Remedial Reading Research Articles

Pitfalls of Participatory Programs: Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation in Education in India

Participation of beneficiaries in the monitoring of public services is increasingly seen as a key to improving their efficiency. In India, the current government flagship program on universal primary education organizes both locally elected leaders and parents of children enrolled in public schools into committees and gives these groups powers over resource allocation, and monitoring and management of school performance. However, in a baseline survey we found that people were not aware of the existence of these committees and their potential for improving education. This paper evaluates three different interventions to encourage beneficiaries' participation through these committees: providing information, training community members in a new testing tool, and training and organizing volunteers to hold remedial reading camps for illiterate children. We find that these interventions had no impact on community involvement in public schools, and no impact on teacher effort or learning outcomes in those schools. However, we do find that the intervention that trained volunteers to teach children to read had a large impact on activity outside public schools—local youths volunteered to be trained to teach, and children who attended these camps substantially improved their reading skills. These results suggest that citizens face substantial constraints in participating to improve the public education system, even when they care about education and are willing to do something to improve it.

Preparing teachers to remediate reading disabilities in high school: What is needed for effective professional development?

In this paper, we ask what constitutes effective professional development for teachers faced with struggling readers in high school. Metacognitive teacher training, instructional coaching, mentorship, and collaborative learning are considered. We describe a professional development model preparing high school teachers to teach PHAST PACES, a remedial reading program. A metacognitive teaching style and specific skills for teaching comprehension and decoding strategies were emphasized. Teachers provided high positive ratings regarding the usefulness of the training, and attributed to the training an increased sense of efficacy in improving student outcomes and understanding reading problems. A comparison of student outcomes for teachers’ first and subsequent classes suggested that the professional development model promotes better outcomes on more complex skills.

Auditory Processing Disorder Evaluation: Using a Reinforcement Paradigm

You have accessThe ASHA LeaderFeature1 Nov 2007Auditory Processing Disorder Evaluation: Using a Reinforcement Paradigm Raymond M. Hurley Raymond M. Hurley Google Scholar More articles by this author https://doi.org/10.1044/leader.FTR1.12152007.5 SectionsAbout ToolsAdd to favorites ShareFacebookTwitterLinked In Many issues associated with auditory processing disorders (APDs) have been debated and researched. For the most part, however, the issue of testee motivation/reinforcement has been ignored except for an article by Silman and colleagues (2000) that demonstrated changes in APD test performance through the use of reinforcement. During the last two years, I was asked to consult on the APD evaluation of two boys, ages 10 and 11. Each of these children had been diagnosed with a reading disorder, but had normal speech and language. The children’s school system tested them for an APD with positive results. The testers’ comments suggested poor motivation on the part of the two boys in performing the APD tests. The motivation issue was also noted in the teachers’ comments, which characterized each child as not highly motivated. Recalling the article by Silman et al. (2000), I consulted with both sets of parents about the motivation issue and suggested that the two boys be retested using a reinforcement paradigm; the parents agreed. During discussion with the parents, I asked about suitable reinforcement. By coincidence, both sets of parents said their sons were highly motivated to save money—one wanted to purchase a new skateboard and the other wanted to purchase upgrades for his BMX bicycle. Further, the parents volunteered to provide the reinforcement money. The re-testing was conducted three to four weeks after the original testing, using the Filtered Speech Test (FST), the Dichotic Digits Test (DDT), and the Pitch Pattern Test (PPT), whose performance characteristics and norms I had previously investigated (Singer, Hurley & Preece, 1998). Each boy was told that he would receive 25 cents for each correct response. The results of these tests are presented in Figure 1, which compares the initial evaluation performance to the re-evaluation performance obtained using reinforcement. The test scores depicted in Figure 1 are composite scores, representing the average of the right and left ear scores, as the individual ear scores for each test were symmetrical. Each boy demonstrated enough improvement in each of the three APD tests using a reinforcement paradigm to move his performance from below normal to normal. These results suggest that the original test may have been influenced by these children’s low motivation. If these children truly had an APD, their performance should not have moved from below normal to normal with increased motivation, i.e., reinforcement. Arguably, the improved test performance may have been the result of a learning effect; however, the time between testing was three to four weeks and the improved performance was across all three tests. After an intensive remedial reading experience, both boys are reading at near grade level with no other reported academic problems. The take-home messages from these case studies are: 1) motivation must be considered in APD evaluation, as children may be misdiagnosed as having an APD; and 2) motivation/reinforcement in APD assessment needs further study. ASHA Special Interest Division 6, Hearing and Hearing Disorders: Research and Diagnostics contributed this article. The division offers affiliates the opportunity to earn CEUs through self-study of its peer-reviewed publication, Perspectives; an exclusive e-mail list and Web forum; and other benefits. To learn more, visit Division 6’s Web page. References Silman S., Silverman C. A., & Emmer M. B. (2000). Central auditory processing disorders and reduced motivation: three case studies.Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, 11, 57–63. Google Scholar Singer J., Hurley R. M., & Preece J. (1998). Effectiveness of central auditory processing (CAP) tests with children.American Journal of Audiology, 7, 73–84. LinkGoogle Scholar Author Notes Raymond M. Hurley, is an associate professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of South Florida, Tampa. Contact him at [email protected]. Advertising Disclaimer | Advertise With Us Advertising Disclaimer | Advertise With Us Additional Resources FiguresSourcesRelatedDetails Volume 12Issue 15November 2007 Get Permissions Add to your Mendeley library History Published in print: Nov 1, 2007 Metrics Downloaded 235 times Topicsasha-topicsleader_do_tagleader-topicsasha-article-typesCopyright & Permissions© 2007 American Speech-Language-Hearing AssociationLoading ...

