Minnesota STAR Project: Meeting the Needs of Struggling Adult Readers
This paper, originally published in the COABE Journal in 2012, reports on findings and implications from a two-year evaluation of the Minnesota STudent Achievement in Reading (STAR) Project. This long-term, job-embedded, professional development activity is provided for Minnesota Adult Basic Education (ABE) practitioners serving intermediate-level adult students reading between 4.0 to 8.9 grade level equivalency.
A combined qualitative and quantitative approach to data collection and analysis confirms that participation in STAR positively influences: 1) teacher knowledge and confidence about teaching reading, 2) student confidence in reading skills, 3) student level completion as measured by the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) Reading, and 4) student persistence with classes and instruction. This convincing evidence inspires our ABE system to continue support and expansion of STAR and evidence-based reading instruction across Minnesota.
Minnesota STAR Project Meeting the Needs of Struggling Adult Readers