Program Announcement: Interventions for Struggling Adolescent and Adult Readers and Writers CFDA 84.305A

Program Officer:
Dr. Elizabeth Albro
Elizabeth.Albro@ed.gov
(202) 219-2148

Purpose

Through its research program on Interventions for Struggling Adolescent and Adult Readers and Writers (Adolescent/Adult Readers), the Institute intends to contribute to the improvement of reading and writing skills among struggling adolescent and adult readers and writers by (1) exploring malleable factors¹ (e.g., instructional practices, curricula) that are associated with better reading or writing outcomes for struggling adolescent and adult readers and writers, as well as mediators and moderators of the relations between these factors and reading or writing outcomes, for the purpose of identifying potential targets of intervention; (2) developing innovative curricula and instructional practices for teaching reading or writing to struggling adolescent and adult readers or writers, or for addressing the underlying causes of their reading or writing difficulties; (3) evaluating the efficacy of curricula and instructional practices for improving reading or writing skills of struggling adolescent or adult readers and writers; (4) evaluating the impact of reading or writing curricula and instructional practices for struggling adolescent and adult readers and writers when implemented at scale; and (5) developing and validating assessments that can be used in instructional settings to support instruction of struggling adolescent and adult readers and writers.

The long-term outcome of this program will be an array of tools and strategies (e.g., assessments, instructional approaches) that have been documented to be effective for improving the reading and writing skills of struggling adolescent and adult readers and writers.

Background

A significant number of adolescent and adult readers are not able to read well enough to make sense of short passages, much less the longer stretches of text that most readers are expected to understand everyday. On the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 26 percent of eighth-graders could not read at the basic level; on the 2005 NAEP, 27 percent of twelfth-graders could not read at the basic level. That is, when reading grade-appropriate text, these adolescents could not extract the general meaning or make obvious connections between the text and their own experiences, or make simple inferences from the text. In other words, they cannot understand what they have read. Studies show that adolescents who are struggling readers are at high risk of dropping out of high school, graduating unprepared for college, and having limited opportunities in the workforce (National Center for Education Statistics 2003).

Although the research base on the basic components of literacy and strategies to help young children learn to read is strong, much less research has examined how to identify, prevent, and remediate reading difficulties in middle and high school students (Snow, Burns, and Griffin 1998). Some middle and high school students struggle with basic reading skills, such as decoding and word recognition. Other adolescent students have learned basic reading skills, but struggle with components that are key to making sense of the texts encountered in middle and high school: vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.

Similarly, the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy finds that 14 percent of adults have no more than the most simple and concrete literacy skills. These adults are able to sign their names and can locate information in short prose texts, but are unable to read and understand material presented in pamphlets or newspaper articles. Another 29 percent of the adult population demonstrates basic prose literacy skills, but cannot perform moderately challenging literacy activities, such as summarizing a text. Given the increasing need for literacy in the workplace (Barton 2000), it is unsurprising that more than half of adults with below basic literacy levels are unemployed. In addition, adults with a basic mastery of prose literacy skills also confront challenges in the workplace. Approximately 38 percent of such individuals are currently unemployed.

In a recent analysis of the writing skills of U.S. adolescents (Graham and Perin 2007), the authors argued that the ability to write well is as important as the ability to comprehend complex text. On the 2007 National Assessment of Education Progress, 68 percent of eighth-graders, and 75 percent of twelfth-graders scored at the Basic or Below Basic level in writing proficiency. These performance levels reflect the perception of postsecondary instructors and employers that many adolescents do not write well enough to succeed in college or the workplace.

Given that substantial numbers of adolescents and adults struggle with the basic tasks of reading and writing, the Institute requests applications targeting the development and evaluation of reading and writing interventions and assessments designed for struggling adolescent and adult readers. By struggling adolescent readers and writers, the Institute means those middle or high school students who have not been identified with disabilities, but whose reading or writing skills are at least two years below grade level. By struggling adult readers and writers, the Institute refers to adults whose reading and writing skills prevent them from carrying out simple daily tasks. Struggling adolescent and adult readers/writers typically have received reading and writing instruction during their schooling, but performed below grade-level expectations. The Institute is particularly interested in research efforts targeting adolescents and adults who may able to read and/or write at some minimum level, but whose performance level impedes their success either in the classroom or workplace. For example, adolescent students may not qualify for special education services, but their performance levels indicate a need for additional reading and/or writing instruction.

Through this program, the Institute intends to support research on the development of innovative interventions that are appropriate for use in middle and high school and/or adult basic education programs. Appropriate interventions include curricula and instructional approaches for struggling adolescent or adult readers and writers. The Institute will also support research to evaluate the impact of such interventions to determine if they actually improve reading or writing outcomes for struggling adolescent or adult learners.

The Institute encourages researchers to explore malleable factors (e.g., curricula, instructional practices) that are associated with better reading or writing outcomes, as well as mediators and moderators of the relations between these factors and reading or writing outcomes, for the purpose of identifying potential targets of intervention. This is translational research intended to inform the development of innovative programs, practices, or products to improve reading or writing outcomes. One approach to the exploration of malleable factors is for researchers to conduct detailed, quantifiable observations of reading or writing instruction (types of instruction, frequency, duration, under what circumstances), and then correlate the instructional data with reading or writing performance. The goal here is to identify what type or combination of instructional activities is associated with better student outcomes. Researchers following this strategy who can identify strong correlates with student performance could use this information as the basis for developing an intervention.

The Institute also intends for the Adolescent/Adult Readers program to address the need to develop and validate reading and writing measurement tools for classroom assessments to be used for instructional purposes (e.g., progress monitoring). To improve reading and writing skills, instruction may need to be tailored to the sources of difficulty that individual students experience. An ideal learning environment might involve regular and frequent assessment of skills, and the possibility of individualized instruction for students based on the particular source of their difficulties. Through Goal Five, the Institute intends to support the development of diagnostic assessments in reading and writing and assessments to monitor progress in reading and writing.

References

Barton, P. E. (2000). What jobs require: Literacy, education, and training, 1940-2006. Washington, DC: Educational Testing Service.

Graham, S., & Perin, D. (2007). Writing next: Effective strategies to improve writing of adolescents in middle and high schools - A report to Carnegie Corporation of New York. Washington, DC:Alliance for Excellent Education.

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). (2003). Remedial education at degree-granting postsecondary institutions in Fall 2000. U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Snow, C. E., Burns, M. S., & Griffin, P. (Eds.), (1998). Preventing reading difficulties in young children. Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences.