Showing papers in "Elementary School Journal in 2014"

Congruence in Parent-Teacher Relationships: The Role of Shared Perceptions.

Abstract: Parental engagement is an important avenue for supporting student achievement. Positive relationships between parents and teachers are increasingly recognized as vital in this process. Most studies consider parents’ and teachers’ perceptions separately, and it is unknown whether shared perceptions of relationship quality matter with respect to child outcomes. This study investigated the role of relationship congruence in predicting child academic, social, and behavioral outcomes in 175 elementary students referred for behavioral consultation. Results indicated that teacher, but not parent, ratings of child social skills and externalizing behaviors were more favorable in the presence of a shared, positive view of the relationship. Furthermore, parents who reported higher levels of home-school conferencing and greater self-efficacy were more likely to be in congruent, positive relationships. Though preliminary, these results suggest that shared perceptions of relationship quality may be important in...

Coh-Metrix Measures Text Characteristics at Multiple Levels of Language and Discourse.

Abstract: Coh-Metrix analyzes texts on multiple measures of language and discourse that are aligned with multilevel theoretical frameworks of comprehension. Dozens of measures funnel into five major factors that systematically vary as a function of types of texts (e.g., narrative vs. informational) and grade level: narrativity, syntactic simplicity, word concreteness, referential cohesion, and deep (causal) cohesion. Texts are automatically scaled on these five factors with Coh-Metrix-TEA (Text Easability Assessor). This article reviews how these five factors account for text variations and reports analyses that augment Coh-Metrix in two ways. First, there is a composite measure called formality, which increases with low narrativity, syntactic complexity, word abstractness, and high cohesion. Second, the words are analyzed with Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count, an automated system that measures words in texts on dozens of psychological attributes. One next step in automated text analyses is a topics analys...

The Textevaluator Tool: Helping Teachers and Test Developers Select Texts for Use in Instruction and Assessment.

Abstract: This article describes TextEvaluator, a comprehensive text-analysis system designed to help teachers, textbook publishers, test developers, and literacy researchers select reading materials that are consistent with the text-complexity goals outlined in the Common Core State Standards. Three particular aspects of the TextEvaluator measurement approach are highlighted: (1) attending to relevant reader and task considerations, (2) expanding construct coverage beyond the two dimensions of text variation traditionally assessed by readability metrics, and (3) addressing two potential threats to tool validity: genre bias and blueprint bias. We argue that systems that are attentive to these particular measurement issues may be more effective at helping users achieve a key goal of the new Standards: ensuring that students are challenged to read texts at steadily increasing complexity levels as they progress through school, so that all students acquire the advanced reading skills needed for success in colle...

Putting Text Complexity in Context: Refocusing on Comprehension of Complex Text.

Abstract: The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts have prompted enormous attention to issues of text complexity. The purpose of this article is to put text complexity in perspective by moving from a primary focus on the text itself to a focus on the comprehension of complex text. We argue that a focus on comprehension is at the heart of the Common Core Standards for ELA and that characteristics of the text represent only one of several factors that influence comprehension. Using both theoretical and empirical sources, we highlight the relationship between texts and tasks. We propose a Text-Task Scenario framework in which the simultaneous consideration of text and task results in a more nuanced and more instructionally responsive estimate of the comprehension of complex text.

The State of the Field

Abstract: The purpose of this article is to understand the function, logic, and impact of qualitative systems for analyzing text complexity, focusing on their benefits and imperfections. We identified two primary functions for their use: (a) to match texts to reader ability so that readers read books that are within their grasp, and (b) to unearth, and then scaffold, those features of specific texts that are likely to present challenges for readers of differing abilities. We examine three approaches to qualitative text analysis (text-leveling systems, rubric and exemplar systems, and text-mapping systems) relative to these functions. We conclude by strongly advocating the use of qualitative systems, if only to prevent the unchecked use of quantitative approaches from promoting invalid applications of text complexity. In the same breath, we raise a set of vexing issues that the field must address if these approaches are to be used with confidence.

