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Descriptors:
Early Reading; Reading Skills; Executive Function; Kindergarten; Young Children; Acoustics; Phonemes; Phonemic Awareness; Alphabets; Reading; Reaction Time; Inhibition; Short Term Memory; Age; Vocabulary

Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to examine how executive function skills in verbal and nonverbal auditory tasks are related to early reading skills in beginning readers. Kindergarteners (N = 41, aged 5 years) completed verbal (phonemes) and nonverbal (environmental sounds) Continuous Performance tasks yielding measures of executive function (misses, false alarms, and shift) as well as reaction time and D-Prime (sensitivity). Year-end measures of early reading skill included tests of phoneme awareness, letter knowledge, as well as reading (words and nonwords). The children made more errors on the verbal than the nonverbal tasks, suggesting that executive function abilities may differ by task. Adding to the literature on the role of inhibitory skills in reading, verbal inhibitory executive function skills were tied more closely to early reading than other verbal or nonverbal skills when age, short-term memory, and vocabulary were controlled. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Reading Achievement; Intervention; Elementary Education; Developing Nations; Foreign Countries; Early Reading; Emergent Literacy; Best Practices; Reading; Literacy; Children

Abstract:
As governments, donors and implementation organisations re-focus Education for All Goals in terms of quality of education, increasing concerns have been raised over low literacy levels in developing countries. This paper provides key learning from the application of an early reading intervention applied in post-conflict Liberia, which included a robust assessment tool (Early Grade Reading Assessment) to measure the impact of the programme on students' reading levels. A rationale for the design and methodology applied by the two implementing organisations (Research Triangle Institute (RTI) and Concern Worldwide) is provided, situated within the Liberian education context. The paper demonstrates the positive impact on programme quality, contextual relevancy and scale-up that a diagnostic baseline assessment has when linked to a tailored literacy intervention. Lessons learnt are presented to guide the identification of best practice in early literacy interventions at national-level and internationally. (Contains 2 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Reading Achievement; Outcome Measures; Kindergarten; Response to Intervention; Reading Difficulties; Early Reading; Effect Size; Intervention; Comparative Analysis; Academic Achievement; Reading Instruction; Pretests Posttests; Professional Development; Literacy; Reliability

Abstract:
This study compared the effects of Tier 2 reading interventions that operated in response-to-intervention contexts. Kindergarten children (N = 90) who were identified as at risk for reading difficulties were stratified by school and randomly assigned to receive (a) Early Reading Intervention (ERI; Pearson/Scott Foresman, 2004) modified in response to student performance or (b) their schools' typical supplemental reading intervention (regrouping and curriculum pacing adjustments). In both conditions, intervention was provided 30 minutes per day in small groups for approximately 100 sessions. Results indicated no statistically significant group differences on any outcome measures. Between-group effect sizes revealed substantively important differences (Valentine & Cooper, 2003) favoring the ERI responsive condition on multiple measures with effect sizes ranging from 0.35 to 0.59. Overall, findings indicated that the majority of students in both Tier 2 intervention conditions performed above the 30th percentile on posttest measures of word reading measures. (Contains 1 figure and 5 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Spelling; Rhyme; Reading Strategies; Early Reading; Young Children; Reading Instruction; Phoneme Grapheme Correspondence; Word Recognition; Decoding (Reading); Literacy; Reading Ability; Naming; Phonemes

Abstract:
The current work examines children's sensitivity to rime unit spelling-sound correspondences within the context of early word reading as a way of assessing word-specific influences on early word-reading strategies. Sixty 6-7-year-olds participated in an experimental reading task that comprised word items that shared either frequent or infrequent rime unit correspondences. Retrospective self-reports were taken as measures of strategy choice. The results showed that the children were more accurate in identifying word items that shared a common rime unit (consistent items) when compared with those containing infrequent rime units (unique and exception items). Moreover, while nonlexical (phonological) attempts were most frequently applied across all word types, these resulted in lower levels of accuracy, especially for the exception word items. The current data support the argument that children are increasingly sensitive to rime unit sound-spelling correspondences during the early stages of their word reading and the nature of these word-specific orthographic representations shape their reliance on using particular lexical or non-lexical-based word-reading strategies. (Contains 2 figures and 5 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Reading Instruction; Early Reading; Preschool Teachers; Teacher Attitudes; Beliefs; Teacher Characteristics; Decision Making; Case Studies; Observation; Questionnaires; Interviews

