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The Read-Write Cycle: An Integrated Model for Instruction and Assessment of Reading Comprehension Through Reading and Writing in the Disciplines

Year: 2005
Name of Institution:
University of California, Riverside
Goal: Development and Innovation
Principal Investigator:
Calfee, Robert
Award Amount: $1,549,795
Award Period: 3 years
Award Number: R305G050069

Description:

Co-Principal Investigator(s): Miller, Roxanne; Chapman University

Purpose: In this project, the researchers aimed to create an effective and generalizable instructional method that teachers could implement across subject areas and grade levels to improve students' reading comprehension. In particular, the goal was to improve reading comprehension to support student knowledge building in content areas. In upper elementary school, students are increasingly expected to master content knowledge independently, and yet many students struggle with reading comprehension and the acquisition of knowledge from text. At the conclusion of this project, researchers aimed to have modified the Read-Write Cycle for use across several content areas and to have data to support its potential effectiveness.

Project Activities:

Structured Abstract

THE FOLLOWING CONTENT DESCRIBES THE PROJECT AT THE TIME OF FUNDING

Setting: A public school district in southern California is the setting for this research study.

Sample: Approximately 1,080 students in grades 3 through 6 are participating in this project. The student body of the participating district is ethnically diverse (55 percent Hispanic, 32 percent White), contains 24 percent of students classified as English language learners, and serves primarily low-income families (75 percent of students district-wide qualify for free or reduced-price lunch). In addition, 36 elementary school teachers are participating in this project.

Intervention: The intervention being studied in this project is the Read-Write Cycle, a comprehensive model for reading/writing instruction and assessment that was originally designed for use in science classes. In this project, the Read-Write Cycle is being developed for use across additional content areas.

Research Design and Methods: During the first phase of this project, teachers receive professional development in the Read-Write Cycle. Content-area literacy curricula and assessment materials are also being developed in Year 1. In phase 2 and 3, experimental teachers are implementing the Read-Write Cycle techniques in their classrooms during content-area instruction. Twenty-four teachers are being randomly assigned to the experimental group, and twelve teachers are being assigned to the control group. All students participating in the research project in phase 2 are being followed into phase 3.

Control Condition: Control group teachers receive no training in the Read-Write Cycle and are continuing with their previous content-area instructional methods throughout the academic year.

Key Measures: Both standardized and researcher-developed measures of reading and writing outcomes are being collected. Both quantitative and qualitative measures are being used, and longitudinal case studies of 15 experimental teachers are being collected.

Data Analytic Strategy: Hierarchical linear modeling is being used to examine the effects of the treatment, and variation in effects as a function of student characteristics.

Products and Publications

ERIC Citations: Find available citations in ERIC for this award here.

Select Publications:

Book chapters

Calfee, R.C., and Miller, R.G. (2005). Breaking Ground: Constructing Authentic Reading-Writing Assessments for Middle and Secondary Students. In R. Indrisano, and J. Paratore (Eds.), Learning to Write, Writing to Learn: Theory and Research in Practice (pp. 203–219). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

Calfee, R.C., and Miller, R.G. (2005). Comprehending Through Composing: Reflections on Reading Assessment Strategies. In S. Paris, and S. Stahl (Eds.), Children's Reading Comprehension and Assessment(pp. 215–233). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Calfee, R.C., and Miller, R.G. (2007). Best Practices in Writing Assessment. In S. Graham, C. Macarthur, and J. Fitzgerald (Eds.), Best Practices in Writing Instruction (pp. 265–286). New York: Guilford Press.

Calfee, R.C., Miller, R.G., Norman, K.A., Wilson, K.M., and Trainin, G. (2006). Learning to do Educational Research. In R.J. Sternberg, and M. Constas (Eds.), Translating Theory and Research Into Educational Practice(pp. 77–104). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum