Helyn Kim
About
Former IES employee at NCER
Associated IES Content
Grant
The Social-Emotional Competency Assessment (SECA): Linking Forms Across Districts, Subpopulations, and Grade Levels
The purpose of this project is to create linked forms of the student self-report Social-Emotional Competency Assessment (SECA) across five school districts (located in the east, south, and west), grade levels (3rd through 12th), and subpopulations (gender, race-ethnicity, SES). Doing so tailors forms to align with local practice/standards (including by grade level), to be culturally sustaining for student subpopulations, and to be of manageable length while precise. The proposed strategy bui...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A220253
Grant
RAP Club: Improving Mental Health and School Performance in Urban Eighth Graders
In this project, researchers evaluated the impact of RAP Club, a trauma-informed universal prevention program intended to improve skills for coping with stress among eighth grade students from under-resourced urban communities. Research has shown that chronic stress and trauma exposure negatively impact self-regulation (i.e., executive functioning, emotion regulation) and effective stress response, increasing the risk for emotional and behavioral problems and academic difficulties. However, ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A160082
Preschool Curriculum Evaluation Research
Despite decades of federal, state, and local programs intended to support young children's preparation for schooling, children from families with low incomes continue to begin formal schooling at a disadvantage.
English Learners Policies, Programs, and Practices
The English Learners Policies, Programs, and Practices topic supports research that considers how policies, practices, programs, and other resources can be leveraged to improve education outcomes, reduce the academic achievement gap, and address inequities in education for English Learners (ELs).
Supporting Early Learning From Preschool Through Early Elementary School Grades Network
In FY 2016, the Institute initiated a new grant program, Research Networks Focused on Critical Problems of Policy and Practice, to focus resources and attention on education problems or issues that are high priority for the nation, and to create both a structure and process for researchers who are working on these issues to share ideas, build new knowledge, and strengthen their research and dissemination capacity.
Early Learning Programs and Policies
The Early Learning Programs and Policies (Early Learning) topic supports research on the improvement of school-readiness skills
Grant
BELLA Online: ESL and Classroom Teachers Working Together With Children and Families
The purpose of this study is to design, develop, and test an online professional development (PD) program called Bridging English Language Learning and Academics (BELLA) for improving teacher and student outcomes for working with English Learners (ELs). Teacher outcomes include: 1) increased collaboration between English as a Second Language (ESL) and classroom teachers; 2) implementation of high-impact instructional strategies; and 3) incorporation of students' cultural wealth into the clas...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A220311
Grant
Development and Validation of the Culturally and Racial Equity Sustaining (CARES) Classroom Assessment System
The purpose of this project is to extend, refine, and validate a measurement system to assess culturally- and racial equity-sustaining (CARES) practices in the classroom, leveraging the model that was previously developed with the same acronym to highlight its five relevant domains: Connections to curriculum, Authentic relationships, Reflective thinking, Effective communication, and Sensitivity to student culture. The CARES classroom assessment system (including three instruments initially d...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A220212
Grant
Exploring Heterogeneity Among the U.S. Latino Dual Language Learner Head Start Population: A Secondary Data Analysis
The purpose of this project is to explore the heterogeneity of the Latino dual language learner (DLL) population within Head Start. Specifically, secondary data collected with a sample of Latino DLLs attending Florida Head Start programs will be used to 1) identify subgroups based on their levels of cognitive, linguistic, literacy, and math achievement in both English and Spanish prior to kindergarten entry; 2) identify subgroups based on growth trajectories for language, literacy, and math ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A210182
Grant
Developing and Evaluating Processes for the Dissemination of Effective Universal and Targeted Classroom Management Practices
Universal and targeted classroom management strategies that reduce disruptive student behavior and improve academic achievement are available; yet, teachers' adoption, implementation, and sustainment of these strategies are often limited due to multiple barriers. The goal of this project is to develop and evaluate an innovative implementation support package that combines technologyand strategic resources within the school social network (i.e., influential peers) to reduce barriers to implem...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A210224
Grant
Evaluating the Efficacy of the CLAVES Intervention: An Intervention Focused on Comprehension, Academic Language, and Vocabulary for English Learner Students
This project will test the impact of the Comprehension, Academic Language, and Vocabulary for English Learner Students (CLAVES) program, which is a small-group literacy intervention for 4th and 5th grade English learners to promote academic language and literacy. CLAVES was previously developed and piloted through an IES grant The CLAVES Intervention Project: Developing a Supplemental Intervention for Comprehension, Linguistic Awareness, and Vocabulary in English for Spanish Speakers (R305A1...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A200095
