An Evaluation of Ethnic Representation within Three Third Grade Basal Reading Series

This content analysis study examined 99 basal reading narratives from three publishers: Harcourt, SRA-McGraw Hill and Scott Foresman. The stories were classified according to the ethnicity of major characters. The observed frequencies were compared to the expected frequencies to indicate over representation, adequate representation or under representation based on the ethnic breakdown of the student population on the state of Tennessee and national levels. The stories identified African American (n = 18) were investigated further to determine if the elements of quality African American literature (Hefflin & Barksdale-Ladd. 2001) were present. Cohen\u27s Kappa indicated strong agreement between the two raters (k = .88).The study indicates African American students observed occurrences were less than the expected occurrences based on the student population on the state level in both the Harcourt and Scott Foresman text; SRA-McGraw Hill observed occurrences were equal to expected occurrences on the state level. On the national level, Harcourt observed occurrences were less than the expected occurrences based on student population and Scott Foresman were greater than the expected occurrences on the national level. The total sample of stories identified as African American exhibited the qualities of African American children\u27s literature

A Comparative Study of Two Methods of Teaching Arithmetic

It was the purpose of this study to (1) compare the achievement gained by youngsters being taught by two different methods of arithmetic; (2) find, for the benefit of the district, whether the children receive a better concept of numbers and processes through the Scott, Foresman method; and (3) determine whether the Scott, Foresman method makes the teaching of problem solving more efficient

Study of the adequacy of the study skills at the seventh and eight grade levels of a Basal Series

The purpose of this paper is to study the adequacy of the study skills introduced and reinforced at the seventh and eighth grade levels in the 1968 edition of the Scott Foresman Basal Reader Series as measured by a composite of study skills derived from a survey of literature

A Comparative Study of the Traditional and the Scott, Foresman Approaches to the Teaching of Addition and Subtraction of Fractions

The purpose of this study was to compare the achievement of a control group of children taught addition and subtraction of fractions in the traditional way with that of an experimental group taught by the Scott, Foresman approach. The factors under consideration were the ability to perform the basic operations required in adding and subtracting fractions, and the retention of ability to perform these skills

A comparison of two reading programs; SPIRE and Scott Foresman

This paper presents a study comparing two elementary school reading programs, the Scott Foresman 2000 Reading series and the Specialized Program Individualized Reading Excellence (S.P.I.R.E.) program

A Story Well Told: Rich Narrative Engages California Fifth Grade Students in American History

The educational publisher Pearson/Scott-Foresman in 2006 introduced curriculum to address California History/Social Studies standards. Fifth grade students have difficulty comprehending non-fiction text that is informative enough to have historical accuracy. The publisher promotes a program that features a standard in every lesson, and promises no extraneous content. An examination is conducted as to how this program approaches the required California History/Social Studies elements of providing A Story Well Told which should include, according to specifications by the California State Department of Education, forceful personalities, controversies, issues of the time, and primary sources. (CDE, 2003) Literature on the topic of history education contains strategies for deconstructing academic language and clarification on historical literature which should [capture] historical events with dramatic immediacy, engaging students\u27 interests, and [foster] deeper understanding of the times (Crabtree, Nash, 1994). Scott-Foresman History/Social Studies text for fifth grade is examined for its effectiveness in helping students comprehend history through a written narrative, and for enabling teachers to convey the depth and breadth of this span of American history. The adaptations the classroom teacher can make to enhance the written text are detailed in this paper

An Investigation of the New Scott-Foresman Basic Reading Tests, the Lee-Clark Reading Readiness Test, the Lee-Clark Reading Tests, and the Gates Reading Readiness Test in Primary Grades

There were four purposes for the study: 1. To determine the interrelationships existing between the primary grade tests within the New Scott-Foresman Basic Reading test series. 2. To determine the relative efficiency of two reading readiness tests, the Lee-Clark test and the Gates test, in predicting children’s later success in reading. 3. To determine the relative efficiency of the Lee-Clark Reading Test: Primer and the Lee-Clark Reading Test: First Reader in predicting subsequent success in reading. 4. To establish norms for the New Scott-Foresman Basic Reading Tests that may be used in the community in which the study was conducted

A Comparison of Word Attack Skills Presented in S.R.A. Reading Laboratory with Word Attack Skills Presented in Two Basal Reading Programs, Ginn and Scott, Foresman

This study was conducted in an effort to compare the word attack skills presented in S.R.A. Reading Laboratory I and S.R.A. Reading Laboratory Ib with word attack skills presented in two second grade basal reading programs, Ginn, grade 2, and Scott, Foresman. The purpose of the study was to determine whether S.R.A. Reading laboratories I and Ib would be of value as a supplement to either or both basal reading programs

A study examining the effectiveness of teaching reading using a literature-based approach vs. a basal approach

The purpose of this study was to determine if first grade students who were instructed following a literature based program would demonstrate a better understanding of reading. A comparison was made between the test scores and attitudes of those first grade students using a literature based reading program and those first grade students using a basal program. The design for this study was a pretest posttest design with one treatment group and one control group, both having 24 students. Both groups were pretested and posttested using the Scott, Foresman Celebrate Reading (1993), Anthology Assessment. This test was selected to measure student performance in the areas of phonics, word recognition, and comprehension in reading. The Paul Campbell Reading Attitude Inventory was also administered to see if there were any differences in the area of attitude. Data was statistically analyzed to determine if a significant difference was present. The study concluded that there was a significant difference in scores between the two groups, in terms of growth, on the Scott, Foresman Anthology Assessment as the literature based group performed significantly better; therefore, Hypothesis 1 was rejected. On the Paul Campbell Reading Inventory, there was no significant difference in scores leading to the acceptance of Hypothesis 2

Examining the Effectiveness of a Multi-sensory Instructional Reading Program in One Rural Midwestern School District

The purpose of this research study was to examine the effectiveness of an (IMSE) Orton-Gillingham based multi-sensory instructional reading program when incorporated with kindergarten through first grade classroom reading instruction in one rural Midwestern school district. The IMSE supplemental reading program is designed to be integrated into existing reading curricula to provide a multi-sensory, phonetic, and organized instructional tool. The IMSE supplemental reading program involves direct instruction in phonemic awareness and application of phonetic rules for 30 minutes of a 90 minute reading instructional block each day. The remaining 60 minutes of the reading instructional block includes systematic instruction using Scott Foresman (2009) basal reading instruction curriculum. Students who received the IMSE Orton-Gillingham based multi-sensory supplemental phonics instructional program when used in conjunction with the Scott Foresman basal reading program improved from the beginning of the year to the eSchool of Teaching and Curriculum Leadershi