supporting english language learners in the later grades
TRANSCRIPT
Supporting English Learners in the Later Grades
Michael J. Kieffer, Ed.D. New York University
National Academy of Sciences Meeting Mary 28, 2018
Focus Topics
• English literacy trajectories of ELLs beyond Grade 3
– Evidence from longitudinal research
• Effective instructional methods for ELLs in upper elementary and middle school grades
– Evidence from experimental & quasi-experimental field trials
• Gaps in these bodies of research
Developmental Trajectories: Converging Evidence
• Developing academic English proficiency (particularly in reading & writing) is a long-term process (e.g., Conger, 2009; Cook et al., 2011; Hakuta et al., 2000;
Kieffer, 2008, 2011; Umansky & Reardon, 2014).
• Underachievement of students who enter school as ELLs persists after many years of U.S. schooling – but may be more related to poverty, limited
opportunities to learn, and other risk factors than language background per se (e.g., Kieffer, 2008, 2010 2011, 2012a, 2012b; Lesaux & Kieffer, 2010)
Growth Trajectories in English Reading (Kieffer, 2011)
• Examined reading growth between Kindergarten and Grade 8 for language minority learners of differing initial English oral proficiency, as compared to their native English-speaking counterparts
• Drew on data on a nationally representative sample of students from Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten, 1998 Cohort
Research Questions
1. How do English reading growth trajectories differ among – iELLs: Parent report of another language at home & who
enter kindergarten with limited oral English proficiency on K LAS-based screener
– iBilinguals: Parent report of another language at home & proficient on K LAS-based screener
– Native English speakers 2. How do these trajectories differ when comparing
students from the similar socioeconomic backgrounds attending schools with similar concentrations of poverty? – Family SES: Income, Parental Education, Occupation – School concentration of students receiving free/reduced
lunch
Initial-ELLs remain far below national norms
d = -.78 2.4 years behind
iBilingual
d = -.57 2.1 years behind
Native English
iELL
Engl
ish
Rea
din
g (T
het
a)
(Kieffer, 2011)
But, initial-ELLs converge with their classmates from the same SES backgrounds
d = -.15 1/2 year behind
Engl
ish
Rea
din
g (T
het
a) iBilingual
Native English
iELL
d = .10 1/3 year ahead
(Kieffer, 2011)
Initial-Bilinguals pull ahead of their classmates from the same SES backgrounds
d = .24 0.7 years ahead
Engl
ish
Rea
din
g (T
het
a) iBilingual
Native English
iELL
d = .32 1.2 years ahead
(Kieffer, 2011)
Gap between Reading Words & Comprehending Texts: Converging Evidence
• Language minority learners reach adequate levels of decoding, but struggle with reading comprehension (see meta-analysis by Lesaux et al., 2006 in
August & Shanahan, 2006). • This pattern persists through the upper
elementary and middle school grades (e.g., Lesaux et al., 2010; Lesaux & Mancilla-Martinez, 2010, 2011; Nakamoto et al., 2007).
• English vocabulary and listening comprehension are common sources of reading difficulties (e.g., August et al., 2005; Lesaux & Kieffer, 2010; Mancilla-Martinez & Lesaux, 2011; Proctor et al., 2005).
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90P
erc
en
tile
Ra
nk
Grade 4
Grade 5
Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 8
Word Reading Fluency Oral Language Reading Comprehension
(Lesaux, Crosson, Kieffer & Pierce, 2010)
Gap between Reading Words & Comprehending Texts
Word Reading: Pre-K to Grade 5
(Mancilla-Martinez & Lesaux, 2011)
English
Spanish
Monolingual Norms
(Mancilla-Martinez & Lesaux, 2011)
Oral Vocabulary: Pre-K to Grade 5
d=1.8
d=1.0
English Spanish
Monolingual Norms
Effective Instruction for English Language Learners in Grades 4-8:
Evidence from Experimental & Quasi-experimental Studies
Panel
• Scott Baker (Chair) – Executive Director, Center on Research and Evaluation, Southern Methodist University
• Esther Geva – Professor, University of Toronto
• Michael J. Kieffer – Associate Professor, New York University
• Nonie Lesaux – Professor, Harvard University
• Sylvia Linan-Thompson – Associate Professor, University of Texas at Austin
• Joan Morris – Teacher Specialist, Pasadena Unified School District
• C. Patrick Proctor – Associate Professor, Boston College
• Randi Russell – Curriculum Support Specialist, Miami-Dade County Public Schools
