Kristen L. McMaster

Responding to Nonresponders: An Experimental Field Trial of Identification and Intervention Methods:

First graders (N = 323) participated in an evidence-based classwide reading program (Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies; PALS). Adual-discrepancy approach was used to identify 56 children whose reading performance and growth rates were substantially below those of average readers, indicating they were not responding sufficiently to PALS. This approach reliably distinguished among unresponsive at-risk, responsive at-risk, and average-performing readers. Nonresponders were assigned randomly to one of three increasingly individualized treatments: PALS, Modified PALS, or tutoring by an adult. No statistically significant between-group differences on reading-related measures were found. Effect sizes (between .30 and .50) comparing groups and proportions of nonresponders following treatment suggest that tutoring was most promising for reducing unresponsiveness.

Technical Features of Curriculum-Based Measurement in Writing A Literature Review

This article reviews research examining technical features of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) in written expression. Twenty-eight technical reports and published articles are included in this review. Studies examining the development and technical adequacy of measures of written expression are summarized, beginning with research conducted at the Institute for Research on Learning Disabilities at the University of Minnesota and followed by extensions of this work. Differences in technical features of writing tasks, sample durations, and scoring procedures employed within and across elementary and secondary levels are highlighted. Gaps in research addressing the technical adequacy of CBM in written expression are identified, and implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Research on Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies: The Promise and Limitations of Peer-Mediated Instruction

ABSTRACT This paper reviews research evaluating the effectiveness of Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) for reading. Nearly fifteen years of research has demonstrated the effectiveness of this classwide peer tutoring program in improving the reading performance of high-, average-, and low-performing students, including students with disabilities, from kindergarten through high school. PALS activities and procedures for grades two through six, high school, kindergarten, and first grade are reviewed, as well as research indicating its effectiveness and feasibility for classroom implementation. Research exploring student unresponsiveness to PALS is also reviewed. The implications and recommendations for practice are discussed. For more information about PALS research, training workshops, and access to materials, visit the PALS website at http://www.peerassistedlearningstrategies.net.

Scaling Up an Early Reading Program: Relationships Among Teacher Support, Fidelity of Implementation, and Student Performance Across Different Sites and Years

Successful implementation of evidence-based educational practices at scale is of great importance but has presented significant challenges. In this article, the authors address the following questions: How does the level of on-site technical assistance affect student outcomes? Do teachers’ fidelity of treatment implementation and their perceptions of school climate mediate effects on student performance? Using a randomized control trial at scale, the authors examine Kindergarten Peer Assisted Learning Strategies, which previously has been shown to be effective in increasing student reading achievement. Analyzing data from 2 years and three sites, the analyses show that the level of on-site technical support has significant effects on reading achievement gains, are robust across multiple sites, and are mediated by fidelity of implementation within teachers’ classrooms.

Technical Features of Curriculum-Based Measures for Beginning Writers:

The purpose of the two studies reported in this article was to examine technical features of curriculum-based measures for beginning writers. In Study 1, 50 first graders responded to word copying, sentence copying, and story prompts. In Study 2, 50 additional first graders responded to letter, picture-word, picture-theme, and photo prompts. In both studies, 3- to 5-minute prompts were administered in winter and spring and scored using a variety of quantitative procedures. Students were also administered the Test of Written Language—Third Edition , and teacher ratings and scores on a district rubric for writing were collected. Test-retest (Study 1 only) and alternate-form reliability, criterion validity, and winter-to-spring growth were examined for each measure. Sentence-copying, story, picture-word, and photo prompts emerged as promising beginning-writing measures. Findings have implications for monitoring student progress within a seamless and flexible system across ages and skill levels.