An Examination of the Ways That Students with Learning Disabilities Solve Fraction Computation Problems

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to better understand how students with learning disabilities, including those who struggle specifically with mathematics, engage with fraction computation. In particular, we examined error patterns, the influence of like and unlike denominators on these patterns, and correct solution methods. Although skill-related errors existed, we found that the majority of errors were systematic, indicating predictable difficulties with fraction algorithms. Error patterns changed with like and unlike denominators, particularly for addition and division. All students correctly solved multiplication problems in the same way, but a variety of solution methods were found for some addition, subtraction, and division problems. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Explicit Instruction in Core Reading Programs.

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to conduct a content analysis of the types and occurrences of explicit instructional moves recommended for teaching five essentials of effective reading instruction in grades 1, 3, and 5 core reading program teachers’ editions in five widely marketed core reading programs. Guided practice was the most frequently recommended explicit instructional move for teaching phonemic awareness, phonics, and vocabulary. Discussion was the dominant explicit instructional move recommended for comprehension. Modeling was the dominant explicit instructional move recommended for fluency. Core reading program lessons were found to provide ample explicit instructional move recommendations for explanations and guided practice, with less attention to modeling or discussing reading concepts, strategies, and skills. The core reading program lessons provided inadequate recommendations for the explicit instructional moves of monitoring student progress, providing students feedback, and moving...

Student reading growth illuminates the common core text-complexity standard

Abstract: The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) establish a challenging text-complexity standard for all high school graduates to read at college and workplace text-complexity levels. We argue that implementation of the CCSS standard requires concurrent examination of historical student reading-growth trends. An example of a historical student average reading-growth curve is presented, along with growth curves for quartile subgroups. Next, a strategy is illustrated for exploring potential alternate student reading paths if students are to attain the CCSS goal. Finally, implications derived from the student growth illustrations are discussed in relation to the Common Core text-complexity standard and its implementation.

Prospective Associations between Children’s Preschool Emotional and Behavioral Problems and Kindergarten Classroom Engagement, and the Role of Gender

Abstract: This 1-year prospective study aimed to examine associations between children’s preschool emotional and behavioral problems and their kindergarten classroom engagement, and to identify any gender differences in this association. In preschool, parents and teachers completed questionnaires assessing aspects of children’s (n = 575) emotional and behavioral problems. Teachers rated children’s engagement levels 1 year later in kindergarten. Compared with girls, boys showed higher levels of preschool hyperactivity/inattention and conduct problems, and lower kindergarten engagement. Regression analyses revealed that boys’ higher hyperactivity/inattention levels almost completely accounted for their engagement disadvantage. However, the lack of interactions suggested that emotional/behavioral problems were related to engagement similarly for boys and girls. Preschool emotional and behavioral problems appear to be important correlates of kindergarten engagement and may be worthwhile targets for early interv...

Understanding Text Complexity

Abstract: The Common Core State Standards represent the first standards document to address whether students are able to read progressively more complex texts as they progress across the grades. This article gives an overview of the three components of the model of text complexity that were identified in Appendix A of the Standards and also were the basis for the selection of manuscripts for this special issue: (a) qualitative, (b) quantitative, and (c) reader-task considerations. This introduction gives an overview of the three components and the contributions of the articles in this special issue to extending understanding about these three components.

Emotionally Supportive Classroom Contexts for Young Latino Children in Rural California

Abstract: Some have described the academic underperformance of Latino children, on the one hand, and their relatively strong socioemotional competencies on the other, as a “Latino Paradox.” We unpack the affective climate of early elementary classrooms to explore how this paradox is addressed in a rural school district where children from low-income Latino families predominate. Using quantitative and qualitative data from a reliable observation instrument, we describe the quality of “emotional support” rendered through classroom interactions, analyze relationships between emotional support and a series of teacher characteristics, and assess how highly supportive teachers interact differently than less supportive teachers in ways that are responsive to children’s cultural and linguistic backgrounds. We provide evidence—Spanish use associated with greater emotional support—for attending to both universal and cultural dimensions of classroom interactions to address the Latino paradox.

The Perception and Implementation of Challenging Instruction by Middle School Teachers

Abstract: Current education policy and reform advocate for increasing the level of challenge in K–12 classrooms in order to maximize students’ learning and academic success. This study examined middle school teachers’ views about implementing challenging instruction while participating in a whole-school professional development initiative. A grounded theory analysis revealed teachers’ feelings about challenge, the pressures that affected their decision to implement challenging instruction, and teachers’ use of instructional practices to challenge students. Classroom observations were also analyzed to explore whether teachers’ comments were related to differences in their use of challenging instruction. Teachers perceived 19 different pressures related to implementing challenging instruction, with pressures from students the most common across all subject areas. Some teachers were able to resolve pressures from students by having conversations with students about challenge, providing emotional and motivation...

The Positive Peer Effects of Classroom Diversity: Exploring the Relationship between English Language Learner Classmates and Socioemotional Skills in Early Elementary School.

Abstract: Recent federal, state, and district policies that have mainstreamed English language learner (ELL) students into general, English-only elementary school classrooms have raised questions among educational stakeholders about the widespread effects of these policies. Most research has focused on the outcomes of ELL students; almost nothing is known about the effects of these mainstreaming practices on non-ELL classmates, and no empirical research has evaluated their effects on socioemotional outcomes. The purpose of this study is to fill these research gaps by using quasi-experimental methods on a large-scale data set of kindergarten and first-grade students to examine the effects that mainstreamed ELL students have on 5 socioemotional scales for their classmates. The findings indicate a positive effect: kindergartners and first graders with a greater number of ELL classmates have lower problem behaviors and higher social skills. These findings are differentiated by individual characteristics and cla...

Cambodian Parental Involvement: The Role of Parental Beliefs, Social Networks, and Trust.

Abstract: The role of social capital (parental beliefs, social networks, and trust) as a predictor of parental involvement in Cambodian children’s education was examined, controlling for human capital (family socioeconomic status). Parents of elementary students (n = 273) were interviewed face to face in Cambodia. Teacher contact scored highest, followed by responsiveness, home involvement, and school meetings. Multiple regressions showed that parents’ social networks (relatives’ influence on academics), trust between people, academic aspirations, gender role attitudes, and fatalistic beliefs predicted some types of parental involvement. Gender role attitudes predicted parent-school responsiveness differently by corresponding gender of parents and children (father-daughter and mother-son), suggesting that fathers are less likely to be responsive to school for their daughters, and mothers for their sons. Results suggest that educators working with Cambodian/Cambodian American parents need to be proactive, ta...

Text Complexity: State of the Art and the Conundrums It Raises.

Abstract: Standards for literacy in the twenty-first century raise the bar on the complexity of texts and the tasks for which they are used. The strengths and limitations of contemporary approaches to text complexity are discussed with respect to major points raised in the six articles in this special issue. In addition, four features of text that are of central importance for reading to learn disciplinary content are discussed: topic complexity, genre and function, word-level indicators, and task complexity. We argue that if we are to ascertain sources of complexity and challenge when readers engage with text for purposes of accomplishing interpretive and explanatory levels of understanding, we will need to take into account text, task, and reader situated in sociocultural contexts of schools and communities.

Seeking to Improve African American Girls’ Attitudes toward Science

Abstract: In this participatory action research study, we answered the question, How can we improve attitudes toward science education of the African American girls at an elementary school? Girls in grades 3–6 completed the Modified Attitudes toward Science Inventory. A purposeful sample of 30 girls participated in several focus-group interviews throughout the year. The cumulative findings indicate that our initiative (1) had positive impacts on girls who originally demonstrated low self-efficacy in science education or low attraction to science and (2) maintained the positive attitudes of the other girls. The instructional aspects of our initiative that contributed to the improvement in attitudes included the establishment of collaborative activities, a supportive lab teacher, and inquiry-based experiences focused on local problems. Our findings also reveal aspects of our efforts that we need to improve. These areas include a more open, inquiry-based science fair and connections between the lab and classro...

