Variations in Reading Achievement among Spanish‐Speaking Children in Different Language Programs: Explanations and Confounds

Abstract

This study examined the reading performance on the Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery—Revised (WLPB‐R), in Spanish and English, of 183 Spanish‐speaking students in kindergarten through grade 2 in 3 schools with 4 instructional programs for English learners: structured English immersion, transitional bilingual, developmental bilingual, and dual language. Student scores on the WLPB‐R reflected the language of their instructional programs, that is, students in English programs had the highest scores on the English measures, whereas students in the Spanish programs had higher scores on Spanish measures. However, the schools were located in communities that offered students and families varied language‐learning opportunities, and the homes of students in different programs also offered the children varied opportunities, making it impossible to separate school program effects from community and home effects. Data on language and literacy practices in the home were collected through a parent survey with all participating families and 3 home interviews with 16 of the families. Findings indicated that literacy practices in the home (such as reading job‐related materials or writing letters) were varied and not evenly distributed across communities and instructional programs. Variation in family practices was associated with different opportunities available in the surrounding community (such as proximity to a church offering services in Spanish) and parents' workplaces (where some parents used literacy for tasks such as filling orders or writing reports, but others reported using none). Differences in family practices were also associated with parents' educational level and experiences and with variation in the language of the child's instructional program.