Math, Reading, Writing Growth and Wellbeing in Adolescents Kevin L. Gess The Citadel Reading, Writing, and Math play a big part in a young student’s life. Recent study dome by Bolitho, J. (2011) have shown that improvements academic achievement improves feelings of wellbeing. This study examined the link between reading, writing, and math improvement and wellbeing. Wellbeing was assessed through the Flourish and Fitness Scale (FF; Saylor, Dunn, Walls, Weller, & Bennett, 2011). There were 223 participants recruited from a remedial summer school program designed to intervene in students with failing grades in reading, writing, and/or math. The sample was comprised of 111 males and 112 females, ages years, and grades 3-8. Pearson correlation analyses revealed no significant relationships between pre-post scores in reading, writing, math, and growth or wellbeing. These findings demonstrate that the subjects academic scores are still important to wellbeing, but not the main source of improvement in wellbeing. Participants N = % Males, 50.2% Females Age range: 9 – 14 (M =11 SD = 1.657) Grade: 3 rd – 8 th Measure   Flourish and Fitness Scale Saylor (2011): an 18-item scale designed to measure Seligman’s (2011) PERMA constructs: positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment.   Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP; NWEA, 2005): a computerized test of children’s achievement in reading, language usage, mathematics. Procedure   Participants were students in the fifth quarter CCSD summer program.   Trained volunteers from The Citadel sat down with students at the beginning of the summer and administered the Flourish and Fitness Scale, Saylor (2011).   Children grades five and below completed the test with one of the trained administrators reading the test aloud. Children 6-8 th grade completed the items on their own in the classroom environment with the option of getting help as needed from an administrator.   The same test was administered after the fifth quarter was coming to a close and children had repeated the MAPP (Achievement) test. AbstractMethod Previous research   Study conducted by Spira, Bracken,& Fisechel (2005) itreported, “The early skills that are considered crucial to later academic success are generally referred to the literature under the heading of emergent literacy. The term emergent literacy refers to the skills, knowledge, and attitudes that are presumed to be developmental precursors to conventional forms of reading and writing.”   Study that was conducted by Ashcroft & Ashcroft (2005) predicted that low reading skills in elementary schools is a strong predictor of the students going to prison. This predictor of later incarceration linked to low reading skills later proved to be correlated.  . When testing the use of Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP; NWEA, 2005) will be implemented from Saylor, Dunn, Walls, Weller, & Benett (2011) As children are showing improvement with reading, writing, and math does this correlate with a child’s overall wellbeing. Self-reported wellbeing will be determined thought the Flourish and Fitness sale. Hypothesis There is a relationship between overall academic progress which is self-reported wellbeing in youths who are academically challenged. Results Pearson Correlations indicated that there were no significant relationships between changes in achievement test scores and Flourish and Fitness scale items or factor scores. The hypothesis that wellbeing and achievement progress would coincide was not supported. Introduction Ashcroft, L., & Ashcroft, R. (2005). The Effect of Perceived Improvement in Reading on the Social Behavior of a Second Grade. Reading Improvement, 42(4), Bolitho, J. (2011). Reading into Wellbeing: Biotherapy, Libraries, Health and Social Connection. Aplis,24(2), Reglin, G., Cameron, H., & Losike-Sedimo, N. (2012). Effects of a Parent Support Reading Intervention on Seventh-Grade At-Risk Students' Reading Comprehension Scores. Reading Improvement, 49(1), Spira, E. G., Bracken, S. S., & Fischel, J. E. (2005). Predicting Improvement After First- Grade Reading Difficulties: The Effects of Oral Language, Emergent Literacy, and Behavior Skills. Developmental Psychology, 41(1), Saylor, C.F., Dunn, M., Walls, R. (2011). The Flourish and Fitness Scale: Developed and Applications with Children and Adolescents. Department of Psychology, The Citadel, Charleston, USA, 1-28 Findings for this study show that there is no relationship between academic progress and wellbeing in a sample of high risk children who were tested at the beginning and end of an academic summer program. These findings do not support the hypothesis that there is a relationship between overall academic progress self- reported and wellbeing in youth who are academically challenged or behind. While results showing no significance were unexpected, they may highlight how complex wellbeing The fact that wellbeing was self reported is important to consider. Any youth that is participating in summer school is most likely having trouble with just being in school over the summer. Youth are looking at the short term and not necessarily seeing their overall wellbeing or academic progress. Studying high risk youth and how to better their personal wellbeing is very important to helping them live happier and more productive lives. If the overall wellbeing can be traced to one specific event or cause then teachers or parents can get youths on the right track for life. These data suggest that a single factor, even one as important as academic achievement may nto be enough to predict well-being in high risk youth. Building upon this study one might want to take the same participants that had been identified in the summer school program, and continue on through the school year, seeing if the results stay the same or if wellbeing will improve upon being back with the standard population in school. Discussion REFERENCES TRIFOLD AREA – THIS GUIDE WILL BE REMOVED BEFORE PRINTING – TRIFOLD AREA – THIS GUIDE WILL BE REMOVED BEFORE PRINTING – TRIFOLD AREA – THIS GUIDE WILL BE REMOVED BEFORE PRINTING – TRIFOLD AREA – THIS GUIDE WILL BE REMOVED BEFORE PRINTING – TRIFOLD Flourish and Fitness Scale Items and Factor structure