Grant
Exploring Trends and Heterogeneity in the Timing and Effects of English Learner Reclassification: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
The purpose of this project was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of English learner (EL) reclassification studies. Reclassification refers to the determination that an EL student is English proficient and is ready to exit EL classification. The goal of this project was to advance the field's understanding of two critical topics around EL reclassification: (1) timing to reclassification and (2) effects of reclassification on student learning outcomes. By synthesizing and summa...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A200201
Grant
Measuring the English Language Vocabulary Acquisition of Latinx Bilingual Students (Project MELVA-S)
The purpose of this project is to develop an online formative assessment that measures the science vocabulary knowledge of Latinx bilingual students (LBS) with different levels of English and Spanish language proficiencies. Results from the assessments can be used to progress monitor students, help teachers differentiate language and vocabulary instruction, and provide additional science vocabulary supports within a Response-to-Intervention approach.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A200521
Grant
Supporting Reading Comprehension for English Learners Through Inquiry-Based, Language Focused Instruction
In this project, the researchers will develop a new small-group intervention for English learners (ELs) in grades 3 through 5 who have reading comprehension difficulties. The intervention, called the Building Knowledge and Language through Inquiry Framework(KLI), aims to help readers strengthen their language and literacy skills while building new knowledge of interesting topics in the disciplines (science and social studies). The KLI approach aims to build students knowledge of both the lan...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A200283
Grant
Examining Heterogeneity in English Learner Program Effects With Meta-Analysis
Researchers in this study conducted a systematic review to identify rigorous studies of interventions aimed to improve English learner (EL) student learning outcomes and meta-analyze the studies. Researchers used meta-analysis to identify factors related to program effectiveness including characteristics of the studies and their methods, program features, outcome characteristics, sample characteristics, and study settings.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A200082
Grant
Development and Testing of a Research-Based Tier 3 Wraparound Model for Schools
Social, emotional, and behavioral problems are well-documented barriers to academic achievement. Frameworks such as multi-tier system of school supports (MTSS) and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) focus on addressing emotional and behavioral needs of students via effective strategies across tiers. However, at the "Tier 3" intensive level, few research-based strategies exist for students with serious emotional and behavioral challenges (SEBC) that span home, school, and c...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A200050
Grant
Exploring the Effects of Heterogeneous Grouping on English Learners' Language, Reading Comprehension, and Social Network Development
The purpose of this project is to investigate the effects of linguistically heterogeneous grouping compared to homogeneous grouping for English learners (ELs) in the context of a small-group, language-based literacy intervention. Linguistically heterogeneous grouping refers to grouping ELs and non-ELs together, while homogeneous grouping includes only ELs. Grouping decisions are malleable factors under the control of the educational system and vary considerably across schools and classrooms,...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A200069
Grant
Core Academic Language Skills Instrument: Refining the Assessment to Measure and Monitor English Learners' Progress
These researchers will develop and validate a computer-adaptive version of Core Academic Language Skills Instrument (CALS-I.1) for use with both English proficient (EP) and English learner (EL) students in grades 4 through 8. CALS-I.1 is an existing assessment that has been validated to predict EP students' reading comprehension skills based on their performance with academic vocabulary. However, CALS-I.1 was not developed for use with EL students. Research indicates that ELs typically becom...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A190034
Grant
A Close Inspection of the Academic Language Used by K-3 Students
Academic language, defined as language used in school to acquire and express knowledge, is an important early skill that predicts later reading and writing outcomes for students. Unfortunately, reading achievement gaps in later elementary school and beyond may be traced back to gaps in academic language in early elementary school. The purpose of this project was to examine the vocabulary and grammatical features that kindergarten through third grade students produce under various academic co...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A180037
Grant
What Does It Take to Develop Writing Skills for Spanish-speaking English Learners? A Longitudinal Examination of Co-development of Language, Cognitive, and Writing Skills
Writing remains a challenging and understudied skill for all students, including Spanish-English emergent bilingual learners. Although research has produced considerable information about reading for Spanish-English emergent bilingual learners, less is known about the component skills of writing for these students. The purpose of this study was to identify linguistic, cognitive, and transcription factors that contribute to writing development for Spanish-English emergent bilingual learners b...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A180055
