Diane August

Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth.

Contents: P. McCardle, Foreword. Preface. Introduction to the Volume. D. August, T. Shanahan, Introduction and Methodology. D. August, Demographic Overview. Part I: Development of Literacy in Second-Language Learners. N. Lesaux, E. Geva, Synthesis: Development of Literacy in Language-Minority Students. N. Lesaux, with K. Koda, L.S. Siegel, T. Shanahan, Development of Literacy. E. Geva, Second-Language Oral Proficiency and Second-Language Literacy. Part I References. Part II: Cross-Linguistic Relationships in Second-Language Learners. F. Genesee, E. Geva, C. Dressler, M.L. Kamil, Synthesis: Cross-Linguistic Relationships. F. Genesee, E. Geva, Cross-Linguistic Relationships in Working Memory, Phonological Processes, and Oral Language. E. Geva, F. Genesee, First-Language Oral Proficiency and Second-Language Literacy. C. Dressler, with M.L. Kamil, First-and Second-Language Literacy. Part II References. Part III: Sociocultural Contexts and Literacy Development. C. Goldenberg, R.S. Rueda, D. August, Synthesis: Sociocultural Contexts and Literacy Development. C. Goldenberg, R.S. Rueda, D. August, Social and Cultural Influences on the Literacy Attainment of Language-Minority Children and Youth. R.S. Rueda, D. August, C. Goldenberg, The Social and Cultural Context in Which Children Acquire Literacy. Part III References. Part IV: Educating Language-Minority Students: Instructional Approaches and Professional Development. D. August, T. Shanahan, Synthesis: Instruction and Professional Development. D.J. Francis, N. Lesaux, D. August, Language of Instruction. T. Shanahan, I.L. Beck, Effective Literacy Teaching for English-Language Learners. D. August, with F. Erickson, Qualitative Studies of Classroom and School Practices. D. August, with L.S. Siegel, Literacy Instruction for Language-Minority Children in Special Education Settings. D. August, M. Calderon, Teacher Beliefs and Professional Development. Part IV References. Part V: Student Assessment. G.E. Garcia, G. McKoon, D. August, Synthesis: Language and Literacy Assessment. G.E. Garcia, G. McKoon, Language and Literacy Assessment of Language-Minority Students. Part V References. Part VI: Cross-Cutting Themes and Future Research Directions. C. Snow, Cross-Cutting Themes and Future Research Directions. Biographical Sketches.

Native Spanish-Speaking Children Reading in English: Toward a Model of Comprehension

A structural equation model of second language (L2; English) reading comprehension was tested on a sample of 135 Spanish-speaking 4th-grade English-language learners (ELLs). The model included 2 levels: decoding and oral language. English decoding measures included alphabetic knowledge and fluency. English oral language measures included vocabulary knowledge and listening comprehension. The model had reasonable goodness of fit. Decoding skills played a less predictive role than oral language proficiency. L2 listening comprehension made an independent, proximal contribution to L2 reading comprehension, whereas L2 vocabulary knowledge assumed both proximal and distal relationships with L2 reading comprehension. Results suggest that, given adequate L2 decoding ability, L2 vocabulary knowledge is crucial for improved English reading comprehension outcomes for Spanish-speaking ELLs.

The intriguing role of Spanish language vocabulary knowledge in predicting English reading comprehension

This study explored a holistic model of English reading comprehension among a sample of 135 Spanish-English bilingual Latina and Latino 4th-grade students This model took into account Spanish language reading skills and language of initial literacy instruction. Controlling for language of instruction, English decoding skill, and English oral language proficiency, the authors explored the effects of Spanish language alphabetic knowledge, fluency, vocabulary knowledge, and listening comprehension on English reading comprehension. Results revealed a significant main effect for Spanish vocabulary knowledge and an interaction between Spanish vocabulary and English fluency, such that faster English readers benefited more from Spanish vocabulary knowledge than their less fluent counterparts. This study demonstrates the existence of literary skills transfer from the 1st to the 2nd language, as well as limits on such transfer.

Measures of Reading Comprehension: A Latent Variable Analysis of the Diagnostic Assessment of Reading Comprehension

This study compares 2 measures of reading comprehension: (a) the Woodcock-Johnson Passage Comprehension test, a standard in reading research, and (b) the Diagnostic Assessment of Reading Comprehension (DARC), an innovative measure. Data from 192 Grade 3 Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs) were used to fit a series of latent variable analyses designed to explicitly test the discriminant validity and differential determinants of the 2 measures. Findings indicated that the 2 measures are related (r =. 61) but distinct, and influenced by different factors. The DARC is less strongly related to word-level skills and more strongly related to measures of narrative language production and memory. Both tests are equally influenced by measures of nonverbal reasoning. These differential patterns of relations, which cannot be explained on the basis of differential reliabilities, reflect true differences in the processing demands of the tests for 3rd-grade ELLs.

Comparison of Comprehension Monitoring of Skilled and Less Skilled Readers.

