorothy Strickland, Tim Shanahan, Donald Deshler, and Steve Graham. Staff from project schools and other Massachusetts schools lead breakout sessions at each network meeting. These breakout sessions provide an opportunity for other project schools to learn about the promising practices that are being tried by fellow schools, so that they may consider adopting or adapting these practices. At each meeting, all school teams have a chance to meet with other school teams to reflect on the day's learning and to discuss implications for their schools.

Thus far, 117 middle and high schools have participated in the project. Since schools enter the project during different years, they are considered to be in different cohorts. The first 21 schools (Cohort I) received a planning grant during the 2002-2003 school year and "graduated" from the project in the spring of 2006. Cohort II schools received a planning grant during the 2004-2005 school year and will be finishing their 4- year funding cycle at the end of this school year. Cohort III schools, which began with a planning grant in 2005-2006, will be eligible for one more year of funding. Cohort IV schools (which were selected because they were designated as Commonwealth Priority Schools), received their planning grant in 2006-2007 and thus are eligible for two more years of funding.

In 2004, the Education Development Center (EDC) was commissioned to undertake an evaluation of the project. District and school staff from the 21 Cohort I schools were interviewed to determine the impact of the project. Excerpts from the EDC Evaluation Report include the following:

"Overall, all respondents were extremely positive about their experience with the grant. All respondents commented on the quality of the meetings, including the quality of the speakers, the amount of time devoted to sharing between participant schools, as well as the pace and variety of activities."

"All respondents noted that they themselves or others at their school gained new knowledge. Those that had a large literacy background prior to the initiative indicated that the knowledge provided to other school staff helped to leverage their own expertise and get the whole school involved in literacy instruction."

"The staff interviewed reported a variety of interesting strategies used by their schools to distribute knowledge about literacy. The creation of a team dedicated to literacy improvement at the school was often a key component of the school's' distribution plans... Many schools reported that members of the team that attended trainings gave presentations during time already set-aside for planning, such as faculty meetings or common team planning time."

"All respondents indicated that positive changes had occurred at their schools as a result of the initiative. Respondents were excited to share their progress... (For example) ... assessments had become a new priority in many of the schools with the focus on identifying struggling readers... Without prompting, many schools reported a positive impact on MCAS scores since starting the initiative…"

A second evaluation of the project is currently being undertaken by the UMass Donahue Institute. Staff from Cohort II and III schools is being questioned in person and via an on-line survey to determine the project's impact. Preliminary findings, based on the focus group interviews, are extremely positive. The final evaluation report, which will also include data from the on-line survey, is expected to be available in August.