Using Planned Enrichment Strategies with Direct Instruction to Improve Reading Fluency, Comprehension, and Attitude toward Reading: An Evidence‐Based Study

In this study, we used a randomized design to investigate the effects of an enriched reading program on 226 urban elementary students’ (third through sixth grade) reading comprehension, oral reading fluency, and attitude toward reading in 2 elementary schools. The Schoolwide Enrichment Model in Reading Framework (SEM‐R) provides enriched reading experiences by exposing students to books in their areas of interest, daily supported independent reading of challenging self‐selected books using differentiated reading instruction, and interest‐based choice opportunities in reading. Prior to the study, a daily 1‐hour afternoon remedial literacy program was mandated by the district using workbooks and test‐preparation instruction in an attempt to increase reading scores. In the study, 14 teachers were randomly assigned to teach the treatment or a control group during this afternoon literacy block, and students were randomly assigned either to participate in the SEM‐R treatment group or to a control group that continued to receive remedial reading instruction and test preparation for 12 weeks. In addition, all students participated in the direct instructional approach, Success for All, for 90 minutes each morning. Results on oral reading fluency tests and attitudes toward reading scales indicated that students in the SEM‐R treatment group scored statistically significantly higher than control students in both oral reading fluency and attitude toward reading.

Explicit instruction in phonemic awareness and phonemically based decoding skills as an intervention strategy for struggling readers in whole language classrooms

The aim of this study was to determine whether explicit instruction in phonemic awareness and phonemically based decoding skills would be an effective intervention strategy for children with early reading difficulties in a whole language instructional environment. Twenty-four 6- and 7-year-old struggling readers were randomly assigned to an intervention or control group, with the intervention group being divided into four groups of three children each. The intervention program was carried out over a period of 24 weeks and comprised 56 highly sequenced, semi-scripted lessons in phonemic awareness and alphabetic coding skills delivered by a teacher aide who received training and ongoing support from a remedial reading specialist. Posttests results showed that the intervention group significantly outperformed the control group on measures of phonemic awareness, pseudoword decoding, context free word recognition, and reading comprehension. Two-year follow-up data indicated that the positive effects of the intervention program were not only maintained but had generalized to word recognition accuracy in connected text.

Assessing more than you teach: the difficult case of transfer

We conducted two case studies to evaluate the effectiveness of individualized remedial reading instruction linked to direct measures of student learning and transfer. The participants were two first grade children at serious risk of reading failure. The instruction targeted decoding of one syllable short vowel words and first emphasized onset-rimes and then phoneme manipulation. Forty words organized into 10 rime patterns were targeted for instruction. Probes consisting of all the instructional words were administered before each instructional session to monitor student progress. We also administered transfer probes to determine if the children could apply their knowledge more broadly. Instruction with onset-rime units yielded excellent maintenance and near transfer (novel words containing instructed rimes) but not far transfer (novel words derived from uninstructed rimes). The instructional change to phoneme manipulation yielded better far transfer for one of the two children. We consider the importance of administering measures that assess more than what is taught to get an accurate portrait of children’s responsiveness to instruction.