Grant
Young Children in Dual Language Education Programs: Language of Instruction, Engagement, Self-concept, Approaches to Learning, and Student-Teacher Relationships as Contributors to Academic Outcomes
In this project, researchers focus on exploring relationships between language of instruction and academic outcomes in the context of dual language (DL) educational programs. The research team will look at two-way immersion DL programs, which provide instruction in both English and a non-English language (in this case, Spanish) to both English learners (ELs) and English-speaking students. DL programs have been posited as a mechanism to reduce the achievement gap for ELs, but more research is...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A180063
Grant
Efficacy of the BELLA Program: ESL and Classroom Teachers Working Together with Students and Families
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of the Bridging English Language Learning and Academics (BELLA) professional development program (previously known as Developing Consultation and Collaboration Skills; DCCS). Despite the large number of English learner (EL) students in K-12 classrooms, a majority of classroom teachers have not had specialized training in instruction for these students. Relatedly, school district administrators have indicated a need for teacher professional ...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A180336
Grant
The Effect of Definitions, Contextual Support, and Cognate Status on 4th Grade Spanish-speaking English Learners' (ELLs) Understanding of Unfamiliar Words in Text
The research team conducted two experiments to inform instructional strategies intended to help Spanish-speaking English learners (ELs) learn the meanings of academic words in English. ELs are more likely than their native English-speaking peers to encounter unfamiliar words when reading, and vocabulary knowledge is a key contributor to reading comprehension and acquisition of content knowledge. In this project, the researchers manipulated the types of definitions, cognates, and context-rela...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A170636
Grant
Improving the Accuracy of Academic Vocabulary Assessment for English Language Learners
The researchers sought to improve understanding of factors that affect assessment of vocabulary knowledge among English learners (ELs) in unintended ways by conducting multiple item-level analyses. Based on those findings, the researchers refined an existing academic vocabulary assessment to be psychometrically and theoretically sound for these students. Results from this study can be used to expand what is known about item characteristics that are differentially difficult for ELs as well as...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A170151
Grant
SRSD+: Development of a Powerful Writing Program for Children in Grades 1 and 2
In this project, researchers will develop and test the promise of a writing intervention called SRSD+ for children in grades 1 and 2. SRSD+ will be an adaptation of Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD), a writing instruction approach that has been shown to be effective for improving writing outcomes for students in upper elementary and secondary school grades. Many students have difficulty writing by the time they get to upper elementary school, and research shows that oral language, t...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A170113
Grant
Optimizing Learning Opportunities for Students' (OLOS) Early Learning Observation System
A Research Network involves several teams of researchers who are working together to address a critical education problem or issue. The objective is to build new knowledge, encourage information sharing, and assist policymakers and practitioners to strengthen education policies and programs and improve student education outcomes. Members of the Early Learning Network will identify malleable factors that support early learning from preschool through early elementary school grades. They will a...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305N160050
Grant
Early Learning Network Lead
The Early Learning Network Lead will provide the programmatic leadership, technical knowledge, and administrative structure needed to ensure the Early Learning Network runs smoothly and accomplishes its goals and objectives. The Network Lead will encourage collaborative efforts across the Research and Assessment Teams and support the dissemination of Network findings and products to practitioners and policymakers. The Network Lead will also provide technical assistance to recipients of Pre...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305N160015
Grant
Boston P-3: Identifying Malleable Factors for Promoting Student Success
This research team will work in collaboration with Boston Public Schools to identify policies, classroom-level factors, and school experiences that are associated with children's school success during pre-k and early elementary school grades. The researchers will collect qualitative and quantitative data to address three issues: 1) how students' cumulative experiences within and across settings affect their development over time; 2) how students' characteristics and skills interact dynamical...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305N160018
Grant
Early Learning Contexts in Rural and Urban Nebraska
The research team will investigate cumulative influences on early learning and achievement for young children at economic disadvantage across rural and urban settings in a Midwestern state. The researchers will examine macro-level policy and micro-level classroom factors: responsiveness (approaches or personal experiences that attend to child need); organization and structure (the capacity of schools and classrooms to function effectively); instructional support (e.g., staff qualifications a...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305N160016
