The efficacy of one after school program in raising reading scores in eight Northern British Columbian's vulnerable schools

Abstract

Elementary schools in Northern British Columbia with vulnerable populations are facing a decline in the academic achievement rates of their students. School districts facing these challenges are focusing their initiatives on intensive interventions to reduce and eliminate the achievement gap affecting the vulnerable populations. The After-School Academic Proficiency (ASAP) Program was a pilot project introduced to eight elementary schools with populations that were deemed vulnerable. Reading data collected from a school district located in Northern British Columbia determined that 49% of Grade 2 students were not meeting expectations. As a result of this data, the school district implemented mandatory programs in its most vulnerable schools to meet the needs of their learners. This quantitative study employed a quasi-experimental design to compare pretest and posttest data collected from the Benchmark Assessment System (BAS) to determine if attendance in the ASAP program had a significant effect on the reading levels of the participants. Fountas and Pinnell's Levelled Literacy Intervention (LLI) System was utilized to provide intensive reading interventions to 102 students in Grades 1, 2, and 3, who attended the ASAP program. The data was analyzed with ANOVA to determine if there were a significant difference in the reading achievement scores between grade levels or site locations. A paired t test was then used to analyze the effects of the after school program on the reading achievement of all the participants in the study.