The current study was completed through a retrospective analysis of school records of elementary school students in the Northeast Region of the Philadelphia School District (PSD) who have participated in the Fast ForWord (FFW) Language program. The data requested from student records included: demographic information (e.g., gender, grade,age, ethnicity, disability, and special education status), DIBELS scores, and FFW completion and participation variables. The current study set out to determine if DIBELS scores can predict student performance or mastery level on the FFW program. A total of seven individual FFW variables (percent of completion for each activity) and five overall FFW variables (percent complete, participation level, attendance level, total days to complete, and successful performance) served as the outcome variables. Frequency distributions, Pearson correlations, an ANOVA, and a standard multiple regression were used to determine the relationships of demographic variables among predictor and outcome variables as well as the predictive power of the DIBELS test scores. Results of the standard multiple regression analysis failed to yield significant results in the ability for either DIBELS raw or benchmark scores to predict performance on the FFW reading program. The current study highlighted that in the real-life conditions of a large, urban public school system, DIBELS seems to have very little, if any, predictive abilities specific to designating students appropriately to an intensive, costly, and time-consuming intervention program. It is hoped that the information presented in this study will stimulate some positive discussion and changes in the assessment and referral processes currently being widely employed across American schools in order to better serve and educate American children that demonstrate symptoms of early reading deficits. / School Psychology

xiv, 145 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / As an increasing number of studies document the link between the development of student academic and social behavior, there is a growing need to create and evaluate interventions that address both types of skill development in school contexts. It is of particular importance to focus on interventions that improve the learning environment to maximize student success. The Good Behavior Game (TGBG) is an example of a research-based intervention that can be easily modified and implemented in conjunction with academic interventions to maximize effectiveness of student supports. The present study focused on the development and implementation of a modified version of TGBG implemented during the delivery of a secondary level early literacy intervention for students at-risk for reading difficulties. Specifically, this study examined whether instructional assistants' implementation of TGBG was functionally related to changes in student and instructor outcomes. The student outcomes assessed were (1) problem behavior, (2) academic engagement, and (3) pre-literacy skill development. The instructor outcomes assessed were provision of opportunities to respond to instruction, specific praise, and corrective statements for student social behavior. Data were also collected on fidelity of implementation, contextual fit, and social validity of TGBG. A concurrent multiple baseline design across five instructional reading groups was used to evaluate effects of TGBG. Results indicated that TGBG was functionally related to reductions in student problem behavior. In addition, a functional relation was established between implementation of TGBG and increases in instructor provision of specific praise statements and decreases in provision of corrective statements. Academic engagement and provision of opportunities to respond remained high and stable throughout the study. Pre-literacy trajectories did not appear to be functionally related to TGBG implementation; however, this may have been due to the short timeframe of the study. Instructional assistants implementing TGBG as well as students participating in TGBG rated it positively. Conceptual, practical, and future research implications are discussed. / Committee in charge: Cynthia Anderson, Co-Chairperson, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; Elizabeth Ham, Co-Chairperson, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; Robert Horner, Member, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; Marjorie Woollacott, Outside Member, Human Physiology

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between the reading intervention program Making Connections Intervention (MCI) and pre-intervention and post- intervention Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) reading scaled scores in one East Tennessee school district. Participants included 99 Tennessee students in grade levels six through nine who received reading intervention instruction through MCI and were frequently monitored following the requirements stipulated in the Tennessee Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTI2) Framework. This study assessed pre- and post-intervention data specific to gender, special education classification, Title I classification, and instructor classification through a series of t-tests. Findings indicated that although there were no significant differences in TCAP reading scaled scores for the grouping variables of gender, Title I classification, special education classification, and instructor classification, students’ TCAP reading scaled scores were significantly higher after participating in Making Connections Intervention.

In the present thesis, computer-assisted reading intervention with a phonics approach was examined in deaf and hard of hearing children (DHH) aged 5, 6 or 7 years old using cochlear implants, hearing aids or a combination of both. Children with normal hearing (NH), matched for non-verbal intelligence and age, served as a reference group. Deaf and hard of hearing children constitute a heterogenetic population regarding cognitive and academic achievement. Many of them do not reach age appropriate levels in language and reading ability during their school years, with negative consequences for later training facilities and job opportunities. Finding relevant intervention methods to promote early language learning and literacy development that are easy to implement is therefore of great importance. In this thesis three aspects of cognitive ability (phonological processing skills, lexical access and working memory capacity), and reading ability was examined at three points in time; baseline 1, pre intervention and post intervention. Additionally, computer-assisted training delivered by  means of the Internet in the children’s homes was explored in order to determine whether it would be a useful and efficient method for the DHH population. Overall, the results from the present thesis support the notion that offering a computer-assisted intervention program delivered at home, is an alternative way to support not only NH children with reading difficulties but also to support DHH children’s phonological development and decoding proficiency. / I denna avhandling undersöktes fonologisk lästräning vid datorn för döva och hörselskadade barn 5, 6 och 7 år gamla som använde cochleaimplantat, hörapparat eller en kombination av båda. Barn med normal hörsel som var matchade avseende icke-verbal intelligens och ålder utgjorde jämförelsegrupp. Döva och hörselskadade barn utgör en heterogen grupp avseende kognitiv förmåga och skolframgång. Många av dem når inte kraven för åldern avseende språk och läsförmåga under skoltiden vilket får negativa konsekvenser för senare utbildning och arbete. Att hitta relevanta interventionsmetoder för att främja tidig språkinlärning och läsutveckling som är lätta att genomföra, är därför av stor betydelse. I avhandlingen undersöktes tre aspekter av kognitiv förmåga (fonologisk bearbetningsförmåga, lexikal åtkomst och arbetsminneskapacitet) och läsförmåga vid tre tidpunkter; förtest 1, före intervention och efter intervention. Dessutom undersöktes om datorbaserad intervention som genomförs via Internet i hemmet, skulle vara en användbar och effektiv metod för döva och hörselskadade barn. Resultaten i stort visar att fonologisk lästräning vid datorn i barnens hem är en alternativ metod att stödja inte bara barn i risk att utveckla lässvårigheter, utan även döva och hörselskadade barns fonologi och avkodningsförmåga.

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 purpose of this study was to evaluate Core5, a computer-assisted instruction (CAI) programme, on developing early literacy skills in struggling kindergartners and providing enrichment for high achieving kindergartners. Conducted through the positivist research paradigm, the research design of this study is a quantitative quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design using the probes AIMSweb Letter Name Fluency (LNF), AIMSweb Letter Sound Fluency (LSF), MAP K-2 Early Literacy, as well as a questionnaire regarding teacher perceptions of Core5 and its implementation in the classroom. This study used convenience sampling instead of probability sampling since many schools already use Core5. Fifteen schools in the Matanuska Susitna Borough School District was the target population. The sample group comprised of 751 kindergartners, aged five to six-year-olds divided into the treatment group, the partial treatment group, and the control group. Posttest analysis of LNF and LSF data confirmed all three groups made gains from the pretest, but an ANOVA indicated there was a significant difference between the three groups. A Bonferroni post hoc test determined the treatment group and the partial treatment group were significantly different from the control group. The posttest analysis of MAP K-2 Early Literacy data indicated that all three groups made gains from the pretest. An ANOVA suggested there was no significant difference between the three groups. Lastly, the end-of-year Core5 levels were correlated to the benchmark scores on LNF, LSF and MAP K-2 Early Literacy probes using Pearson’s r. The teacher questionnaire indicated that a majority of teachers have a favourable view of Core5, which is vital to the implementation of Core5 because their attitude is also a significant predictor of student use in the classroom. The findings indicate that Core5 is an effective CAI program to use as part of the kindergarten ELA curriculum. The findings also add to the volume of research on Core5, CAI programmes and blended learning. / English Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (English)

With the ratification of the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) in 2006, states were required to permit public schools to provide varying levels of intervention for students who showed that they were struggling in one or more core educational areas (Department of Education 300.307(a) (2), 2006). This recommendation supported the use of the framework known as Response to Intervention (RtI) that was familiar in the research literature (Department of Education, 2006). The theoretical framework chosen to support the RtI process in which three RtI programs are being analyzed is Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). ABA is a theory that suggests interventions initiated to create improvement for an area in which a person has learning or developmental challenges needs to be carefully evaluated individually with each case and then a series of proactive responses to the data are initiated with the goal of having the individual experience improvement and growth (Axelrod, 2012). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to compare the CST reading proficiency scores of socio-economically challenged middle school students who participated in one of three interventions: low reading students who participated in an intensive reading program, low reading students who participated in the English Language Development (ELD) program, and low reading students who only participated in a Sustained Silent Reading program. The methodology chosen was a quasi-experimental study because there were three independent variables: the Intensive Intervention Group (II), the English Language Development Intervention Group (ELD), and the Silent Sustained Reading Intervention Group (SSR). A Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was conducted on all three independent variables using the dependent variable to establish any significant differences and to measure any possible academic mean growth. Two research questions were analyzed, including how the three groups scores would compare using the MANOVA and the impact of the interventions when comparing sixth, seventh, and eighth graders to each other as separate groups. The results indicate that the use of Applied Behavior Analysis Creating research based intervention systems at the middle school can have positive results and can justify utilizing financial resources at the middle school level to provide RtI systems.

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