Abstract:
Early reading development is a complex process that includes the acquisition of skills such as alphabet recognition, phonemic awareness, and vocabulary development. Early educators make important instructional decisions in their classrooms about how to support these skills. Understanding these decisions, and the beliefs and experiences that contribute to them, is critical to informing improvement. This study explored the daily instructional decisions three Head Start teachers made about reading instruction. Specifically, we wanted to examine the relationships between Head Start teachers' professional, practical and personal experiences and their subsequent instructional choices about reading. Using a multiple case study design, classroom observations, questionnaire, and interview data suggested that teachers held strong beliefs about what constituted appropriate reading instruction. While professional knowledge played a limited role in informing these decisions, their abundant practical and personal knowledge was influential. Understanding teachers' beliefs about early reading can be an important first step in bringing about change in instructional practices. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Preschool Education; Young Children; Individual Characteristics; Reading Skills; Alphabets; Early Reading; Emergent Literacy; Phonological Awareness; Orthographic Symbols; Disadvantaged Youth; Vocabulary; Expressive Language; Receptive Language; Phonemic Awareness; Poverty; At Risk Students

Abstract:
The purpose of the present study was to determine whether there are systematic differences in literacy skills among children from less-advantaged households, using latent profile analysis. Early reading skills were measured using the Early Arithmetic, Reading, and Learning Indicators (EARLI; DiPerna, Morgan, & Lei, 2007) literacy tasks. Participants (N = 166) were 4-year-old children enrolled in Head Start. Results revealed three classifications of children: Profile 1 had the lowest overall literacy skill levels, with relative strength in expressive vocabulary and weaknesses in skills related to letter knowledge (i.e., Alphabet Recitation, Letter Naming); Profile 2 had the highest overall level of literacy skills and a relative strength on the Segmenting task; and Profile 3 showed the greatest variability across the EARLI probe scores, with a relative strength in Alphabet Recitation and weaknesses on tasks measuring phonemic and phonological awareness (i.e., Letter Sounds, Sound Deletion, and Segmenting). Repeated measures ANOVA revealed that, although students in each profile demonstrated skill growth over a 6-month period, significant skill differences still remained between profiles at the end of the preschool year. (Contains 2 figures and 3 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Alphabets; Preschool Children; Writing Ability; Emergent Literacy; Psychology; Literacy; Reading; Beginning Reading; Reading Instruction; Early Reading; Early Childhood Education

Abstract:
This study examined the relations among features of the classroom physical literacy environment (book materials, literacy area and writing materials) and psychological literacy environment (instructional support), and preschool children's gains in two areas of emergent literacy over an academic year. Results showed that features of the physical literacy environment had little direct association with children's gains in emergent literacy, with the exception of quality of literacy area being a positive and significant predictor of children's gains in alphabet knowledge (but not name-writing ability). Rather, the physical and psychological literacy environment seem to be interdependent, particularly with respect to provision of writing materials. Specifically, presence of writing materials is positively and significantly associated with children's growth in alphabet knowledge and name-writing ability only within the context of high-quality, instructionally supportive classrooms. Educational implications are discussed. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Reading Comprehension; Reading Difficulties; Early Reading; Short Term Memory; Grade 2; Grade 1; Reading Tests; Recall (Psychology); Vocabulary; Reading Skills; Reading Fluency; Evaluation Research; Reading Diagnosis; Predictive Measurement; Curriculum Based Assessment; Reading Processes; Naming

Abstract:
In the present study we examined the processing demands of three reading comprehension tests, namely the Woodcock-Johnson Passage Comprehension (WJPC), a Curriculum-Based Measure test (CBM-Maze), and a Recall test, in the early elementary years. Our investigation was theoretically motivated by Perfetti's Verbal Efficiency Theory and examined the contribution of a set of skills that are important in early reading (i.e., rapid naming, phonological processing, orthographic processing, fluency, vocabulary, and working memory) to the three reading comprehension tests. Furthermore, because this set of skills undergo rapid development in the early years, we assessed them in two consecutive years, Grade 1 and Grade 2, before examining their prediction to the three reading comprehension tests in Grade 2. The findings showed that the three reading comprehension tests pose different demands to the young reader. Implications of these findings are discussed with respect to reading comprehension assessment and diagnosis of reading difficulties. (Contains 2 tables and 3 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Early Reading; State Policy; Reading Skills; Reading Comprehension; Government School Relationship; State Departments of Education; Praxis; Reading Improvement; Educational Policy; Program Design; Program Implementation; Vocabulary Development

