The results of such studies, overall, support the following conclusions: Year: 1974 Main publication type: Program Effectiveness Subtype: Article Keywords: DISTAR reading language Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test Boehm Test of Basic Concepts Wide Range Achievement Test Source: Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Massachusetts: Amherst, MA Design type: Pretest Posttest Control Group Design Fidelity monitored: Yes Students included: At-risk students, Hispanic students, African American students, Asian students, Caucasian students, low-SES students, preschool students, kindergarten students, elementary students, English as a Second Language (ESL) students, English Language Learner Other tags: DISTAR Reading, DISTAR Language, reading, language, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Boehm Test of Basic Concepts, Wide Range Achievement Test in reading Location/Setting: New York city, elementary school Note: ERIC Document Retrieval Service No.Researchers have conducted systematic case studies of precocious readers, through interviews of parents, and have compared them with other children to see if they are unique in any way other than their early reading. (Copyright © 2011, National Institute for Direct Instruction (NIFDI). Results from all other tests indicated students in the control group outscored the students in the experimental group. Median scores for kindergarten students in the experimental group were significantly higher than kindergarten students in the control group. Kindergarten students in the experimental group outgained students in the control group and recorded mean and median scores on a first grade level. Results indicated that first grade students in the experimental group recorded an average gain of 6.4 on the PPVT, while students in the control group recorded a gain of 3.5. The Boehm Test of Basic Concepts and the Wide Range Achievement Test in reading were used for posttest measures only. The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) was administered for pre- and posttest measures. There were two pre-kindergarten, three kindergarten, and three first grade classrooms in both the experimental and control groups. Three hundred and nine students participated in this study with 152 in the experimental group (DISTAR) and 157 in the control group (basal reading program). Abstract: This study examined the effect of the DISTAR Reading and Language programs on the reading achievement of pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and elementary students. The DISTAR Reading and Language Program: Study of its effectiveness as a method for the initial teaching of reading

Distar method