Large-scale assessment of skills in a whole language curriculum: Two districts' experiences

Two mid-sized midwestern school districts that have made philosophical commitments to implementation of a whole language curriculum were studied to determine the degree to which large-scale learning of traditional reading and writing skills was occurring. Because whole language is difficult to define, curricula in the district were compared with theoretical principles of whole language extant in the literature to determine the degree to which they embodied such principles. Standardized test scores covering a significant number of years prior to implementation of whole language through the present were analyzed, and interviews were conducted with teachers and administrators, Standardized test scores showed no significant change since the implementation of whole language. Interviews revealed concurrence that skills were being learned as well as in a traditional curriculum, and a pronounced preference for whole language was expressed because of its positive affective and social effects.