Patterns of reading development were examined in native English-speaking (L1) children and children who spoke English as a second language (ESL). Participants were 978 (790 L1 speakers and 188 ESL speakers) Grade 2 children involved in a longitudinal study that began in kindergarten. In kindergarten and Grade 2, participants completed standardized and experimental measures including reading, spelling, phonological processing, and memory. All children received phonological awareness instruction in kindergarten and phonics instruction in Grade 1. By the end of Grade 2, the ESL speakers' reading skills were comparable to those of L1 speakers, and ESL speakers even outperformed L1 speakers on several measures. The findings demonstrate that a model of early identification and intervention for children at risk is beneficial for ESL speakers and also suggest that the effects of bilingualism on the acquisition of early reading skills are not negative and may be positive.

The present study aims to advance the extant research base by evaluating the implementation and effectiveness of an academic vocabulary program designed for use in mainstream middle school classrooms with high proportions of language minority learners. The quasi‐experimental, mixed‐methods study was conducted in 21 classes (13 treatment matched to 8 control) in seven middle schools in a large district, with 476 sixth‐grade students (346 language minority learners, 130 native English speakers). Classroom observations and teacher logs indicated the 18‐week program was implemented with good fidelity and that the approach contrasted sharply with the standard district English language arts (ELA) curriculum. Multilevel modeling indicated that the program resulted in significant effects on several aspects of vocabulary knowledge, including meanings of taught words (d = 0.39; p < .0001), morphological awareness (d = 0.20; p = .0003), and the word meanings as presented in expository text (d = 0.20; p = .0227). The program also yielded marginally significant, but promising effects on a depth of word knowledge measure (d = 0.15; p =0.0830) and a norm‐referenced measure of reading comprehension (d = 0.15; p = .0568). No effects were found on a norm‐referenced vocabulary measure. These effects were comparable for language minority learners and their native‐English‐speaking classmates. Data from teachers shed light on the challenges of meeting students' diverse instructional needs and the roles of curriculum and professional networks in building instructional capacity. The findings show promise in developing effective multifaceted vocabulary instruction for implementation by ELA teachers in middle school classrooms with high numbers of language minority learners. [Note: Nonie Lesaux discusses the research presented in this article in a podcast from the “Voice of Literacy”: http://www.voiceofliteracy.org/posts/40678.] تهدف الدراسة الجارية لتقديم قاعدة الأبحاث العلمية القائمة الآن بواسطة تقييم تنفيذ برنامج المفردات الدراسي وفعاليته المصمم للاستخدام في غرف صفوف المدراس الإعدادية الخاصة بعامة الناس التي يوجد فيها نسبة عالية من متعلمي اللغة من الأقليات. لقد أجريت دراسة متعددة الطرق شبه الاختبارية في 21 غرفة صف (13في المجموعة المعالجة مقابل 8 في المجموعة الضابطة) في سبع مدارس إعادادية في محافظة كبيرة يشمل فيها 476 طالب في الصف السادس (346 متعلم لغة من الأقليات و130 ناطق بالإنكليزية). وقد أشارت مراقبات غرف الصفوف ومدونات المعلمين إلى أن البرنامج الذي استغرق 18أسبوعاً تم تنفيذه بجودة عالية وأن هذا المدخل في متناهية التفاوت تجاه منهاج الفنون اللغوية الإنكليزية المعيارية. وقد أشار التقليد المتعدد المستويات إلى أن البرنامج أنتج تأثيرات ذي شأن في عدة أوجهة من معرفة المفردات بما فيها معاني الكلمات المتعلمة (درجات الحرية = 0.15 والقيمة الاحتمالية < 0.0001) والوعي الصوتي (درجات الحرية = 0.20 والقيمة الاحتمالية = 0.0003) ومعاني الكلام كما وردت في النصوص الشرحية (درجات الحرية = 0.20 والقيمة الاحتمالية =0.0227). وأنتج البرنامج أيضاً تأثيرات لها ضربة من الأهمية ولكنها مشجعة بالنسبة لمقياس عمق فهم الكلمة (درجة الحرية = 0.15 والقيمة الاحت...

This study examined the relationship between morphological awareness and reading comprehension in English among Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs) followed from fourth through fifth grade. Students' ability to decompose derived words while reading was assessed using an experimental task. Multiple regression analyses were used to investigate the contribution of performance on this task to reading comprehension above and beyond word reading skills, phonological awareness, and breadth of vocabulary knowledge. The relationship between morphological awareness and reading comprehension was found to strengthen between fourth and fifth grade, and in fifth grade, morphological awareness was found to be a significant predictor of reading comprehension. The findings were robust across two measures of reading comprehension and two methods of scoring the experimental task of morphological awareness, and thus support the inclusion of derivational morphology in a model of the English reading comprehension of Spanish-speaking ELLs.

This study explores the nature of reading comprehension difficulties among early adolescent language minority (LM) learners and native English speakers in urban schools. Sixth-grade students (399 LM learners, 182 native English speakers) were screened for difficulties, using a standardized measure of reading comprehension. Of these, 262 students (201 LM learners, 61 native English speakers) with a score at or below the 35th percentile were administered measures of oral language and reading. More LM learners than their peers were classified as struggling readers (60% vs. 40%, respectively). However, latent class analysis demonstrated that the two populations were evenly distributed among three skill profiles of struggling readers. Despite relative differences in word reading accuracy and fluency, each profile was characterized by low vocabulary knowledge. The majority of struggling readers were found to have developed basic fluency skills. The findings demonstrate the need for middle schools to identify why students are having comprehension difficulties and to target instruction to meet their specific needs, given the wide variation in the struggling reader population. Moreover, they suggest that treating LM learners as a separate group based on their status as second-language learners may not be appropriate.

Including English language learners (ELLs) in large-scale assessments raises questions about the validity of inferences based on their scores. Test accommodations for ELLs are intended to reduce the impact of limited English proficiency on the assessment of the target construct, most often mathematic or science proficiency. This meta-analysis synthesizes research on the effectiveness and validity of such accommodations for ELLs. Findings indicate that none of the seven accommodations studied threaten the validity of inferences. However, only one accommodation—providing English dictionaries or glossaries—has a statistically significant effect on ELLs’ performance, and this effect equates to only a small reduction in the achievement score gap between ELLs and native English speakers. Findings suggest that accommodations to reduce the impact of limited language proficiency on academic skill assessment are not particularly effective. Given this, we posit a hypothesis about the necessary role of academic language skills in mathematics and science assessments.