O'Connor, Rollanda E.; And Others (1996). Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED394129
Reviewed: August 2007
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Please see the WWC summary of evidence for Ladders to Literacy.
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Segmenting |
Ladders to Literacy vs. None |
pretest |
Kindergarten;
|
23.70 |
9.50 |
Yes |
|
|
|
Blending |
Ladders to Literacy vs. None |
pretest |
Kindergarten;
|
15.50 |
11.20 |
Yes |
|
|
|
Sound repetition |
Ladders to Literacy vs. None |
pretest |
Kindergarten;
|
10.90 |
10.00 |
Yes |
|
|
|
First sound |
Ladders to Literacy vs. None |
pretest |
Kindergarten;
|
10.30 |
8.90 |
Yes |
|
|
|
Woodcock-Johnson (WJ): Letter-Word Identification subtest |
Ladders to Literacy vs. None |
pretest |
Kindergarten;
|
99.30 |
96.10 |
No |
-- | |
|
Rhyme production |
Ladders to Literacy vs. None |
pretest |
Kindergarten;
|
9.60 |
9.10 |
No |
-- | |
|
Rapid letter naming |
Ladders to Literacy vs. None |
pretest |
Kindergarten;
|
38.80 |
35.70 |
No |
-- |
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT) |
Ladders to Literacy vs. None |
pretest |
Kindergarten (children without disabilities);
|
103.80 |
100.20 |
No |
-- |
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Fluency |
Ladders to Literacy vs. None |
pretest |
Kindergarten;
|
66.70 |
42.50 |
Yes |
|
|
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
| Black | 52% | |
| Other or unknown | 2% | |
| White | 46% |
The study took place in a large, urban school district.
Three general Kindergarten teachers and two transition teachers (of children repeating Kindergarten) agreed to participate. The two transition teachers were randomly assigned to treatment or control conditions. The three regular classroom teachers were not randomly assigned to the treatment or comparison condition. Students were matched by type of classroom (general or repeating Kindergarteners). In the combined analysis 42 students from three classrooms were in the intervention group and 24 students from two classrooms were in the comparison group.2 Intervention and comparison students had comparable performance on pretests. The ethnic distribution in the school district, reflected in the composition of three general classes, was 52% African-American, 46% Caucasian, and 2% other ethnicities. The distribution in the transition classrooms was 65% African-American, 25% Caucasian, and 10% other ethnicities. Transition classes for children who repeat Kindergarten had reduced class sizes (12 to 15 students compared to 21 to 25 students in the regular Kindergartens). Longitudinal findings at the end of first grade are presented in Appendix A4.3.
The intervention was a supplement to a normal pre-reading instruction. Children in three intervention classes were given twenty-five Ladders to Literacy activities over the 6-month intervention period. In the first two months activities stimulated word and syllable awareness. The third and fourth months focused on rhyming, first sound isolation, and onset-rime level blending and segmenting. Letters and sounds were added to phonological activities in the final two months, when children were shown how to use a letter sound to match pictures that start the same. At this point the auditory blending games became more sophisticated, separating each spoken phoneme. In the two general Kindergartens, teachers conducted these activities in short sessions (5 to 15 minutes long) with their whole group of 21 to 25 students. In the transition class, the teachers and assistants usually conducted activities in smaller groups of 3 to 6 students.
Children in two comparison classes received the same district-wide pre-reading curriculum as the intervention group. They did not practice auditory blending, segmenting words beyond the first letter, or selecting letters to represent sounds. The comparison transition class included finger-point reading of Big Books in addition to the general curriculum.
For both pretest and posttest, the authors administered the Peabody Picture Vocabulary test, the Letter-Word Identification subtest of the Woodcock-Johnson Test of Achievement, and also Rhyme Production, Segmenting, Blending, First Sound, Sound Repetition, and Rapid Letter Naming tests. For the follow-up tests conducted at the end of first grade, the authors administered a segmentation measure and the Word Attack and Word Identification subtests of the Woodcock Johnson Test of Achievement. The Dictation subtest of the Woodcock Johnson Tests of Achievement and Test of Written Spelling were also used in the study but are not included because they are outside the scope of this Beginning Reading review. (See Appendices A2.1–2.3 for more detailed descriptions of outcome measures.)
Teachers in the intervention condition received 10 in-service training sessions spaced over the school year. Sessions reviewed materials, discussed the conceptual basis for each activity, and offered practical suggestions for incorporating activities into the class routines and feedback on implementation of earlier activities. Bi-weekly visits from the study authors extended teacher training by addressing particular classroom concerns, modifying activities, and monitoring program implementation.
In the case of multiple manuscripts that report on one study, the WWC selects one manuscript as the primary citation and lists other manuscripts that describe the study as additional sources.
O'Connor, R., Notari-Syverson, A., & Vadasy, P F. (1998). Ladders to literacy: The effects of teacher-led phonological activities for kindergarten children with and without disabilities. Exceptional Children, 63(1), 117-130.
O'Connor, R., Notari-Syverson, A., & Vadasy, P. F. (1996). Ladders to literacy: The effects of teacher-led phonological activities for kindergarten children with and without disabilities. Exceptional Children, 63 (1), 117–130.
O'Connor, R. E., & Notari-Syverson, A. (1995). April). Ladders to Literacy: The effects of teacher-led phonological activities for kindergarten children with and without disabilities. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED385378).
An indicator of the effect of the intervention, the improvement index can be interpreted as the expected change in percentile rank for an average comparison group student if that student had received the intervention.
For more, please see the WWC Glossary entry for improvement index.
An outcome is the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are attained as a result of an activity. An outcome measures is an instrument, device, or method that provides data on the outcome.
A finding that is included in the effectiveness rating. Excluded findings may include subgroups and subscales.
The sample on which the analysis was conducted.
The group to which the intervention group is compared, which may include a different intervention, business as usual, or no services.
The timing of the post-intervention outcome measure.
The number of students included in the analysis.
The mean score of students in the intervention group.
The mean score of students in the comparison group.
The WWC considers a finding to be statistically significant if the likelihood that the finding is due to chance alone, rather than a real difference, is less than five percent.
The WWC reviews studies for WWC products, Department of Education grant competitions, and IES performance measures.
The name and version of the document used to guide the review of the study.
The version of the WWC design standards used to guide the review of the study.
The result of the WWC assessment of the study. The rating is based on the strength of evidence of the effectiveness of the intervention. Studies are given a rating of Meets WWC Design Standards without Reservations, Meets WWC Design Standards with Reservations, or >Does Not Meet WWC Design Standards.
A related publication that was reviewed alongside the main study of interest.
Study findings for this report.
Based on the direction, magnitude, and statistical significance of the findings within a domain, the WWC characterizes the findings from a study as one of the following: statistically significant positive effects, substantively important positive effects, indeterminate effects, substantively important negative effects, and statistically significant negative effects. For more, please see the WWC Handbook.
The WWC may review studies for multiple purposes, including different reports and re-reviews using updated standards. Each WWC review of this study is listed in the dropdown. Details on any review may be accessed by making a selection from the drop down list.
Tier 1 Strong indicates strong evidence of effectiveness,
Tier 2 Moderate indicates moderate evidence of effectiveness, and
Tier 3 Promising indicates promising evidence of effectiveness,
as defined in the
non-regulatory guidance for ESSA
and the regulations for ED discretionary grants (EDGAR Part 77).
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