Evaluation and Results

Two types of evaluation of the results of this Project will be reported in this section. The first type consists of the objective evaluation. Standardized tests were selected to measure absolute change in each child's skills from the beginning of the Project to the end of the second year of the Project. A comparison group was provided for that period so that changes in the experimental group could be viewed in perspective. Also included in this section are results of standardized testing after the third year which are reported for the experimental group only.

The second type of evaluation reports subjective impressions and observations of the EPIC children obtained from teachers, parents, and visitors to the Project. These impressions, though neither well-controlled nor presented with the perspective of a comparison group, are included to expand and enrich the report of the outcome of this Project beyond that possible by test data alone.

The five target areas selected for objective evaluation were the following: Expressive Language, Receptive Language, Reading and Academic Achievement, Speech Production, and Speech Perception. Rationale for these areas, as well as the sample selection procedures, were described in the INTRODUCTION to this report. In this section the measures selected for assessing each of the target areas are described. The measures consisted primarily of standardized tests which were administered to the group of 16 EPIC children and 21 comparison children at the beginning (pre-test) and end (post-test) of the 21-month period of the core project. Test scores are reported at the end of an additional school year for the experimental group only.

Test scores of the experimental and comparison groups are summarized following the description of each test. The following data are included in the summary:

1. Pre-test scores: The mean, standard deviation, and range of scores obtained at the beginning of the Project.

2. Post-test scores: The mean, standard deviation, and range of scores obtained 21 months after the pre-test.

3. Difference scores (D): The mean, standard deviation, and range of each child's post-test score minus his or her pre-test score. This score summarizes the actual gain made by the two groups of children from pre-test to post-test.

Tests of statistical significance were performed between the experimental and comparison groups: (a) for pre-test scores, (b) for post-test scores, and (c) for difference scores.