Middle School EOG Reading Test Scores Rise Dramatically in Three Grades Levels Following Crash Course in Critical Thinking Skills and Relaxation Techniques: Results of a Preliminary Study

By David P. Snyder, Stephen Mazingo, Carolyn Spain, Bill Collins, Ph.D.

ABSTRACT

Pre-test scores vs. post-test scores in a middle school end of grade test in reading rose dramatically (in one grade more than one thousand percent) following intensive intervention programs in critical thinking and relaxation techniques designed by a consultant.  Test scores increases allowed the middle school to achieve the "exemplary status" conferred by the North Carolina Department of Education if end of grade scores meet certain criteria for growth in test scores. Since there was no control group and the intervention did not follow an experimental design, the results cannot be linked to a specific factor, although the preliminary study does raise interesting questions for further research.  Following the intervention most students took much more time to complete the end of grade tests than they had taken in previous years, according to anecdotal evidence from teachers.  Students also responded favorably to the intervention on a questionnaire with most reporting than the critical thinking course and the relaxation techniques course had helped them to achieve better results on the end of grade reading test in sixth, seventh and eighth grades by helping to be more relaxed and to feel a greater sense of confidence in taking the tests.

Note on the authors: David Snyder is the Chairman of Snyder, Inc. an organizational stategy and consulting firm, and is the author of the book, How To Mind Read Your Customers.  Stephen Mazingo is the superintendent of Greene County Schools in Greene County, North Carolina.  Carolyn Spain in the principal of the middle school where the student-training program described in this report was conducted.  Bill Collins, Ph.D. is professor of statistics in the department of decision sciences at East Carolina University.


White Paper Prepared for Publication, June 1999.  Full text available on request.