Marcia Invernizzi

Early Literacy Screening in Kindergarten: Widespread Implementation in Virginia

Early success in reading is predicated on a childs ability to accurately and effectively master core literacy constructs (e.g., phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, concept of word, and grapheme-phoneme correspondence) and to exercise these understandings in a comfortable sociocultural context. In recent years, educators, legislators, and policymakers have shown great interest in creating an effective and instructionally useful diagnostic screening tool for identifying children at risk for early reading difficulties. In response to this charge, the Phonological Awareness and Literacy Screening-Kindergarten (PALS-K) was developed. Through Fall 2003, more than 430,000 kindergarten students in Virginia had been screened using PALS-K. The purposes of this paper are to (a) describe the PALS-K instrument, (b) examine its effectiveness in screening for poor beginning literacy skills, and (c) discuss the educational and policy implications of the results of statewide literacy screening efforts.

Closing the Gap between Research and Practice: Case Study of School-Wide Literacy Reform.

This case study of one elementary school describes an ongoing effort to close the gaps between literacy research and practice in order to promote the successful literacy transitions of all students. Jefferson Elementary Schools reading program is a research-driven, school-wide program emphasizing prevention-based instruction, early identification, intensive intervention, and ongoing staff development. For emergent and beginning readers, these efforts are coordinated through the consistent use of instructional diets to guide teachers in curriculum decisions and their allocation of classroom literacy time. We identify assessment-based decision making, curricular coordination, small group instruction, efficient management, ongoing data analysis, knowledgeable leadership, and persistence as essential ingredients in this effort.

Book Buddies in the Bronx: Testing a Model for America Reads

The effective use of volunteer tutors has recently come to the forefront of literacy research. Sparked by the America Reads Challenge Act of 1997, thousands of volunteer tutors are entering our schools to work with struggling readers. The America Reads Challenge (ARC), a federal grassroots call to action, is an unprecedented national campaign that challenges every American to help all our children learn to read, including those with disabilities and limited English proficiency. Specifically, ARC proposes the use of adult volunteers to tutor children during and after school. Nationwide, thousands of ARC tutors serve their communities through Federal Work Study (FWS), AmeriCorps, VISTA, National Senior Service Corps, and Learn & Serve America. As a result of increased funding of these service organizations, hundreds of thousands of tutors are being sent into American public schools. Currently, 20,000 students at 1,100 colleges teach elementary students through the FWS program (“Rave Reviews,” 1999). Although volunteer tutors are not a new concept (Wasik, 1998), the sudden surge of thousands of volunteers in our public school systems is a phenomenon in need of study. For volunteers to make a lasting impact on young children, it is essential that tutoring programs are founded on a solid base of research, and that we know whether, in fact, they work. Unfortunately, there is a startling lack of evidence regarding the effectiveness of one-on-one tutoring by volunteers. The success and popularity of Success For All (Slavin, Madden, Dolan, & Wasik, 1996) and Reading Recovery (see Pinnell, DeFord, & Lyons, 1988) has done much to create a general belief that one-on-one JOURNAL OF EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS PLACED AT RISK, 6(4), 319–333 Copyright

Descriptive-Developmental Performance of At-Risk Preschoolers on Early Literacy Tasks.

Abstract A total of 2,161 4- to 5-year-old children were administered seven criterion-referenced early literacy tasks as part of statewide screening. Tasks included measures of alphabet knowledge, print knowledge, concept of word, name writing, rhyme awareness, beginning sound awareness, and verbal memory. Five-year-old children outperformed 4-year-old children on six out of seven early literacy tasks. African-American and Caucasian children performed similarly on the majority of early literacy measures. Both African-American and Caucasian children performed better than Hispanic children; effect size estimates showed this advantage consistent with medium to large effect sizes. Girls outperformed boys on all tasks except for rhyme, with effect size estimates in the small range.

Spelling errors of normal and disabled students on achievement levels one through four: Instructional implications.

