xiii, 171 p. : ill. / Although there is arguably substantial evidence in the literature on what works for students at risk of reading failure, the evidence on effective interventions for English-language learners (ELs) is rather meager. Moreover, there are limited curriculum programs and instructional materials available to support schools in the inclusion of ELs in reading-reform efforts. This study examined the efficacy of a systematic transition intervention designed to increase the early literacy achievement of Spanish-speaking ELs in transitional bilingual programs. The intervention included a set of 12 scripted transition lessons that made explicit for ELs the orthographic, lexical, and syntactic differences between Spanish and English. In addition, the lessons addressed the story content knowledge and vocabulary and academic language necessary to ensure that ELs could access the English literacy curriculum and classroom discourse. Seventy-eight first-grade ELs identified as at risk for reading difficulty were randomly assigned to receive either the transition lessons in the treatment condition or the standard school-based intervention in the control condition. Students in both conditions received 60 thirty-minute sessions of small-group instruction as a supplement to their first-grade core reading program. Instruction in both conditions was explicit and focused on the core reading components (i.e., phonemic awareness, phonics, word work, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension). Student performance was measured on the following dimensions of early reading: (a) phonemic decoding and word reading, (b) oral reading fluency, (c) vocabulary development, and (d) comprehension. In addition, fidelity of implementation, time devoted to the different literacy components, and feasibility of implementation data were collected during and after the study. A gain-score analysis was employed in this study to compare the effect of the treatment (transition lessons) and control (standard school-based intervention) conditions on scores obtained from the pretest and posttest measures of reading achievement. The results indicated that the difference in gain scores between the treatment and control conditions was not statistically significant on any of the measures utilized in the study. Therefore, the transition intervention did not appear to be more effective than the typical school-based intervention. Findings are discussed in light of current research on improving the academic performance of ELs. / Committee in charge: Dr. Edward J. Kame‘enui, Chair; Dr. Roland H. Good, III, Member; Dr. Elizabeth Harn, Member; Dr. Doris A. Baker, Member; Dr. Robert R. Davis, Outside Member

Learning to read is critical for quality of life and success in our society. Children who cannot read well face unsuccessful educational careers and limited job choices. Recently, policy makers and educators have made progress toward increasing the reading achievement of America's children. Still up to 60% of boys who live in poverty cannot read or read two years below grade level. In this experimental study, I designed and examined the effects of the Gottshall Early Reading Intervention (GERI) to determine if direct instruction with a small group, phonics based approach would increase the literacy achievement of low performing, rural, first grade boys. Participants were selected according to Texas Primary Reading Inventory (TPRI) scores, matched them across race, ethnicity, and socio-economic status, and randomly assigned them to experimental/control group. Three times per week for 15 weeks, boys in the experimental group attended 30-minute pullout sessions taught by trained professionals in addition to classroom reading instruction. Control group members received classroom reading instruction only. Findings reveal no significant differences in reading gains across all variables. However, descriptive data indicate higher percentages of gains for the experimental group on four out of five reading components with rate of gain higher on fifth. Statistics also show that Hispanics are more likely to benefit.

The Alternative Primary Program (APP), a classroom strategy for accommodating the academic readiness levels of entering first grade students, was implemented in two schools with high concentrations of economically disadvantaged students. For identification purposes, students were designated as Regular and Transitional First Grade students by utilizing existing school district guidelines, but were grouped heterogenously in reduced class size groups rather than being placed in self-contained classes. After two years in this setting, academic progress in the area of reading by students in the two pilot school sites was examined to determine the relative progress of Regular and Transitional (identified) students in comparison to one another. A second comparison was made to determine the relative progress of students in the APP with students moving through the same two schools in a previous student cohort. Heterogenously grouped students were evaluated periodically with an instrument used to assess pre-literacy stages of development including: Sense of Story, Sense of Word, Spelling Awareness, Letter and Word Recognition. The experimental instrument used in the study monitors student progress through three continuous stages of pre-literacy development. Assessment of students is carried out by classroom teachers for the purpose of directing instruction and determining appropriate instructional strategies for classroom use. The analysis of data produced by this measure and relating this data to other more traditional forms of reading achievement was one of the purposes of this study. Information produced by the Stages Assessment instrument was found to be reliable as an early indicator of readiness for reading instruction and predictive of later reading achievement. Multivariate analysis of variance techniques were used to analyze reading dependent variables. Multiple regression and discriminant analysis were used to analyze the relationship among reading achievement measures and indicators of reading readiness, including stages assessment data. Methodological limitations regarding the use of intact groups and problems relating to program implementation in a period of change are discussed. / Ph. D.

Learning to write their own words increases students' success in learning to read, provides practice in thinking skills, increases their self-concept and provides early positive attitudes about writing. However, most writing done in first grade classrooms today consists mainly of copying from the blackboard. This is a tedious and boring task for first graders, and gives them bad attitudes about writing as they begin their school careers. Many teachers don't require young students to write their own words because of the students' inability to spell words and form grammatically correct sentences. However, if a teacher is accepting of the students' imperfect spelling and grammar, the students will feel free to express their thoughts on paper. This project provides a year long curriculum design along with the activities necessary to teach first grade students to write creatively.