An analysis of Two Reading Intervention Programs

Abstract: In this study, the student texts and teacher guides of two reading intervention programs for at-risk, first-grade students were analyzed and compared: Fountas and Pinnell’s Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI) and Scott Foresman’s My Sidewalks (MS). The analyses drew on the framework of available theory and research on beginning texts developed by Mesmer, Cunningham, and Hiebert in 2012. This framework includes attention to word-level, text-level, and program-level features. The student texts of the two programs had similar average percentages of single-appearing words and words that can elicit a mental picture (concrete words); however, LLI texts featured more repetition of words, a slightly higher percentage of highly frequent words, and a considerably higher percentage of multisyllable words. MS texts contained a higher percentage of phonetically regular words and a higher lesson-to-text match between phonics elements in teacher guides and the words in student texts. Instructional implications a...

Differential Growth Trajectories for Achievement Among Children Retained in First Grade: A Growth Mixture Model.

Abstract: The authors investigated the differential effect of retention on the development of academic achievement from grades 1 to 5 on children retained in grade 1 over 6 years. Growth mixture model (GMM) analyses supported the existence of two distinct trajectory groups of retained children for both reading and math among 125 ethnically and linguistically diverse retained children. For each achievement domain, a low intercept/higher growth group (Class 1) and a high intercept/slower growth group (Class 2) were identified. Furthermore, Class 1 children were found to score lower on several measures of learning related skills variables and were characterized by having poorer self-regulation and fewer prosocial behaviors compared to the other group. Findings suggest that some children appear to benefit more from retention, in terms of higher reading and math growth, than others. Study findings have implications for selecting children into retention intervention and early intervention.

Foundations of Mathematics Achievement: Instructional Practices and Diverse Kindergarten Students.

Abstract: Analyzing Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey—Kindergarten (ECLS-K) data, we examine how exposure to instructional practices influences math test scores at the end of kindergarten for children from different racial/ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds, and for children with different levels of math skills at kindergarten entry. We also analyze the relationship between socioeconomic background and math academic readiness within racial/ethnic categories. Our results demonstrate that race/ethnicity and levels of math academic readiness moderate the relationship between instructional practices and math achievement. While we find that interactive group activities enhance students’ mathematics achievement in kindergarten and that drills enhance math academic achievement of students with high math academic preparedness in kindergarten, we also find that use of manipulatives as well as music and movement have significant negative effects on mathematics achievement of Black students. Given the importance o...

Quantitative Measurement of Text Difficulty

Abstract: Common Core Reading Standard 10 not only prescribes the difficulty of texts students should become able to read, but also the difficulty diet of texts schools should ask their students to read across the school year. The use of quantitative text-assessment tools in the implementation of this standard warrants an examination into the validity of that use. To do so, we concentrate entirely on the criterion variable that ultimately is the goal of reading instruction and learning: reading comprehension performance. We examine whether the comprehension criterion variables for today’s quantitative tools validate how their text-difficulty estimates are being used. We conclude that the Common Core State Standards’ new text-difficulty grade bands are inadequate to serve as a criterion variable for quantitative text tools because the data on which these bands are based did not compare comprehension growth for various groups of students reading different difficulty diets over a school year.

Exploration of the Consortium on Reading Excellence Phonics Survey

Abstract: This article examines the Consortium on Reading Excellence–Phonics Survey (CORE-PS), an informal, inexpensive, and widely disseminated assessment tool that is used to determine primary-grade students’ knowledge of and abilities to apply key alphabetic and phonics understandings to decode a mix of real and pseudo-words. Evidence is reported of the extent to which the CORE-PS meets the following psychometric criteria: test retest, internal consistency, and interrater reliability and face, content, construct, consequential, and criterion validity. Findings suggest that the CORE-PS provides an inexpensive, acceptably reliable and valid assessment of primary-grade students’ decoding and reading phonics knowledge. Limitations for K–3 students on the alphabetic section of the CORE-PS are noted and discussed and future directions for research with the CORE-PS are presented.

