Abstract:
The importance of reading and reading instruction in the United States has been documented for centuries. Specifically, students are expected to be able to read by the end of third grade. As accountability, assessments, and the importance of reading by the third grade has expanded some states measure a students’ reading ability by one high-stakes assessment. As a result of federal legislation, the House Enrolled Act (HES) 1367, also known as Public Law 109, required reading evaluation in third grade and was passed in Indiana. This study examined the perceptions of superintendents, special education administrators, and elementary principals concerning their current knowledge of the IREAD-3 assessment, instructional reading strategies being utilized, and the impact of the IREAD-3 assessment on retention among gender
and minority groups. The study also examined the perceptions of superintendents, directors of special education, assistant directors and/or program coordinators, and elementary principals in relationship to the impact the IREAD-3 assessment had on their respective district/school. Significant findings were found among the respondents concerning their perception of knowledge of the IREAD-3 assessment, the Indiana standards that are assessed on the IREAD-3, Indiana Public Law 109, IDOE requirement for districts schools to provide third grade reading instruction again to “Do Not Pass” (DNP) students, DOE requirement to utilize an approved third grade reading curriculum, and the history of the Reading First Grant. Significant findings were also found in respondents’ beliefs concerning if the IREAD-3 assessment providing valuable information on a students’ reading level, data specific to a students’ reading concerns, and information on areas of reading instruction that can be improved in grades K-3. Recommendations for practice and future research are provided.
