California Department of Corrections

California Department of Corrections

Scope of Work

Reading Horizons was selected by California State University from among 24 other bids for use in the California Inmate Literacy Project (1994—1997). The following results describe the full three-year evaluation. Inmates enrolled in Reading Horizons included ESL students testing at or below the fourth-grade reading level upon entry.

California Inmate Literacy Project (1994-1997). The data available show inmates made noticeable progress in this program. The results were surprising, since the majority of inmates were learning English as a Second Language.

Tool

The WRAT (Wide Range Achievement Test)

Time Frame

Three-year study conducted between 1994-1997

Data

	# of Inmates	Entry Grade	Current Grade	Grade Gain
Avenal State Prison	48	5.2	8.1	2.9
California Correctional Instutiton, Tehachapi	10	5.7	9.8	4.1
California Medical Facility, Vacaville	1	2.1	4.3	2.2
California Men's Colony, San Luis Obispo	38	8.4	9.5	1.2
California Rehabilitation Center, Norco	25	5.5	5.9	0.4
California State Prison, Corcoran	1	2.4	3.4	1.0
California State Prison, Los Angeles County	11	7.9	9.5	1.6
California State Prison, Solano	36	5.3	7.7	3.0
California State Prison	10	2.2	4.4	2.2
Central California Women's Facility, Chowchilla	4	2.6	4.9	2.3
Chuckwalla Valley State Prison, Blythe	39	5.7	8.2	2.5
Correctional Training Facility, Soledad	12	3.7	6.7	3.0
Deuel Vocational Institute, Tracy	67	3.6	5.5	1.9
Folsom State Prison	35	5.1	7.5	4.3
Ironwood State Prison, Blythe	24	4.5	5.0	0.5
Mule Creek State Prison, Ione	21	7.3	11.3	4.0
North Kern State Prison, Delano	3	4.0	3.4	-0.6
R. J. Donovan Correction Facility, San Diego	11	3.7	5.0	1.3
Wasco State Prison	4	2.1	4.2	2.1
Averages & Totals	400	5.2	7.3	2.1

Grade Gains by Racial and Ethnic Background

In this program, Hispanics, the largest group, made the greatest gains, followed by Asian inmates. Black inmates, the second-largest group, achieved an average grade gain of 1.7. It should be noted that the number of Native American and Asian inmates is so small that the results are not generalized.

Racial and Ethnic Background	Number of Inmates	Pre-test	Post-test	Grade Gain
American Indian	1	4.2	4.2	0.0
Asian	6	4.0	6.0	2.0
Black	74	4.9	6.6	1.7
Hispanic	270	5.4	7.8	2.4
White	17	4.2	5.7	1.5
Other	31	5.5	5.9	0.4
Averages & Totals	400	5.2	7.3	2.1

Evaluator's Observations

• By institution, the gains made by the inmates ranged from -0.6 to 4.3 grades.
• On average, inmates for whom both pre- and post-test scores are available exhibit a 2.1 grade gain.
• Student progress was remarkable.