National Research Center on Rural Education Support

The Rural Early Literacy Initiative

NRCRES: Early School Transition Collaborative

Lynne Vernon-Feagans, PIKirsten Kainz

Kate GallagherSteve Knotek

Marnie GinsbergPledger FedoraSteve Amendum

Kelley MayerJason Rose

Andrea SauerTim Wood

Heather WardMegan Livengood

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to improve the teaching strategies of rural kindergarten and first grade teachers in literacy, with a specific focus on strategies that are effective with struggling readers who do not make reading gains using traditional reading instruction.

Why focus on teacher training in kindergarten and first grade?

• Research has shown that the first few years of school are critical for children’s later school success, especially in the area of reading (Alexander& Entwisle, 1992; Juel, 1988; Vernon-Feagans, Odom, Pancsofar & Kainz, in press; Vernon-Feagans, Gallagher & Kainz, in press;)

• Teachers in rural areas have more experience in teaching and knowledge about the background of their students but teachers have less access to professional development opportunities (GAO report, 2004; Lee & Burkham, 2003)

• Teachers and parents are more satisfied with their schools in rural areas but children come to school with less formal and high quality preschool experiences (Israel, 2004; Vernon-Feagans et al., in press).

Why focus on struggling learners?• Struggling learners are usually the ones that do not make

expected progress (Pianta, 2001; Meisels, 2001)

• This emphasis on struggling learners has been highlighted through disaggregated data mandated by NCLB

• Teachers report these struggling learners are the children

who have the least success in learning and behavior.

• Teachers often attribute poor learning by students on the children’s behavior and/or their home situation.

Why focus on literacy?

• Reading becomes the foundation for subsequent academic learning (Lyon et al., Snow, Burns & Griffin; 1998; Vernon-Feagans, 1996)

• Children’s ability to decode words at the end of first grade accounts for 40% of their reading comprehension during secondary school (Foorman et al., 1997)

The Targeted Reading Intervention (TRI)

• Based on research based evidence• Based on the 5 early reading constructs identified as

most important by Reading First and the National Reading Panel

• Based on research in special education that emphasizes individualized diagnostic teaching

• Specifically geared to children considered struggling readers because they do not make progress with traditional reading approaches.

• Teaching literacy that is always geared to the context of the word and text.

• Teaching conducted in one on one teaching sessions between the teacher and child at least 4 times a week at the beginning of intensive intervention

The TRI Model of Reading

Word Work

Change One Sound

Guided Oral Reading

Collaborative Consultation Model for Rural Teachers

• 3 Day Summer Institute for all teachers, aides, and the principal to learn the TRI strategies

• Help teachers identify 5 struggling readers in their classrooms

• Biweekly visits from UNC Literacy Consultant to meet with individual teachers to model strategies and problem solve about individual children.

• Attend grade level meetings to discuss strategies and problem solve.

• Daily consultation from the on-site literacy consultant identified by the principal as someone who can spend 10 hours a week helping teachers

• Bimonthly workshops on topics teachers choose.

Effective Collaborative Strategies in the LEEP Consultation Model

Research Design (2005-2006)• Chose a poor rural county with limited access to teacher

professional development. (We have added an additional county to the study in the 2006-2007 year).

• Select 4 elementary schools in the county who were willing to participate.

• Randomly assign 2 schools to the intervention and 2 schools to the control group. Target all kindergarten and first grade classrooms to be part of the study. (One intervention school withdrew after a new principal was appointed).

– 5 children in each classroom are randomly selected from those children identified by the teacher as struggling learners

– 5 children in each classroom are randomly selected from those children identified by the teacher as not struggling learners

21 high risk(4 teachers)

20 high risk(4 teachers)

30 high risk(6 teachers)

30 high risk(6 teachers)

22 low risk 19 low risk 30 low risk 30 low risk

24 high risk(5 teachers)

25 high risk(6 teachers)

30 high risk(6 teachers)

30 high risk(6 teachers)

30 low risk 30 low risk 30 low risk 30 low risk

Year 124 teachers(n = 240)

Year 224 teachers(n = 240)

Kindergarten 1st Grade Kindergarten 1st Grade

Exp

erim

enta

lC

ontr

ol

Child Characteristics

Race

Black

White

Other

61%

32%

7%

33%

37%

31%

Gender

Male

Female

73%

27%

63%

37%

Parents Married 46% 54%

Maternal Education

M = 11.8 yrs

M = 13.3 years

EXP CON

Teacher Characteristics# of years teaching M = 18 yrs

Teacher Age M = 43 yrs

Teacher Race

White

Black

Other

65%

30%

5%

National Board Certification 5%

Certification type

Temp

Regular

Specific grade certification

10%

40%

50%

Child Outcomes (Fall and Spring Testing)

Phonological awareness

Phonics (CTOPPS)

F(1,69) =1.29 C

E

.52

1.67

Word Attack (Woodcock

Johnson)

F(1,151) = 4.09* C

E

27.15

35.86

Letter/Word Identification (Woodcock Johnson)

F(1,152) = 5.25* C

E

34.12

42.22

Peabody Picture

Vocabulary Test (PPVT)

F(1,120) = 0.38 C

E

1.20

2.32

Outcome F-Test Group LSMean

Effect Sizes

Outcome Control Treatment Diff MSE Cohen's-d Phonological Awareness 0.52 1.67 1.14 3.97 0.29 Blending Words 0.68 0.90 0.21 2.21 0.10 Elision 0.44 0.97 0.53 1.99 0.27 Sound Matching 0.06 0.21 0.16 1.97 0.08 Word Attack 27.16 35.86 8.71* 25.31 0.34 Letter Word 34.13 42.22 8.09* 20.86 0.39 PPVT 1.37 1.60 0.23 8.76 0.03 Note: * p < .05, ** p < .01, *** p < .001.

Conclusions

• The TRI intervention group made significant gains in word attack and letter/word identification in comparison to the control group.

• Next year we hope to have a significant impact on all areas identified by Reading First and the TRI Model.