Abstract:
Reading words and developing larger vocabularies are critical parts of reading proficiency, but these checkpoints do not have significance until young students grasp the meaning behind words. While teachers and the school culture can improve early reading proficiency, legislatures and state education agencies can support such efforts by implementing systemic, replicable models for schools to use. Forty years of well-meaning state and national reading initiatives have not produced significantly higher student mastery. States have developed systemic plans to improve early reading proficiency, but translating these plans into actionable strategies has proven to be the real challenge. This paper provides a first-of-its-kind state policy roadmap. Such a roadmap, when combined with authoritative state leadership, can: (1) Drive effective program design and implementation; (2) Improve practice by strengthening classroom instruction, student assessments, and alternative interventions; (3) Strengthen curricular alignment across the P-3 spectrum; (4) Create systemic solutions, not just results; and (5) Engage stakeholders, including state leaders, teacher prep institutions, educators, students, and families in continuous improvement. This state policy roadmap uses data, research, and state policy examples to illustrate the importance of both system supports and the culture of schools and classrooms--and how each complements and relies on the other. The authors recognize that most states have already journeyed down this road--or are currently traveling down the road--but improving reading performance is one of those problems for which solutions will never be perfect, nor work for everyone. This is a tool to help review and revise policies that will make the journey more successful. Appended are: (1) State Policy Excerpts; and (2) Sample Tools for Screening and Progress Monitoring. (Contains 6 online resources.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Kindergarten; Young Children; Student Characteristics; Early Reading; Reading Skills; Mathematics Skills; Body Composition; Longitudinal Studies; Poverty; Private Schools; Public Schools; Parent Background; Educational Attainment; School Entrance Age; Race; Family (Sociological Unit); Native Language

Abstract:
This brief report provides a demographic profile of the students who attended kindergarten in the United States in the 2010-11 school year using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010-11 (ECLS-K:2011). The ECLS-K:2011 cohort includes students in public and private schools across the United States, students who attended part-day and full-day kindergarten programs, and students who were attending their first year of kindergarten as well as those who were repeating kindergarten. The analyses presented in this report focus on the 3.5 million students who were attending kindergarten for the first time in the 2010-11 school year. Approximately 5 percent of the students in the ECLS-K:2011 cohort were repeating kindergarten and are not represented in the findings in this report. The ECLS-K:2011 is a longitudinal study that will follow a nationally representative sample of students from their kindergarten year to the spring of 2016, when most of them are expected to be in fifth grade. During the first year of data collection, when all children were in kindergarten, data were collected in both the fall and the spring. Approximately 18,200 children enrolled in 970 schools during the 2010-11 school year participated during the kindergarten year. The study will provide information on students' status at entry to school, their transition into school, and their progression through the elementary grades. The longitudinal nature of the ECLS-K:2011 data will enable researchers to study how a wide range of family, school, community, and individual factors are associated with educational, socioemotional, and physical development over time. Information is being collected from the students, their parents/guardians, their teachers, their school administrators, and their before- and after-school care providers. Readers are cautioned not to draw causal inferences based on the results presented. It is important to note that many of the characteristics examined in this report may be related to one another, and complex interactions and relationships among the characteristics were not explored in this report. The variables examined here are just a few of the several thousand that can be examined using the ECLS-K:2011 data. These findings are examples of estimates that can be obtained from the data and are not designed to emphasize any particular issue. In addition, the estimates presented in this report are based on a preliminary version of the ECLS-K:2011 restricted-use data. Estimates produced with the final restricted-use data file, or the public-use data file, may vary. Appended are: (1) Survey Methodology and Glossary; and (2) Standard Error Tables. (Contains 6 tables and 9 footnotes.) [Additional support for this paper was provided by the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families and the Office of English Language Acquisition.] Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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