Reading Lessons and Federal Policy Making: An Overview and Introduction to the Special Issue

Previous articleNext article No AccessReading Lessons and Federal Policy Making: An Overview and Introduction to the Special IssueRichard L. AllingtonRichard L. AllingtonUniversity of Tennessee Search for more articles by this author University of TennesseePDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Elementary School Journal Volume 107, Number 1September 2006 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/509523 Views: 99Total views on this site Citations: 11Citations are reported from Crossref © 2006 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Katherine K. Frankel Remedial Reading Programs: Identification, Instruction, and Impacts of a Separate System for Learning, (Sep 2022): 61–87.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08510-9_3Brian Gearin, Jessica Turtura, Edward J. Kame’enui, Nancy J. Nelson, Hank Fien A Multiple Streams Analysis of Recent Changes to State-Level Dyslexia Education Law, Educational Policy 41 (Oct 2018): 089590481880732.https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904818807328Min Sun, Kenneth A. Frank, William R. Penuel, Chong Min Kim How External Institutions Penetrate Schools Through Formal and Informal Leaders, Educational Administration Quarterly 49, no.44 (Mar 2013): 610–644.https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X12468148Gary E. Bingham, Kendra M. Hall-Kenyon Examining teachers' beliefs about and implementation of a balanced literacy framework, Journal of Research in Reading 36, no.11 (Feb 2011): 14–28.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9817.2010.01483.x Research Synthesis and Education Policy, (Sep 2012): 170–178.https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203880968-21Amy Noelle Parks, Sarah Bridges-Rhoads Overly Scripted: Exploring the Impact of a Scripted Literacy Curriculum on a Preschool Teacher's Instructional Practices in Mathematics, Journal of Research in Childhood Education 26, no.33 (Jul 2012): 308–324.https://doi.org/10.1080/02568543.2012.684422Terri D. Pigott Generalizations from Meta-analysis, (Dec 2011): 133–141.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-2278-5_9 Peter H. Johnston Response to Intervention in Literacy: Problems and Possibilities, The Elementary School Journal 111, no.44 (Jul 2015): 511–534.https://doi.org/10.1086/659030S. Michael Putman, Lawrence L. Smith, Jerrell C. Cassady Moving Beyond Legislation to Create and Sustain Intentionality in Reading Instruction, The Educational Forum 73, no.44 (Oct 2009): 318–332.https://doi.org/10.1080/00131720903166846S. Michael Putman, Lawrence L. Smith, Jerrell C. Cassady Promoting Change Through Professional Development: The Place of Teacher Intentionality in Reading Instruction, Literacy Research and Instruction 48, no.33 (May 2009): 207–220.https://doi.org/10.1080/19388070802251988IRENE W. GASKINS, LINDA D. LABBO Diverse perspectives on helping young children build important foundational language and print skills, Reading Research Quarterly 42, no.33 (Nov 2011): 438–451.https://doi.org/10.1598/RRQ.42.3.10

Re-imagining the Means to Provide Our Children with the Tools of Information and Education

