With national focus on reading and math achievement, science and social
studies have received less instructional time. Yet, accumulating evidence
suggests that content knowledge is an important predictor of proficient reading.
Starting with a design study, we developed Content Area Literacy Instruction
(CALI), as an individualized (or personalized) instructional program for
kindergarteners through fourth graders to build science and social studies
knowledge. We developed CALI to be implemented in general education classrooms,
over multiple iterations (n=230 students), using principles of
design-based implementation research. The aims were to develop CALI as a usable
and feasible instructional program that would, potentially, improve science and
social studies knowledge, and could be implemented during the literacy block
without negatively affecting students' reading gains (i.e., no
opportunity cost). We then evaluated the efficacy of CALI in a randomized
controlled field trial with 418 students in kindergarten through fourth grade.
Results reveal that CALI demonstrates promise as a useable and feasible
instructional individualized general education program, and is efficacious in
improving social studies (d=2.2) and science
(d=2.1) knowledge, with some evidence of improving
oral and reading comprehension skills (d=.125).
Testing a component model of reading comprehension in a randomized
controlled trial, we evaluated the efficacy of four different interventions that
were designed to target components of language and metacognition that predict
children’s reading comprehension: vocabulary, listening comprehension,
comprehension of literate language, academic knowledge, and comprehension
monitoring. Third- and fourth-graders with language skills falling below age
expectations participated (N = 645). Overall, the component
interventions were only somewhat effective in improving the targeted skills,
compared to a business-as-usual control (g ranged from
−.14 to .33), and no main effects were significant after correcting for
multiple comparisons. Effects did not generalize to other language skills or to
students’ reading comprehension. Moreover, there were
child-characteristic-by-treatment interaction effects. For example, the
intervention designed to build sensorimotor mental representations was more
effective for children with weaker vocabulary skills. Implications for component
models of reading and interventions for children at risk of reading
comprehension difficulties are discussed.
The objective of this article is to describe seven elements important to successful implementation of early literacy intervention. The seven elements are drawn from research as well as from the authors' recent randomized controlled trial of effective early literacy interventions in kindergarten through second grade in 55 schools across Florida. The seven elements are (a) the importance of researcher-practitioner partnerships; (b) determining the need for early intervention; (c) assessment selection and data use; (d) evaluating curriculum and instructional materials for use in early intervention; (e) scheduling time for intervention; (f) selecting, training, and supporting interventionists; and (g) locating space and maintaining open communications among interventionists, teachers, and parents. Finally, school leaders must provide early intervention with sufficient intensity and duration to accelerate students' catch-up growth in order to meet grade-level proficiency benchmarks.
We report a design study that assessed the feasibility of Enacted Reading Comprehension (ERC), an intervention designed to teach 3rd and 4th grade students (n = 40 and 25, respectively) to use gestures to understand an increasingly abstract set of texts. Students were taught to use gestures to understand the idea of “opposing forces” in a concrete setting–the forces at play as tectonic plates move past each other–and then taught to use the gestures to understand opposing forces in more abstract situations. For example, students were taught to use gestures to understand the opposing sides of an argument, and to understand the internal conflicts that arise as individuals are faced with moral dilemmas. The results of our design study suggest that ERC has promise as a method for introducing students to the idea of using gesture to understand text content, and to employ this strategy in a range of reading contexts.
This randomized controlled trial in 55 low-performing schools across Florida compared 2 early literacy interventions-1 using stand-alone materials and 1 using materials embedded in the existing core reading/language arts program. A total of 3,447 students who were below the 30th percentile in vocabulary and reading-related skills participated in the study. Both interventions were implemented with fidelity for 45 minutes daily for 27 weeks in small groups of 4 students (or 5 in grade 2). The standalone intervention significantly improved grade 2 spelling outcomes relative to the embedded intervention; there were some differential impacts due to cohort and baseline and, in kindergarten, to English-learner status. On average, students in schools in both interventions showed similar improvement in reading and language outcomes and similar percentile gains to those in recent systematic reviews. Results are discussed with respect to alignment of Tier 2 instruction with Tier 1 instruction.
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