Integrating Advanced Technology in Teacher Education Courses

TechTrends • May/June 2009 Volume 53, Number 3 Volume 53, Number 3 TechTrends • May/June 2009 35 righam Young University–Hawaii (BYU– Hawaii) has students from over 70 countries attending classes. One of BYU–Hawaii’s current aims is to increase the effectiveness of course instruction and help students take more responsibility for their own learning as they look to increase distance education offerings to students in different countries. Biology 100 was one of the first classes to be changed to help meet this aim. Biology 100 is a survey course that gives freshman-level students an introduction to the field of biology. Traditionally this course “skimmed” a wide breadth of topics, a common type of general education course taught in universities today. Many university courses center instruction on topics rather than tasks without requiring students to apply the information they learn to new situations. The passive lecture approach, while common (Ediger, 2001; Lammers, 2002), requires less responsibility from students for their own learning than other more constructivist approaches to learning (Brauner, Carey, Henriksson, Sunnerhagen & Ehrenborg, 2007; Harland, 2003). Standard assessment methods such as multiple-choice tests that are commonly used in college classrooms are often used only as a way to encourage absorption and recall rather than application. Too often, students learn a little bit about each concept and then remember that little bit for the test without applying it (Butler & Roediger, 2007; Reid, Duvall, & Evans, 2007). Concepts in these types of general education classes are not easily transferred because students have little chance to apply them to new situations (Minderhout & Loertscher, 2007, p. 178; Specht & Sandlin, 1991).

What Does it Take to Scale up and Sustain Evidence-Based Practices?:

This article discusses the strategic scaling up of evidence-based practices. The authors draw from the scholarly work of fellow special education researchers and from the field of learning sciences. The article defines scaling up as the process by which researchers or educators initially implement interventions on a small scale, validate them, and then implement them more widely in real-world conditions. Examples of scale-up research are included. The authors discuss challenges to scaling up and sustaining evidence-based practices, followed by factors that can potentially support scaling up, including professional development and district leadership. A case example describes how these issues can play out by highlighting experiences with a Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR) scale-up research project in a large urban school district. The article concludes by offering recommendations for research, policy, and practice.

Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies: A “Tier 1” Approach to Promoting English Learners' Response to Intervention

This study determined the effectiveness of Kindergarten Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (K—PALS) for English Learners (ELs). We compared 20 K—PALS ELs to 20 Control ELs and to 20 K—PALS non-ELs on early reading skill acquisition, using a pretest—posttest control group design with matched samples. We also compared proportions of ELs unresponsive to K—PALS to ELs unresponsive to traditional instruction. Teachers implemented K—PALS 4 times per week for 18 weeks. Following intervention, analyses of covariance on posttest measures indicated that K—PALS ELs performed reliably higher than Control ELs on measures of phonemic awareness and letter sound recognition, and they performed similarly to K—PALS non-ELs. Findings are discussed in terms of K—PALS efficacy for ELs in a response-to-intervention framework.

Curriculum-Based Measures of Beginning Writing: Technical Features of the Slope:

This study examined technical features of slopes produced from curriculum-based measures (CBM) of beginning writing. Eighty-five first-graders completed weekly sentence copy, picture-word, and story prompts for 12 weeks. After 12 weeks, testing revealed alternate-form reliability and criterion validity of CBM scores generally similar to those found in previous research. Examinations of group- and individual-level slopes indicated 8 or 9 data points are needed to yield reliable and stable slopes. The picture-word task appeared most sensitive to growth in brief periods, yielding slopes that were significantly greater than 0 within 4 weeks. Research directions and recommendations for monitoring progress of beginning writers are discussed.

Brief experimental analysis of early reading interventions.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how brief experimental analyses (BEAs) could be used to identify effective interventions for Kindergartners (2 girls and 2 boys, 5 years and 7-10 months old) with low performance and/or growth slope in letter sound fluency (LSF). Interventions were tested within a multielement design with brief mini-reversals until an intervention yielding at least 20% improvement ona specific subskill measure or a curriculum-based measure of LSF was identified. BEA-identified interventions were implemented one-on-one for 5 to 9 weeks. A multiple-baseline design across participants showed large intervention effects (average adjusted d=2.4) on general outcome measures, supporting treatment validity of BEAs. Findings extend the BEA literature to younger participants, early reading interventions, and early reading measures.