Read 180 is an instructional program that is designed for students who struggle with spelling and reading, and also with the lack of confidence in the ability to read. The program has a built-in progress monitoring system to track the student in order to understand if they are making progress or whether there is the need for more attention to increasing its effectiveness. It is designed to support secondary school students who miss something as regards learning to read in their education path. The program merges adaptive technology, brain science, professional development and knowledge for students ranging from fourth to twelfth grade (Whitford, 2011 ) . Read 180 ensures the movement of students between small groups of independent reading and computer activities, with constant assessment on their reading level and academic improvement. Moreover, new technology, data analyses, and resources are incorporated to maximize the student engagement, leader empowerment, and teacher effectiveness. Read 180 is, however, an expensive program which requires commitment from the school administration with the ultimate goal being to improve the reading comprehension of each student throughout the academic school calendar.
Evaluation and research study of the Read 180 program should mainly focus on determining its efficacy through the analysis of different perspectives from the various institution that have implemented the program. There are fundamental questions that should direct the evaluation to ensure that quality data on the effects of the programs is collected for a productive analysis. Evaluation should examine the reading achievements of the students who are involved in the program. Explore the extent to which the level of participation in the program is associated with the improvement in reading (Whitford, 2011). The study should also find out whether the program targets students most at risk of failing in reading through the level of participation or the involvement of the student in the program. For relevant data with respect to the evaluation, the primary sources should be the students involved in the program and the teachers. Also, to increase the efficiency of the survey, these assessments should be conducted in various schools which have incorporated the program into their systems and then there should be a comparison of the results to see the different opinions and perspectives from multiple participants. For instance, to conduct the evaluation in a given district, several schools with the program should be selected, and teachers and students picked at random to fill in questionnaires on the effects of the program in their schools.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Different methods can be used to gather the required data for evaluation. In the case of Read 180 program, the use of questionnaires coupled with observation, conducting interviews and reviewing the documents and records of the program in various schools are recommended methods to acquire relevant information for evaluation (Wu & Coady, 2010). To understand the impacts of the program on the students, I would provide questionnaires that address some of the key issues of the program; and also include the independent opinion of the students on the positive and negative aspects of the program and recommendation they think should be contained in the program to enhance their reading. Also, I would conduct interviews to the teachers to get their experience from using the program with the strengths and weaknesses they encounter during teaching and possible suggestions on what should be improved. The teachers and the students in the program are the people with first-hand information on the experience of the program and therefore, for satisfactory evaluation, one should concentrate on their input regarding the program.
Program evaluation can lead to teacher empowerment through the research questions that have been provided in the assessment. Evaluation will enable teachers to develop competency to undertake their responsibility and achieve the expected output of the program to the schools (Whitford, 2011 ) . This will also give the teachers as stakeholders in the survey, voice, and decision-making authority for social change. Furthermore, through the survey, one can monitor and evaluate the performance and achievement of the teachers using techniques that will foster empowerment and self-determination. Through such evaluations, the teachers can express their views on creative and efficient interventions that should be added to the program to enable them to help the struggling children more efficiently and with higher success rates (Wu & Coady, 2010). Through critical evaluation, analysis on the areas where the teachers perform weakly should be used to create measures that will improve their performance. Such results will aid in the development of strategies that will ensure maximum utilization of the program by the teachers to help the school meet its set goals through the program.
In conclusion, the effectiveness of an instructional program is measured through the changes that occur in the selected group of learners. Read 180 program has significantly helped the students to improve their reading skills with an addition to achieving a high rate of expected growth in the path of success in reading comprehension. There has also been strong motivation among the students with increased belief in their ability to read and taking ownership of their learning. However, there is a small point of professional development for the program to teachers which should be addressed through new objectives and strategies to increase efficiency. Read 180 is a beneficial intervention for the struggling students in limited areas, it does not meet the effective and cognitive needs necessary for grade level development. Therefore, there is the need for the development of new approaches that will improve the reading achievement of the students to meet the goals established by school though Read 180.
References
Whitford, S. (2011). READ 180: Policy Gone Wrong . Language Arts Journal of Michigan, 26, (2), 29-33.
Wu, C., & Coady, M. R. (July 01, 2010). ‘The United States is America?’: a cultural perspective on READ 180 materials. Language, Culture, and Curriculum, 23, 2, 153-165.