THE PURPOSE of this study was to gain a better understanding of the differences in comprehension and comprehension monitoring in reading between skilled and less skilled readers. Sixteen fifth-grade students of each type, matched on intelligence, were given five stories to read on a microcomputer screen. Three of the stories made little sense because a page of the story was purposefully omitted to make the story inconsistent. The skilled readers correctly reported that a page was missing on the inconsistent stories significantly more often than did the less skilled readers. The same trend obtained for the subset of subjects in each group who appeared to detect the problem at some lower level, as evidenced by longer reading times, lookbacks, or the making of unwarranted inferences at the point of the inconsistency. These group differences in comprehension monitoring performance could not be explained by differences in intelligence, decoding skill, or ability to recall crucial story information. In both groups, inferring that is not marked by the subject as hypothetical seemed to account for more failure to report the missing page than any other variable.

The Impact of an Instructional Intervention on the Science and Language Learning of Middle Grade English Language Learners

Abstract The goal of this study was to assess the effectiveness of an intervention—Quality English and Science Teaching (QuEST)—designed to develop the science knowledge and academic language of middle grades English language learners studying science in their second language and their English-proficient classmates. Ten sixth-grade science teachers in 5 middle schools in a large south Texas district participated in the study. For each teacher, 2 sections were randomly assigned to the intervention, Project QuEST, and 2 sections were randomly assigned to the district curriculum. The sample of students included English language learners, former English language learners, and fluent English-speaking students. Treatment effects were tested separately for science knowledge and vocabulary using a 3-level multilevel analysis of covariance (students nested within section, sections nested within teacher, and teacher) with the analogous pretest serving as the covariate. Analyses included fixed effects of treatment assignment and the covariate. Treatment effects were tested at the level of the section. Results indicated that posttest differences favoring the treatment group sections were statistically significant for both science knowledge and vocabulary.

Assessing Reading Comprehension in Bilinguals

A new measure of reading comprehension, the Diagnostic Assessment of Reading Comprehension (DARC), designed to reflect central comprehension processes while minimizing decoding and language demands, was pilot tested. We conducted three pilot studies to assess the DARC’s feasibility, reliability, comparability across Spanish and English, developmental sensitivity, and relation to standardized measures. The first study, carried out with 16 second‐through sixth‐grade English language learners, showed that the DARC items were at the appropriate reading level. The second pilot study, with 28 native Spanish‐speaking fourth graders who had scored poorly on the Woodcock‐Johnson Language Proficiency Reading Passages subtest, revealed a range of scores on the DARC, that yes‐no answers were valid indicators of respondents’ thinking, and that the Spanish and English versions of the DARC were comparable. The third study, carried out with 521 Spanish‐speaking students in kindergarten through grade 3, confirmed that different comprehension processes assessed by the DARC (text memory, text inferencing, background knowledge, and knowledge integration) could be measured independently, and that DARC scores were less strongly related to word reading than Woodcock‐Johnson comprehension scores. By minimizing the need for high levels of English oral proficiency or decoding ability, the DARC has the potential to reflect the central comprehension processes of second‐language readers of English more effectively than other measures.

English Language Learners: Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners—Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth

Based on concerns about the increasing numbers of English Language Learners in U.S. schools and the documented academic underperformance of this group, particularly in the domain of literacy, the federal government provided funding for a panel of experts to synthesize the knowledge base in the field and provide recommendations for future research. In 2006, the long awaited and much heralded Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth was published in a book entitled Developing Literacy in Second Language Learners (August & Shanahan, 2006). The purpose of this essay review is to describe the contents of this volume, and to examine it through the dual lenses of theory and policy.

The role of language of instruction and vocabulary in the English phonological awareness of Spanish–English bilingual children

This study explores influences on bilingual childrens phonological awareness (PA) performance in English, examining the role of language of instruction and vocabulary. English monolingual and Spanish–English bilingual kindergartners and first graders receiving either English or Spanish literacy instruction were assessed in English PA and in English and Spanish vocabulary, as appropriate. Spanish-instructed bilinguals were more likely than English-instructed bilinguals or English monolinguals to treat diphthongs as two units, reflecting their analysis in Spanish phonology and orthography. Surprisingly, unbalanced bilinguals dominant in either English or Spanish scored better on English PA than children with approximately equal scores on the English and the Spanish vocabulary test. This finding suggests that familiarity with many lexical items within a language constitutes a source of analyzable phonological knowledge.

Development of a cognate awareness measure for Spanish-speaking English language learners

This paper describes the development and validation of the Cognate Awareness Test (CAT), which measures cognate awareness in Spanish-speaking English Language Learners (ELLs) in fourth and fifth grade. An investigation of differential performance on the two subtests of the CAT (cognates and noncognates) provides evidence that the instrument is sensitive to English—Spanish cognate awareness among elementary school-age Spanish-speaking ELLs. Cognates were highly correlated with the childrens Spanish WLPB-R Picture Vocabulary scores, whereas noncognates were highly correlated to childrens English WLPB-R Picture Vocabulary scores.