Recently I was ensconced with others from the Pennsylvania Governor's Commission for College and Career Success in an Alexandria, Virginia, retreat, and the data we received were sour. Our host was Achieve, www.achieve.org, a twenty-two-state nonprofit coalition of state government, business, and education leaders concerned about what they see as inadequate preparation of American youth for postsecondary education, work, and citizenship. Achieve staff and colleagues from Education Trust, www2.edtrust.org/edtrust, reported that among ninth-grade students in the United States, 32 percent will not complete high school; 40 percent will enter college, but only 27 percent will enter their post-secondary sophomore class; and only 18 percent of the ninth-grade class will earn a college degree. The working hypothesis is that America's K-12 students are not adequately prepared for college or career success. No argument here. The data highlight educational failure. They also suggest deep strains of inequality. Nearly 80 percent of whites will graduate from high school, but only 50 percent of Latino and African American youth will receive secondary school diplomas. Extended through higher education, the gap widens. Only six out of 100 Latino youth entering American kindergartens will complete a four-year college degree. For every one hundred African Americans entering kindergarten, only sixteen will earn a bachelor's degree. Racial inequality is not the only driving force. Family income is a powerful predictor of educational resources beyond reach. Regardless of race, by age 24 nearly half of all young people from high-income families have graduated from college. The number of individuals earning college degrees plummets to seven for every 100 young people from low-income families. By the end of the presentation, we could feel the rush of air currents generated by the force of heads shaking in disbelief. Among those who complete high school and enter a two- or four-year college, nearly one-third will need at least one remedial writing, reading, or math course. Among two- and four-year college students, 76 percent who need remedial reading courses and 68 percent who need remedial math courses will not complete their degrees. But what about the commitment that no child will be left behind? The American high school graduation rate is lower now than it was in 1982. The press in many states have reported significant reading improvements, but the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, www.edexcellence.net/foundation/global/index.cfm, found that among twenty states claiming gains in the percentage of eighth graders scoring Proficient on state reading tests since 2003, only three states documented progress at even a Basic level when the U.S. Department of Education sponsored National Assessment of Educational Progress measures, www.nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard, were applied. Basic is at the bottom of the scale. Achieve leaders identified some implications, focusing primarily on the thesis that without a highly educated population, the United States cannot compete globally. While economics and standard of living salaries account for some of the American rush to outsource manufacturing, research, and information industries to other nations, the failure to keep up with-let alone lead-other nations in educational accomplishment is foreboding. Even at the college and university level, international students increasingly are turning to alternatives outside the United States. Also of importance, especially in light of the difference in educational outcomes between youth from high- and low-income families, there is a $2.5 million difference in earning potential between the educational haves-those with a college degree-and the educational have-nots. The current educational dynamic has all the earmarks of a closed loop. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, in his just published treatise, Active Liberty, provides another reason for concern that is particularly relevant to those who teach, study, and practice the scholarship and professions of communication. …

Effects of a Peer-Mediated Phonological Skill and Reading Comprehension Program on Reading Skill Acquisition for Middle School Students with Reading Disabilities

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a peer-mediated instructional approach on the teaching of phonological skills and reading comprehension for middle school (sixth- to eighth-grade) students with reading disabilities. All students (n = 38) were identified as having learning disabilities and reading at the third-grade level or below. One group was taught using a peer-mediated phonological skill program, Linguistics Skills Training (LST), and a peer-mediated reading comprehension program, Peer Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS). The contrast group was taught in the more traditional whole-class format using a widely implemented remedial reading program. The results showed significant differences between conditions, with students receiving the LST/PALS instruction outperforming the contrast group on Letter-Word Identification, Word Attack, and Passage Comprehension using the Woodcock-Johnson Test of Achievement-III. Furthermore, large effect sizes for growth were found on Letter-Word Identification, Word Attack, and Passage Comprehension for the LST/PALS treatment group. No differences were found between conditions for reading fluency. Findings are discussed in regard to instruction delivery format (peer tutoring vs. whole class) with respect to best practices for middle school students with reading disabilities.

Gender Differences in ADHD Subtype Comorbidity

To examine gender differences in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder ("ADHD") symptom comorbidity with "oppositional defiant disorder", "conduct disorder", "separation anxiety disorder", "generalized anxiety disorder", speech therapy, and remedial reading in children. From 1994 to 1995, data from a large sample (N = 4,371) of twins and siblings studied in the Australian Twin ADHD Project were obtained by mailed DSM-IV-based questionnaires, investigating patterns of comorbidity in the three subtypes of "ADHD": "inattentive", "hyperactive/impulsive", and "combined". A total of 1,550 questionnaires were returned (87%) over the next 12 to 18 months. Analysis of variance showed significant between-group differences in males and females for inattention and hyperactive/impulsive symptom counts with higher rates of "oppositional defiant disorder" and "conduct disorder" in males, and higher rates of "separation anxiety disorder" in females indicating internalizing disorders are more common in females and externalizing disorders are occurring more often in males. Differences were found between the "ADHD" subtypes and the no ADHD category for all comorbid conditions, for both males and females. Children without ADHD consistently had fewer symptoms, while children with the combined subtype showed consistently more comorbid symptoms indicating a strong relationship between high rates of externalizing symptoms and high rates of internalizing symptoms. Gender differences in speech therapy were significant only for the children without ADHD. The rates of "separation anxiety disorder" were higher in females with the "inattention" subtype and the rate of "generalized anxiety disorder" higher for females with the "combined" subtype, indicating that the subtypes of ADHD were associated with these internalizing disorders in different ways. Although comorbidity differs among ADHD subtypes, there were no significant gender differences in comorbidity for externalizing disorders. Inattentive girls may present with anxiety. Clinical approaches for both males and females should be sensitive to possible language and reading problems.