The errors of 72 disabled and 90 normal spellers were compared on the first through fourth levels of achievement using a featural system based on developmental spelling research. The mean age of the disabled subjects was two to three years higher on all levels (the differences were significant) but, of 24 error features on the four levels, F-tests showed that the groups differed only on Front Vowels (/a/, /e/, /i/), particularly the combination of in as in chin, with the normal group making more errors. Discriminant function analysis showed that the error features which significantly discriminated between the two groups at Level 1 were Consonant Digraphs, Affricates, and Front Vowels. On Level 2, the dominant variables contributing to the significant discriminant function were Front Vowels, consonant doubling and “e-drop” errors, and suffix errors. The normal group made more errors on all but the last. There were no significant differences on Levels 3 and 4. Discriminant analysis among the four levels for the normal group showed that the incidence of lower-level spelling features declined steadily as spelling achievement level increased. A similar trend but less significant variability was found among the disabled group levels. These results suggest that the strict phonetics-based instruction used with the disabled group contributes to their relative proficiency on the lower level spelling features but that the meaning, orthographic, and derivational conventions of more advanced spelling should be emphasized when designing instruction at achievement Level 2 and above.

AN ORTHOGRAPHIC‐SPECIFIC COMPARISON OF THE SPELLING ERRORS OF LEARNING DISABLED AND NORMAL CHILDREN ACROSS FOUR GRADE LEVELS OF SPELLING ACHIEVEMENT

The differences in spelling error features among learning disabled and normal students spelling instructionally on four grade levels of achievement were investigated. The categories of errors were determined by invented spelling research. The results indicated that the ranking of error features for each group were significantly correlated, and that the range of individual variation about the mean group pattern of spelling error variables was highly similar at each level of achievement. The findings are congruent with the theory of developmental word knowledge and support the position that learning disabled and normally achieving children acquire specific aspects of English orthography in highly similar progressions.

The Association of Kindergarten Entry Age with Early Literacy Outcomes

ABSTRACT The authors investigated whether age at kindergarten entry was associated with early literacy achievement gaps and if these gaps persisted over time. Using the kindergarten age eligibility cutoff date, they created 2 groups of students who represented the oldest and youngest children in a cohort of students in high-poverty, low-performing schools. The authors followed 405 students from the beginning of kindergarten until the end of Grade 2. Results indicated that the youngest students scored lower than their oldest peers at the beginning of kindergarten on various early literacy measures. The early-age achievement gap, however, narrowed over time but did not close completely by the end of Grade 2. Implications for parents and educators are discussed.

Examining the Effects of New York Experience Corps ® Program on Young Readers

There are hundreds of tutoring programs that utilize community volunteers being implemented across the country; however, there are few rigorous efforts to evaluate their effectiveness. This article presents findings on reading achievement from an evaluation of the New York City Experience Corps®, a program that uses older volunteers to work with students in public elementary schools. Two hundred and eighty-eight first- and second-grade students participated in a pre-test/post-test two group design with randomization to assess the impact of the program on their reading abilities. Reading was assessed using the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) and Early Childhood Literary Assessment System (ECLAS). Results indicate that Experience Corps is effective at improving reading scores. This study provides evidence that older volunteers can be successfully utilized to tutor young readers.

Linking Reading with Meaning: A Case Study of a Hyperlexic Reader

The research presented in this paper is a two-part case study of a 14-year-old mentally handicapped girl, Rachelle, who is hyperlexic. That is, she is able to easily decode the printed word, yet has great difficulty comprehending what she has read. We describe the characteristics of hyperlexia in a diagnostic case study of Rachelle and then outline an instructional program, implemented over a 1 1/2-year period, which we based on current research and theory about the normal processes of reading and learning. Using a learner-centered, literature-based approach, we directed instruction toward helping Rachelle to connect reading with making meaning. Her reading and writing competency and attitudes improved steadily throughout the intervention, as shown through collected work samples and a variety of assessment procedures. We suggest that instruction for hyperlexics and for all readers should focus on linking reading with meaning.

“Kiss your brain”: A closer look at flourishing literacy gains in impoverished elementary schools

Abstract This study uses a qualitative methodology to explore the instructional reading practices of high achieving/low‐income elementary schools. Extensive interviews and observations were conducted to examine the nature of literacy gains on a statewide reading assessment from fall to spring. Detailed cases studies of four exceptional schools are presented along with a discussion of implications for the field of reading instruction.