Structured Abstract
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.
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.
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Project contributors
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
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
