November 15, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
ePals
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RESULTS: IN2BOOKS IMPROVES STUDENTS' SAT-9 READING SCORES

WASHINGTON, D.C. — An analysis of D.C. student performance in grades 2, 3, and 4 on the 2004 district-administered SAT-9 reading achievement tests shows that children in classrooms that participate in In2Books, a literacy program designed to foster reading and writing skills in elementary school students, scored significantly higher than did nonparticipating students.

In classrooms with teachers who have implemented the In2Books program for two or more years, students in 2nd through 4th grades scored, on average, 12 points higher on test-scaled scores than did students from classrooms that did not use In2Books. Overall, students from all In2Books classrooms-which include the In2Books teachers who have participated for more than one year and teachers who are implementing the program for the first time-scored, on average, nearly nine points higher on the Stanford-9 Reading Test, which was given last spring.

"Taken at face-value, the test results alone are very encouraging, especially when considering the short period of time in which the program has been in place. It usually takes longer to find effects on standardized test scores," said Susan Goldman, co-director of the Center for Learning, Instruction and Teacher Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago, which conducted the independent evaluation of the program using scores supplied by DCPS. Goldman said the results were especially significant given the very large numbers of students being compared: more than 4,000 in grades 3 and 4, and more than 2,000 in grade 2 where testing is not mandatory.

In2Books is actively used in more than 250 classrooms and nearly 70 D.C. elementary schools, with 6,000 students participating this year. The children work closely with more than 3,000 adult pen pals, with the largest number of pen pals from organizations such as AOL, Verizon, The Advisory Board, Accenture, D.C. government, and AARP.

"This is a tribute to the tremendous collaborative effort and hard work of our D.C. community-the students, their teachers, their principals, the families, the pen pals and the In2Books staff," said Dr. Vera Jackson, vice president and executive director of In2Books. "It shows that real progress is possible when different segments of the community work together on behalf of our children."

The program has won praise from many D.C. leaders:

"In2Books is an extraordinary public-private partnership that is helping to improve the literacy skills of District students," said D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams.

"In2Books is one of the most appreciated organizations by our employee base. Our people have connected with the mission of In2Books and get great satisfaction working with students," said Ted Leonsis, vice-chairman of AOL and president of AOL Core Service.

[DETAILED ANALYSIS AND TESTING RESULTS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST]

About In2Books
In2Books, a collaborative communitywide effort involving students, teachers, families, principals, and business and civic leaders fosters reading, writing and thinking skills through a unique program involving both students and adult "pen pals." Throughout the school year, students receive five different kinds of books to keep. The books are selected to be diverse, demonstrate successful problem solving and align with the national literacy teaching and learning standards. The students are matched with adult pen pals who read the same books and write letters to the students via the Internet. The pen pals' letters are subsequently printed out and delivered to the students. The students write their letters using the writing process.

The teachers implementing the In2Books program participate in six, three-hour professional development seminars throughout the school year. Each seminar focuses on three strands: fostering explicit instruction of research-proven strategies about reading, discussing and writing; genre study; and analysis of student letters using a research-based rubric. The program has been in operation in D.C. public schools since 1998.

For more information about In2Books, please visit www.In2Books.org.