Shawnna Helf

Effects of Multi-Tier Academic and Behavior Instruction on Difficult-to-Teach Students

This article addresses the effects of 3-tiered comprehensive reading and behavior interventions on K-3 student outcomes in 7 urban elementary schools with a high prevalence of students considered difficult to teach. Specific features of each level of the implementation are described including screening and tier placement procedures, scheduling and personnel supports, procedures for ensuring strong implementation with fidelity, procedures for student progress monitoring, and guidelines for instructional decision making. Early literacy skill outcomes for students were the primary dependent measures in reading; schoolwide office discipline referral rate was the dependent measure in behavior. Significant improvement was evident in phoneme segmentation and nonsense word fluency in reading and significant decreases were documented in office discipline referrals across treatment and comparison schools. Significantly higher outcomes were also recorded on required statewide end-of-grade assessments in treatment schools. Implications and caveats concerning effective implementation of the model in other settings are provided. The article emphasizes that changing schoolwide reading and behavior risk requires effective intervention, instruction, and support in both areas.

Supplemental Reading Help for Kindergarten Students: How Early Should You Start?

ABSTRACT Substantial research supports the need for early intervention efforts for students at risk for failure. Despite the empirically documented importance of early, explicit reading intervention for students who enter school without critical prereading skills, many kindergarten programs delay intensive reading instruction until later in the year. Instead, during the 1st months or semester of kindergarten the emphasis is on teaching readiness skills. The authors compared the progress of kindergarten students who received small-group reading intervention across the full school year with those who began the same intervention midyear. Students with a full year of intervention outperformed those who had only a half year of intervention. Because of the concerns about starting a structured and intensive intervention for students who are transitioning to kindergarten, the authors offer suggestions for helping to address some important readiness skills while providing early reading intervention.

Effects of Adding Multisensory Components to a Supplemental Reading Program on the Decoding Skills of Treatment Resisters

A multiple-baseline across participants was used to analyze the effects of adding multisensory elements to an explicit, systematic phonics program on the reading achievement of six students identified as treatment resisters. Participants were given 10 minutes of daily instruction in the supplemental program in addition to instruction in the evidence-based school-wide curriculum. The multisensory additions included finger tapping, letter formation onto carpet squares, and the use of magnetic letters. Fluency of nonsense word reading was used as the dependent variable and fluency of sound recognition within nonsense words was used as a collateral measure. Generalization of the decoding skills was assessed through oral reading fluency on first-grade and grade- level passages.

Teacher Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices in Tier 1 A National Survey

Federal mandates more than a decade old require the use of evidence-based practices in schools, and an abundance of meta-analytic evidence for reading instruction exists; however, the long lamented research to practice gap in education gives reason to explore whether this evidence has translated to classrooms. This study examined the extent to which a national sample of kindergarten, first- and second-grade teachers (n = 534) reported using evidence-based reading curricula. Results indicated that very few curricula teachers used have been evaluated using research designs that meet federal guidelines. In addition, teachers reported supplanting their core reading curricula with other materials. Results of the survey indicate the need, despite a federal push for evidence-based practices, for new models of developing, testing, and disseminating evidence-based curricula.

Impact of the Script in a Supplemental Reading Program on Instructional Opportunities for Student Practice of Specified Skills

Many educators are reluctant to use scripted instruction, reporting that scripts are mechanical in nature and only appropriate for low-level skills. This study sought to investigate the impact of a supplemental program’s script on the rate of on-task and off-task instructional opportunities offered by the instructor for students to practice the specific skills targeted in lesson exercises. Using a multiple-baseline across-participants design, four paraeducators delivered daily instruction, first in a nonscripted version of an explicit supplemental program and then in the scripted version of the same program, to 12 first-grade students identified at risk for reading failure. Upon introduction of the script, the rate of on-task instructional opportunities for student practice was substantially higher, and the rate of off-task instructional opportunities diminished. Both paraeducators and student participants preferred the scripted instruction.

Reading Specialist: Key to a Systematic Schoolwide Reading Model

The existence of elementary reading specialists in schools has increased, and their role in improving schoolwide efforts for prevention and intervention of reading risk has received increased emphasis. The purpose of this article is to describe the components of a multitier schoolwide reading model in the early grades in which the reading specialist serves an essential leader. Recommendations are made for the role of the reading specialist in establishing and maintaining a model that is cohesive and integrated. In addition, the need for strong support from the principal is discussed, as well as specific roles the principal needs to play to ensure success.

Evidence-Based Instruction Is Not Enough Strategies for Increasing Instructional Efficiency

Even evidence-based instructional methods may not be sufficient for closing achievement gaps. If teachers are not maximizing instructional time, achievement gaps are likely to widen over time; therefore, instruction need not only be effective but efficient as well. The purposes of this article are to (a) provide practitioners with a broad definition of instructional efficiency and (b) describe several considerations for increasing efficiency in the classroom. Suggestions are made for planning, delivering, and evaluating instruction.

The Use of Audio Prompting to Assist Mothers with Limited English Proficiency in Tutoring their Pre-Kindergarten Children on English Vocabulary

Parents with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) may find it difficult to become involved in their childrens education due to their lack of English proficiency. The present study examined the effects of using audio prompting to assist mothers with LEP in teaching their preschool children English vocabulary. Mothers were trained to tutor their children using a Talking Photo Album. The Talking Photo Album used audio prompting that can support a naïve tutor. In this study, the mother with LEP received necessary assistance in providing accurate English object names and feedback to her child. Results of the study indicate that all participant mothers and children made substantial gains in naming objects, and children successfully generalized from pictures of objects to authentic or three dimensional representatives of the objects.

Using a Hierarchy of Supportive Consequences to Address Problem Behaviors in the Classroom.

Many educators across the country are implementing positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) in their schools and classrooms. While PBIS primarily focuses on proactive and preventative approaches to improve behavior, one of the essential elements of PBIS is the consistent use of consequences when students do not meet behavioral expectations. Most teachers view consequences as punitive reactions to misbehavior. However, there are ways to deliver consequences that are supportive in nature and result in positively redirecting students to engaging in desirable behavior, thereby eliminating the necessity of punitive responses. This column discusses the problems associated with commonly used punitive consequences to address challenging behaviors in classrooms and provides an alternative approach that is more in line with PBIS frameworks. This entails the use of a hierarchy of supportive consequences, which is explained in detail.

Increasing Opportunities for Student Responding: Response Cards in the Classroom.

Abstract Response cards are designed to encourage active student engagement during instruction. In this article, the use of response cards is described, along with ways teachers can use the information to inform their work and considerations for implementation.