Grant
Building an Effective PK-3 Education System: Actionable Aspects of Policies, Programs, Schools, and Classroom Processes that Promote Children's Learning in the Nation's 11th Largest School District
This research team will examine associations between district policy, classroom processes, and early learning trajectories of low-income children during preschool and the early elementary school grades in Northern Virginia. Specifically, the researchers will examine policies, governance structures, and procedures at the federal, state, and local levels; identify patterns of educational resources in classrooms (i.e., teacher-child interactions, developmentally aligned content, and time expos...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305N160021
Grant
Early Education in Rural North Carolina
This research team will explore malleable factors in early education from preschool through third grade that are believed to promote early learning and development for children. The researchers will focus on rural North Carolina, which is an important context because of the large achievement gaps related to race and income in the rural Southeast.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305N160022
Grant
Early Learning Network: Critical Contributions of Classroom Ecology to Children's Learning
This research team will generate a comprehensive, empirically driven model of the dimensions of classroom ecology that shape children's academic and social development during the elementary grades. This research project builds upon a strong evidence base which suggests that features of the classroom ecology-including objective and subjective properties of the classroom environment-exert a strong influence on children's development owing to the large amount of time children spend within class...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305N160024
Grant
The Oregon English Learner Alliance: A Partnership to Explore Factors Associated with Variation in Outcomes for Current and Former English Learners in Oregon
The number of English language learners (ELLs) in Oregon increased greatly over the past two decades, and ELLs now comprise 10% of the state's K-12 population. Efforts to explore the factors that contribute to ELL academic success are hampered by a lack of information on what differentiates ELLs who are eventually reclassified out of ELL status from those who are not. Furthermore, information describing the instructional programs that ELLs in the state experience needs further development an...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305H140072
Grant
English Learner Vocabulary Acquisition (ELVA): Promoting the Vocabulary and Language Proficiency of Spanish Speaking English Learners in Second Grade
The goal of this project was to create and test an intelligent tutoring system called English Learner Vocabulary Acquisition (ELVA) that increases the vocabulary knowledge, text comprehension and English language proficiency of Spanish-speaking English Learners (ELs) in second grade. The project focused on academic words that are necessary to describe, explain and discuss science phenomena and social studies issues relevant to second grade content that is included in the Common Core State St...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A140471
Grant
Exploring Longitudinal Outcomes and Trajectories for English Language Learners (ELOTE)
The purpose of this grant was to study the academic trajectories and outcomes of secondary immigrant English Language Learners in order to inform district policies, improve instructional and extracurricular programs, and refine classroom practices to better meet the needs of ELLs.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305H140032
Grant
A Researcher-Practitioner Partnership to Promote English Language Learners' Science Learning in the Elementary Grades
This project expanded this collaboration to develop a system of instructional supports in science for ELLs in elementary school and develop a research agenda for the future testing the benefits of the new supports.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305H140021
Grant
Technology-interactive Classroom-embedded Modules for Measuring Challenging Math and Science Skills of ELs
English Language Learners, on average, score lower on math and science assessments than their English-speaking peers. Growing evidence suggests that ELLs who have the opportunity to develop English proficiency and adequate content coverage, including coverage of more complex concepts and skills, may over time do as well as, or better than, their native English-speaking peers. Given that many ELLs are still mastering English, the challenge is to give them access to more complex subject matter...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A140117
Grant
First Grade, Second Language: Uniting Science Knowledge and Literacy Development for English Learners
The purpose of this study was to develop a model of literacy and science integration and associated curriculum materials to help English language learners (ELLs) in first grade become proficient readers, language users, and comprehenders. Building off an existing program for students in grades 2-5 called Seeds of Science/Roots of Reading, the new curriculum creates an authentic language-rich context in which students have systematic opportunities for reading, writing, talking, and 'doing' sc...
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305A130610
Grant
University of Virginia Predoctoral Training Program in Education Sciences (PTPES)
The University of Virginia established the Interdisciplinary Doctoral Training Program in Education Sciences in 2004. Under this 2009 award, the Virginia Education Science Training (VEST) program continued to provided training for fellows.
Federal funding program:
Award number:
R305B090002
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