Missouri Students Receiving Lindamood-Bell Instruction Outperform the State in English Language Arts

Elementary School Results, Missouri, Missouri Assessment Program, Seeing Stars, Visualizing and Verbalizing

Caruthersville Elementary School in Caruthersville, Missouri, serves a large percentage of students who are at-risk of reading failure. During the 2015-16 school year, Caruthersville implemented Lindamood-Bell® instruction to address the specific needs of this student population. Students received Symbol Imagery and Visualizing and Verbalizing instruction to develop symbol imagery and concept imagery for reading and comprehension. Instruction was delivered by Caruthersville teachers who received professional development in the Lindamood-Bell programs. Change in the percent of Caruthersville students who were proficient and advanced on the state English language arts test was compared to the change made by the state. Note: Grade-level cohorts were used in this analysis (e.g., 3rd graders in 2015-4th graders in 2016).

Results
Caruthersville students outperformed the state for both grade-level cohorts. Caruthersville’s 3rd/4th grade cohort went from 40% of their student’s proficient and advanced in 2015 to 68% in 2016, whereas the state went from 57% to 63%. Caruthersville’s 4th/5th grade cohort went from 43% in 2015 to 55% in 2016, whereas the state went from 58% to 62%. The results of this study illustrate that Lindamood-Bell instruction in the Symbol Imagery and Visualizing and Verbalizing programs lead to improved academic performance.

Profile
Grade Levels: 3rd-5th
Lindamood-Bell Programs Implemented:
·  Seeing Stars®
·  Visualizing and Verbalizing®
Outcome Measures: Missouri Assessment Program (English language arts)