Do supplemental remedial reading programs address the motivational issues of struggling readers? An analysis of five popular programs

Five popular, but distinctly different, remedial reading programs were reviewed regarding the potential to motivate children to read. It is argued that current remedial reading program designs and research on program effectiveness ignore the impact that motivation has on struggling readers. In addition, we develop a theory of reading motivation specific to struggling readers that highlights motivational constructs we feel are important to the improvement of reading skill for this population of students. The three aspects of reading motivation most relevant to the instruction of remedial readers include: (a) improving reading self‐efficacy; (b) making internal and controllable outcome attributions for successes and failures associated with reading; and (c) establishing personally relevant value in becoming a better reader. We conclude that, while most programs address some motivational issues and other issues not at all, most programs could make minor modifications that would greatly enhance their motivational impact.

A Critical Analysis of the Sources of Reading Recovery: An Empiricist Perspective

This discussion of the sources of Reading Recovery presents the results of an investigation into whether or not this relatively costly, tutoring remedial reading program, designed for primary-grade students, is based on relevant experimental evidence as to how these students best learn to read. The general finding of the study was that Reading Recovery principles and practices are not based firmly on the experimental evidence that supports the so-called “bottom-up” model of children's reading development. To the contrary of Reading Recovery, Marie Clay, favors so-called “top-down” principles and models of reading instruction. Reading Recovery uses several empirically unverified procedures to decide which students are admitted to its tutoring sessions, to determine the progress in reading rehabilitation these tutees make, and to judge when students should be discontinued from Reading Recovery tutelage. The details on the shortcomings of Reading Recovery are judged to be prima facie evidence that it may not be a cost-effective educational innovation. Further authentication in that regard, it is pointed out, are recent studies by disinterested researchers who report that: (a) the initial successes of Reading Recovery in helping disabled readers overcome their handicap are only temporary in nature, and (b) the majority of the precepts and procedures prescribed for Reading Recovery by Marie Clay reflect a top-down orientation to reading development, as does the Whole Language (WL) philosophy of reading attainment. Educators and school boards should take this orientation of Reading Recovery under advisement when considering its purchase, it is urged.

Effects of Intensive Reading Remediation for Second and Third Graders and a 1-Year Follow-Up.

Second- and 3rd-grade children with poor word-level skills were randomly assigned to 8 months of explicit instruction emphasizing the phonologic and orthographic connections in words and text-based reading or to remedial reading programs provided by the schools. At posttest, treatment children showed significantly greater gains than control children in real word and nonword reading, reading rate, passage reading, and spelling, and largely maintained gains at a 1-year follow-up. Growth curve analyses indicated significant differences in growth rate during the treatment year, but not during the follow-up year. Results indicate that research-based practices can significantly improve reading and spelling outcomes for children in remedial programs.

A Combined Phonotogical Awareness, Whole Language, and Metacognitive Approach to Teach Reading to Reading Resistors

In the present study we investigated the effectiveness of a reading remediation program for reading disabled (RD) students that was based on phonological awareness, as well as incorporating aspects of whole language and netacognitive instruction. Participants consisted primarily of treatment resistant RD students (N = 68; age range: 6-17 years) with a mean age Of 11.3 years, referred to a reading clinic at a school dedicated to working with children with learning disabilities. Pre/post intervention measures were analyzed by repeated measures multivariate analyzed of variance (MANONVA). Results (Wilk's Lambda = .33, F(7,49) = 14.16, p< .ooi) indicated students' phonological awareness, reading comprehension and, to a lessor extent, spelling had improved post intervention (Cohen's d ranged from .14 to .82). The results are discussed in relation to current research on remedial reading programs and reading treatment resistors.