The Making Choices Program

Abstract: The findings reported here describe the effects from a cohort-controlled trial of Making Choices (MC), a universal social-emotional skills training program. From teacher ratings, 688 third-grade students were classified into 4 risk profiles using measures of aggression, social competence, classroom concentration, and peer relations. High-risk students were more aggressive and less socially competent, on-task, and liked by peers; low-risk students were less aggressive and more socially competent, on-task, and liked by peers. Program effects were estimated as changes in profile membership between pretest and posttest assessments. Relative to high-risk students in comparison cohorts, a greater proportion of high-risk students in MC cohorts had moved to low-risk groups at posttest. Low-risk students in MC cohorts tended to remain at lower risk while a larger proportion of low-risk students in the comparison cohorts joined higher-risk groups. Social-emotional skills training appears to confer benefits ...

Entering the Conversation

Abstract: Much has been written recently about the role of talk in content-area learning, including science learning. However, there is still much to be learned about how teachers begin to engage students in the kinds of peer-to-peer conversations that help them make sense of their investigations in science and that advance their conceptual understandings. This study was designed to follow teachers as they received professional development about involving students in sense-making science talk and then attempted to enact the lessons of the professional development in an urban middle school science classroom. We present an analysis of the challenges that surrounded two teachers’ efforts to engage urban grade 6 and 7 students in sense-making talk around science concepts, as well as the conditions under which students began to engage in connected and evidence-rich talk.

Student Learning in the Middle School Social Studies Classroom

Abstract: In this article, I explore the relationship between teachers’ preparation for the middle grades and their students’ learning opportunities. I draw on data from a longitudinal case study to compare how a specialized middle grades preparation and a secondary social studies preparation relate to middle grades students’ learning opportunities by looking at the classrooms of graduates from each preparation pathway. Informed by a theoretical perspective on authentic intellectual work and the understandings teachers need to have developed in teacher education in order to give students access to such learning, the research suggests that young adolescents in both sets of classrooms were generally engaged, though there was variation in the intellectual quality of student learning opportunities across the classrooms of both sets of graduates. At the same time, the results point to the potential for both programs to bolster their preparations to ultimately facilitate higher quality learning for young adolescents.

Low- and High-Achieving Sixth-Grade Students’ Access to Participation during Mathematics Discourse

Abstract: A descriptive, holistic, multiple-case methodology was applied to examine the nature of participation in discourse of two low- and two high-achieving grade 6 students while solving mathematical tasks in a standards-based classroom. Data collected via classroom observations and student interviews were analyzed through a multiple-cycle coding process that yielded the within-case themes of use of space, meaning-making, and peer and teacher interactions. This student-focused inquiry addressed a methodological gap in the extant empirical literature by employing video-recording as a means of eliciting student awareness and reflection, which notably revealed differences in participation between the two low-achieving students. When considering implications, the results illuminate needed additional classroom norms, issues related to relative differences in students’ abilities in heterogeneous groups, benefits of using video-recording as a means of promoting student reflection, and the important role of the...

Describing elementary teachers' operative systems: A case study

Abstract: This case study introduces the notion of an operative system to describe elementary teachers’ knowledge and practice. Drawing from complex systems theory, the operative system is defined as the network of knowledge and practices that constituted teachers’ work within a lesson study cycle. Data were gathered throughout a lesson study cycle in which teachers designed and implemented an inquiry-based science lesson that integrated science notebook writing. The lesson occurred in a second-grade classroom with general and special education students. The findings describe a network of nodes—teachers’ knowledge and practices for science, writing, and working with their students—and the specific connections among these nodes in order to identify their operative system. The implications are discussed in terms of theoretical tools for the knowledge needed for teaching and teacher professional development, as well as the application of complex systems theory.