Q. This is our school's second year for implementing Project MORE. In reviewing our state scores for last year, we did not make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for our subgroup of students with disabilities. December 2009

A. In this situation, one of the first things to look at is how many mentoring sessions did each Project MORE student receive. If a student only received 80 mentoring sessions during that school year, that averages out to five months of intervention. Our research has demonstrated that students make month for month gains when they receive 1:1 four times/week for 30 minutes for 128 sessions/year (equivalent to eight months of intervention). The Project MORE student demographic form will give you this information.

Secondly, check to make sure that the subgroup of students with disabilities were served by Project MORE. You need to look specifically at the grade levels for Project MORE students. Amy Freeman, Project MORE Director

Q. If our students make month for month gains, how will we evaluate their progress as it relates to the Ohio Achievement Tests (OAT)? If a student makes progress in DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency (ORF), but doesn't pass the Ohio Achievement Test, how can we still show Project MORE as having success in our school? December 2009

A. 1- According to Project MORE's independent evaluator, Dr. Stacey Rychener, BGSU/Center for Evaluation Services, the strongest evidence Project MORE has is the Regression Discontinuity data from the 07/08 Regression Discontinuity Study: The growth rate for students getting Project MORE being (At Risk) higher than students that were not At Risk. This is a better way to measure because: students serve as their own control group and the intervention has to be powerful for At Risk students' growth rate (words-per-minute) to be higher than Average students.

2- Causal Comparative Studies that Bowling Green State University's Center for Evaluation Services have done the last 7 years showing at risk and students with disabilities outperforming similar students that are not getting the 1:1 intervention.

Children can make month-for-month gains but still be a year behind--University of Cincinnati did a study on the correlation between passage on OATs and being Low Risk on the DIBELS--Project MORE students are usually Some Risk but the majority are At Risk.