A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Special Education Referral Process: A case study

In this article, I explore a case study of the special education referral process as an institutional site of exploring the intersection of power, discourse and subjectivities. I engage with critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) (Fairclough, Critical Discourse Analysis: the critical study of language , New York, Longman, 1995; Language and Power , London, Longman, 1989) as an analytic and social tool to uncover the webs of discursive practices involved in institutional decision-making. I focus on the process through which identities are constructed through discourse. I present three different interpretations from the beginning of the referral process: (1) the classroom teacher, (2) the remedial reading teacher, and (3) the parent of the child who was referred. In juxtaposing these interview texts I demonstrate how the teachers and June Treader, the parent, perceive the intention of the referral process differently. The school views the referral process as definitive while the mother views the referral as exploratory, to learn more about her daughter. I call on CDA--particularly the domains of discourse and style--as a means to explore and explain the differences in assumptions at the beginning of the referral process. This analysis demonstrates that despite the differences in interpretation at the beginning of the process there is remarkable similarity between the three participants around the values, beliefs and assumptions of 'schooled literacy'. This research suggests the need to expand on frameworks that conceptualize 'conflict' between discourse practices to consider the consequences of alignment.

Teacher Development Through Action Research : a Case Study in Focused Action Research.

'Focused action research' was employed in a teacher inservice program which sought to develop a fusion between trainer-centred input and teacher-centred action research. The areas of input to teachers were learning strategies, thinking skills, questioning skills and the teaching of study skills. During the four months of this action research project of the teacher educators, teachers experienced two cycles of action research, one investigating their students' learning strategies and the second implementing a plan to improve some aspect of their students' learning - such as summary writing, remedial reading, hotseating, introducing group work, vocabulary-learning techniques - and wrote reports on their work. Although there was no evidence that the gains made transferred into the following school year the teachers both displayed and reported an increase in reflection during the project and immediately after it. Issues of sustaining transfer need to be addressed.

The Academic Writing of Community College Remedial Students: Text and Learner Variables.

Community college remedial reading studentscomposed an informational report from sources,a task commonly assigned in higher educationthat integrally combines reading and writingprocesses. Productivity, use of source text,reproductions, accuracy, and inclusion of keyideas were analyzed as a function of twoexogenous variables, text density (high, low)and domain (health, business), and twoendogenous variables, prior knowledge andgeneral literacy skill. Text densityinteracted with literacy skill forproductivity, and with prior knowledge foraccuracy. Individuals with lower literacy orprior knowledge scores were at a disadvantagewith high but not low density source text. Domain affected productivity, use of source,and inclusion of key ideas: health text wasassociated with superior performance. Domaineffects may be explained by metacognitive ormotivational variables, or differences in thereadability of the source texts. The resultshave implications for instruction aimed atimproving community college students'preparedness for the academic demands of highereducation.

Done in Sixty Seconds: Further Analysis of the Brief Assessment Model for Academic Problems

A brief experimental analysis of four instructional strategies was administered to 5 children referred for remedial reading services. Using a multi-element design, examiners compared the relative effects of incentives, repeated practice, increased learning trials, and easier materials on oral reading fluency. Assessment isolated a single, effective strategy for each child. Alternating treatment designs were then employed to assess the differential effects of the selected strategy across time and on repeated measures of word acquisition and generalization. For 4 of 5 children, the effects of the selected strategy were stable across time and collateral effects on generalization passages were observed. For 2 of these children, collateral improvements on word acquisition were also observed. Strengths and limitations of an emerging assessment technology for academic problems are discussed.

