Anne W. Graves

Exploring The Role of Teacher Quality in Predicting Reading Outcomes for First-Grade English Learners An Observational Study

The first portion of this article describes the development and validation of a classroom observation measure. The goal of the measure was to assess the quality of reading instruction provided to first-grade English learners. We report the internal consistency reliability, interrater reliability, the development of empirically derived subscales, and the criterion-related validity of the subscales. The latter was moderately high for three of the six subscales (range = .62—.65) and moderate for the three others (range = .49—.57). The second portion of this article includes a contrasted groups analysis of the four classes with the lowest and highest growth in reading. We conclude with a presentation of the major themes and issues that emerged in the qualitative field notes.

The Effects of Tier 2 Literacy Instruction in Sixth Grade: Toward the Development of a Response-to-Intervention Model in Middle School.

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to (a) compare Tier 2 evidence-based intensive reading instruction to business-as-usual instruction for sixth graders with and without learning disabilities who were “far below” or “below” basic level in literacy and (b) explore the development of a response-to-intervention model in middle school. The study took place in a large inner-city urban setting, where 100% of students received free or reduced-price lunch and 90% of the students were considered English learners at some point in their school history. Intervention students received intensive small-group instruction for 30 hours across 10 weeks. Credential candidates in special education provided the small-group instruction in the treatment condition. Results on oral reading fluency, less so for Maze reading comprehension measures, indicated greater improvements for treatment students, and students with learning disabilities benefited as much or more than the other struggling sixth graders. Educational implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Two Studies of Tier II Literacy Development: Throwing Sixth Graders a Lifeline

Two experimental studies at one urban middle school investigated the effects of the combination of Tier I and Tier II evidence-based reading instruction compared to Tier I alone on struggling sixth-grade readers (N = 109). All participants received free or reduced-price lunch, and 95% were considered English learners at some point in their school history. In both studies, Tier II intervention consisted of intensive instruction in word analysis, fluency building, comprehension, and vocabulary for 30 hours across 10 weeks. Results of both studies taken individually and combined indicated significant differences in favor of the intervention groups on oral reading fluency. The second study indicated significantly stronger performances for the intervention group on the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test—Revised (WRMT-R/NU) passage comprehension subtest. Tier II interventions and Response to Intervention (RTI) for older struggling readers are discussed related to educational implications and future research.

The Effects of Story Prompts on the Narrative Production of Students with and without Learning Disabilities.

The effects of four types of prompting conditions on the narrative productions of seventh- and eighth-grade students with learning disabilities (LD) and without learning disabilities (NLD) were investigated. Participants were asked to write four stories for which a beginning, middle, end, or no prompt was given in a randomly assigned order. Results indicated differences between LD and NLD groups in both quantity and quality of story production across prompts. A significant group-by-prompt interaction supported the experimental hypothesis. The difference between the quality of LD and NLD stories was significantly greater following the middle-prompt condition; that is, the LD group scored significantly lower when offered the middle prompt than under the other prompting conditions. The results are interpreted as supporting the theoretical position that students with LD reveal relatively greater propensity for linear-sequential processing. Hence, the quality of their writing performance on tasks requiring recursive processing is lower than that of NLD students.

Improving Students' Story Writing.

T he articles in this Special Focus section feature several strategies for improving the story writing skills of elementary and secondary students who have problems with written language. Reading and writing stories are typical activities in language arts classes beginning in the primary grades. Students in elementary and middle schools are expected to be able not only to understand the stories they read, but also to write stories that conform to narrative structure. Students who do not develop knowledge of narrative structure and the conventions of story writing will have difficulty comprehending and producing stories. Most children acquire this knowledge naturally as they mature; however, less proficient readers and writers require instruction either to develop knowledge of story grammar or to gain access to the knowledge they already possess.

Teaching Young English Learners to Read: Research From California, Florida, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Texas Introduction to the Special Series

The collection of articles in this special series demonstrates that research on English learners (ELs) is occurring all over the United States, where almost 500 different languages are reportedly spoken in the schools (Kindler, 2002). Although Spanish speakers still total approximately 77% of ELs, Vietnamese, Hmong, Korean, Creole (Haitian), Cantonese, Arabic, Russian, Navajo, Tagalog, Khmer (Cambodian), and unspecified Chinese languages represent another 15% of second-language learners. In various large cities, the remaining 8% of ELs include fairly large groups of students speaking Middle Eastern, Southeast Asian, South Asian, European, and African languages (Kindler, 2002). The diversity of languages spoken in urban schools in the United States has given rise to a focus on improving experiences for ELs (Neufeld & Fitzgerald, 2001).