Maria Adelaida Restrepo

In 2003, 56 percent of Latino 4th graders scored at or below the basic level on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading assessment. Low vocabulary levels were found to be one of the primary correlates of reading comprehension difficulties among Latino children. In this project, the researchers aimed to develop and pilot test a curriculum designed to improve the vocabulary and understanding of abstract language of these at-risk students during their kindergarten year. A...

Oral language skills are essential for reading comprehension and academic success. Young Spanish-speaking English learners may have greater school success through early and intensive language promotion that fosters English language development while building upon a Spanish language foundation. The purpose of this study is to develop a Spanish-English dual language narrative intervention program, complete with training materials, extension vocabulary activities, and progress monitoring tools ...

The primary purpose of this project is to increase fundamental understanding of the role of lower and higher level language skills in listening and reading comprehension, and develop effective classroom-based approaches to increase language, general knowledge, and comprehension skills in prekindergarten through grade three. Researchers will begin by conducting basic studies to identify promising targets for intervention. Interventions will be developed and refined through an iterative proce...

English language learners represent approximately 9.6 percent of all children enrolled in public schools. Eighty percent of students who are English language learners speak Spanish as their native language and Spanish-speaking children represent the fastest growing population in the public schools. Current assessment instruments are inadequate for assessing Spanish speaking students and lead to inappropriate identification and placement of students in special education programs. To addres...