Executive Summary

This report presents data on state and state-integrated schools that offered Reading Recovery in 2008, and the students who received support from this intervention. In general, the results for 2008 were consistent with trends observed in previous years. The key findings are as follows:

• In 2008, two-thirds (66%) of all state and state-integrated schools offered Reading Recovery (comparable to 67% in 2007 and 65% in 2006). As a result, Reading Recovery was accessible to 76 percent of the total six-year-old population (unchanged from 76% in both 2007 and in 2006). Access to Reading Recovery was slightly lower for Māori (70%) and Pasifika (74%) students.
• In total, 10,774 students were in Reading Recovery during 2008. This number has remained stable over the past couple of years (10,777 students in 2007; 10,757 students in 2006). Almost one in seven (14%) six-year-old students attending state and state-integrated schools entered Reading Recovery in 2008 (also unchanged from 14% in both 2007 and in 2006).
• Reading Recovery was more widely available in high decile schools but where offered, lower decile schools provided Reading Recovery to proportionately more students.
• There were almost twice as many boys in Reading Recovery during 2008 than there were girls. There were proportionately more Māori and Pasifika students in Reading Recovery during 2008 than there were Asian and NZ European/Pākehā students. Despite this, Māori and Pasifika students were less likely to have access (i.e. less likely to attend schools where Reading Recovery was offered) overall.
• More than half (57%) of all students in Reading Recovery in 2008 had successfully discontinued their series of lessons by the end of the year. One-in four students (26%) were to continue their series of lessons in 2009. Almost one in ten (9%) students were referred on for specialist help or long-term reading support while the remaining students either left their school before completing the intervention (5%), were unable to continue (1%) or had missing outcome information (1%).
• Girls, Asian and NZ European/Pākehā students, and students from high decile schools were more likely to have successfully discontinued their series of lessons than boys, Māori and Pasifika students and students from lower decile schools (who were more likely to have been referred on for further support). It is important to note however, that many students in these latter groups did in fact achieve the levels required to successfully discontinue their Reading Recovery lessons.
• Students who were referred on for further support typically spent more time in Reading Recovery than students who successfully discontinued their series of lessons. Not surprisingly, students who successfully discontinued their series of lessons made greater gains on measures of reading and writing than students who were referred on for further support.
• Of students who successfully discontinued their series of lessons in 2008, Māori and Pasifika students, and those from lower decile schools made greater gains in reading and writing than Asian and NZ European/Pākehā. These greater gains are associated with a tendency for these students to have lower scores upon entry.
• Of students who were referred on for specialist support in 2008, those from higher decile schools entered and exited the intervention with higher scores on reading and writing measures than those from lower decile schools.