Safety Words Inventory and Literacy Screener: Standardization and Validation

When evaluating a school-aged patient, particularly for such issues as attention deficit disorder, or learning disabilities, health-care providers are encouraged to appraise children's school performance. Although some clinicians seek teachers' comments, recent research suggests that teachers' appraisals have limited value. As a consequence, health-care providers need brief methods, functional for busy primary care clinics, for detecting school problems. Because well-visits also include other services such as anticipatory guidance and safety and injury counseling, it would be helpful for detection tools to facilitate delivery of more than one aspect of well-child care. This study was undertaken to develop a brief method for evaluating school performance for elementary-age children and test its accuracy in identifying children with reading and other academic problems. By using common safety signs as the test stimuli, such a tool should also serve as a springboard to injury prevention counseling. Data were drawn from the standardization and validation data of an individually administered wide-range diagnostic achievement test using a geographically diverse, nationally representative sample of 934 children between 5 and 13 years of age. Children were administered the Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills-Revised (CIBS-R), which includes among its 10 subtests a 57-item measure of safety word recognition. Data were collected from previously administered measures of academics and intelligence. Forty-one children were administered the measure twice to assess inter-rater reliability. Logistic regression analyses were deployed using children's performance on the nine other subtests of the CIBS-R as the grouping variable, and as predictors, recognition of 57 safety words/phrases. Of these, 22 safety signs (e.g., "Keep out," "No Trespassing," "Danger") were significant predictors of overall academic performance. An additional seven safety words were added due to their ecological significance (e.g., "High Voltage," "Beware of Dog," "Poison," etc.). Receiver operating characteristic was used to determine cut scores based on children's ages in relation to overall academic performance. Cut scores increased with age and produced sensitivity of 78% (range, 73%-88%) and specificity of 84% (range, 77%-87%) to academic performance above and below the 25th percentile--the point where children typically fail to benefit from group instruction and become eligible for remedial reading programs (such as Title I). Children with performance below cut scores were 11 times more likely to have been retained in grade and five times more likely to receive a teacher rating of below average than were children performing above cut scores. Nevertheless, 72% of children with poor performance were not receiving special education or Title I services. Interrater reliability coefficients were high and ranged from .64 to .98. Extrapolating administration times from data on the CIBS-R as a whole suggests the reduced safety words measure takes 3 to 4 minutes to administer and score. The new measure, called the Safety Word Inventory and Literacy Screener (SWILS), consists of 29 words, takes little time to administer and score, and has a high degree of sensitivity and specificity to academic deficits. Use of the SWILS in primary care should enable clinicians to provide focused safety counseling while also screening for school problems.

Changing the Pace of School: Slowing down the Day to Improve the Quality of Learning

True learning requires time: time to wonder, time to pause, time to look closely, time to share, time to pay attention to what is most important, Mr. Wood reminds us. Time is major resource at our disposal, and we must address how we use it to improve academic learning and performance. CHANGES in educational approaches, beliefs, and practices come faster today than most teachers, parents, and children can begin to assimilate. New initiatives, curricula, and tests are piled one upon other in suffocating layers, leaving little time for learning how to use them well. Take, for example, a small urban school district in which I have worked as a consulting teacher for past three years. During this time, many major elementary curricular initiatives have been started, several others have been abandoned, and now a brand-new superintendent and central office administration are busy reorganizing what exists. This is typical. Speedy results are seen as politically necessary. When new approaches are not successful immediately, they are abandoned in favor of even newer ones. In repeated and accelerated cycles of change, it is children who suffer. Hurried through school day and through grade levels, they are left with little time to reflect on what they are learning or where their lives are headed. This year's reform will take place during one year when Belle is 7. Next year's reading craze will have to be Steven's best shot at learning to read. cannot give these children back their childhood years. Rather than being democratic, child-centered learning communities that they should be, our schools are once again becoming fact factories, cramming more into every minute of every hour of every day. schedule is chopped into small pieces of time with little connection or continuity. Even youngest children in elementary schools come and go all day long for such purposes as remedial reading, computer lab, physical education, anti-drug instruction, and dental screenings. Meanwhile, children in middle schools must contend with rotating daily schedules that continually confuse and frustrate them, not to mention their teachers. Lessons are served in bite-sized portions that can be quickly swallowed and digested. And there always seems to be more curriculum to cover and more tests to take -- but never any time added to day. Children and teachers are left gasping for air. If this sounds overstated, just ask any teacher about pace of school day. As a teacher of teachers, I constantly hear frustrated voices of dedicated professionals as they grow more and more concerned: just isn't enough time. The day is so rushed; we're always going from one place to another. The kids beg me to keep going, to finish stuff. I feel like such a time tyrant, but we have so much curriculum to cover. Or walk into any school and ask a student about time: We don't have time to finish anything. The teacher always says we'll finish later, but we hardly ever do. We're always rushing. If math class was longer, I might get it better. must stop hurrying children and give them adequate time for learning. assembly-line model of production is an outmoded and alienating system, destined to create failure in our schools. For this new century of information and speedy communication, we clearly need different models of learning communities -- models that foster thinking, dialogue, and meaningful relationships. But transformation is no easy If education is going to truly fulfill its public mission of teaching academic skills and modeling social standards, we need more clarity, more planning, and less impulsive, reactive implementation of the latest best thing. There is an urgent need in our schools for increased accountability and more focused attention on basic skills. But that very urgency must not lead us to rush. …