Project Activities
Researchers examined the effectiveness of a fully developed supplemental reading intervention for English language learners (ELLs) with reading difficulties (Proactive/Proactiva) when implemented under normal conditions. School district personnel delivered the intervention in school settings across a variety of conditions (i.e., different populations of student participants, different geographic areas) and with a large sample of at-risk ELL students who are learning to read. The intervention was delivered during small group daily reading instruction for students identified as experiencing early reading difficulties. Two randomized control trials were carried out (close extension and near-far extension), each comprised of two cohorts of 10 schools (20 schools per study) with four classrooms per school and 5-10 participating students per classroom. Students participating in the study were Spanish-speaking bilingual first graders who were receiving their literacy instruction in either English or Spanish at the school's discretion. Observations of the intervention and core reading curriculum took place in treatment and control schools. Students were assessed individually at the start of the school year (screening/pre-test), and at the end of grade one (immediate post-test) and two (follow-up).
Structured Abstract
Setting
This study took place in elementary schools in urban Texas, border Texas, small suburban Colorado, and an urban site outside of Texas.
Sample
Students in the study were Spanish-speaking, bilingual first graders who were receiving their literacy instruction in either English or Spanish at the school's discretion. Data was gathered from approximately 400 first-grade students, and their 40 first-grade teachers.
The tested interventions are two early reading interventions for Spanish-speaking students, one in Spanish (Proactiva) and one in English (Proactive). These interventions have roots in SRA's Early Interventions in Reading, a comprehensive, integrated reading, intervention program. Proactive/Proactiva includes a language development component and is more appropriate for ELLs. The Proactive/Proactiva intervention was targeted to first-grade English language learners experiencing early reading difficulties. The 120 lesson intervention curriculum for both English and Spanish was implemented as small group daily reading instruction. The intervention programs for both English and Spanish were composed of 6–10 short daily activities. This typically included word games designed to promote phonemic awareness, practice with letter-sound correspondence for letters or letter combinations, and practice writing letters. Other activities included learning the sound of a new letter or letter combination, reading and writing words and sentences, and comprehension. The intervention has been rigorously tested in both languages and found to have good efficacy in two separate trials for each language.
Research design and methods
Both effectiveness studies used random assignment of schools to either an experimental treatment or a "business as usual" control. Two studies were carried out (close extension and near-far extension), each comprised of two cohorts of 10 schools (20 schools per study) and 5–10 students per classroom, with four classrooms per school. Students participating in the study were all Spanish-speaking, bilingual first graders who were receiving their literacy instruction in either English or Spanish at the school's discretion. The research team screened all first grade students in the school, but schools decided which students were at-risk and merited intervention in addition to their core reading program using their own data and decision rules. The research team followed all students meeting research criteria for intervention, regardless of whether the school identified them for intervention. Additionally, the research team also followed all students identified by the school for intervention, and a small group of students not identified by the school or research team as in need of services in order to assess outcomes for typically developing children in the same classrooms. Observations of intervention and core reading curriculum took place in treatment and control schools using the same observation instruments, and on the same schedule. Students were assessed individually at the start of the school year (screening/pre-test), and at the end of grade one (immediate post-test) and two (follow-up).
Control condition
Schools assigned to the "business-as-usual" control condition continued to deliver their first grade reading curricula, including supplementary interventions, as they typically do.
Key measures
Effectiveness of the treatment in improving students' word level reading skills, reading comprehension, and oral language skills was tested using well-accepted, standardized measures from the Woodcock-Johnson III and the Woodcock Muñoz III. Phonological awareness will be measured using the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing and the Test of Phonological Processing in Spanish. Word reading fluency was assessed using the AIMSWeb first grade benchmark stories. Researcher-developed observation protocols were used to gather fidelity of implementation information.
Data analytic strategy
Research hypotheses were tested using a three-level repeated measures analysis of covariance following an intent-to-treat model. Subsequent to these analyses, researchers examined the role of student and school characteristics as moderators of intervention effectiveness.
Key outcomes
Unlike findings from the prior efficacy studies, the findings from this study did not yield significant differences in favor of the treatment. The project team investigated the identification and pre-intervention performance levels of students in efficacy and effectiveness RCT studies and provided data and compared samples from these studies as one means of explaining variation in findings. Findings indicated that pre-intervention performance levels are higher for students in effectiveness RCT studies. (Barr, et al., 2019).
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Project contributors
Products and publications
Publications:
Barr, C. D., Reutebuch, C. K., Carlson, C. D., Vaughn, S., & Francis, D. J. (2019). Explaining Variation in Findings From Efficacy and Effectiveness Studies for English Reading Interventions for English Learners. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 12(1), 116-134.
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