WWC Practice Guide on Teaching English Learners
Recommendations
1. Teach a set of academic vocabulary words intensively across several days using a variety of instructional activities.
2. Integrate oral and written English language instruction into content-area teaching.
3. Provide regular, structured opportunities to develop written language skills.
4. Provide small-group instructional intervention to students struggling in areas of literacy and English language development.
(Baker et al., 2014)
Recommendation WWC Level of Evidence
Studies
1. Academic Vocabulary
Strong 1 Study in PreK-2 5 Studies in Grades 5-7
2. Integration with Content
Strong 1 Study in PreK-2 4 Studies in Grades 5-7
3. Writing Minimal 1 Study in Grade 6 1 Study in Grades 6-12 Inconsistent results
4. Small-group intervention
Moderate 5 Studies in K-2 1 Study in Grades 6-8 Inconsistent results
Supporting Evidence (that met WWC standards)
(Baker et al., 2014)
Gaps in these Bodies of Research
• Literacy development & instruction in high school
• Writing development & instruction
Gaps in these Bodies of Research
• Identifying the active ingredients within multi-componential interventions
• Effective instruction for sub-groups of English language learners
– adolescent & pre-adolescent newcomers
– “Long-term” ELLs
– Former ELLs
– ELLs with disabilites
References
August, D., Carlo, M., Dressler, C., & Snow, C. (2005). The critical role of vocabulary development for English language learners. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 20(1), 50-57.
Baker, S., Lesaux, N., Jayanthi, M., Dimino, J., Proctor, P., Morris, J., Gersten, R., Haymond, K., Kieffer, M. J., Linan-Thompson, S., & Newman-Gonchar, R. (2014). Teaching academic content and literacy to English learners in elementary and middle school (NCEE #2014-4012). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE), Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.
Cook, H.G., Boals, T., & Lundberk, T. (2011). Academic achievement for English learners: What can we reasonably expect? Kappa, 93, 66-69.
Conger, D. (2009). Testing, time limits, and English learners: Does age of school entry affect how quickly students can learn English? Social Science Research, 38, 383-396.
Hakuta, K., Butler, Y. G., & Witt, D. (2000). How long does it take English learners to attain proficiency? (Policy report). Santa Barbara: University of California Language Minority Research Institute.
Kieffer, M. J. (2008). Catching up or falling behind? Initial English proficiency, con- centrated poverty, and the reading growth of language minority learners in the United States. Journal of Educational Psychology, 100, 851–868.
Kieffer, M. J. (2010). Socioeconomic status, English proficiency, and late-emerging reading difficulties. Educational Researcher, 39, 484–486.
Kieffer, M. J. (2011). Converging trajectories: Reading growth in language minority learners and their classmates, kindergarten to grade eight. American Educational Research Journal, 48, 1157-1186.
Kieffer, M. J. (2012a). Before and after third grade: Longitudinal evidence for the shifting role of socioeconomic status in reading growth. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 25, 1725-1746.
References
Kieffer, M. J. (2012b). Early oral language and later reading development among Spanish-speaking English language learners: Evidence from a nine-year longitudinal study. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 33, 146-157.
Lesaux, N. K. (with Koda, K., Siegel, L. S., & Shanahan, T.). (2006). Development of literacy in language-minority students. In D. August & T. Shanahan (Eds.), Developing literacy in second-language learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth (pp. 75–122). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Lesaux, N. K., Crosson, A., Kieffer, M. J., & Pierce, M. (2010). Uneven profiles: Language minority learners’ word reading, vocabulary, and reading comprehension skills. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 31, 475-483.
Lesaux, N. K., & Kieffer, M. J. (2010). Exploring sources of reading comprehension difficulties among language minority learners and their classmates in early adolescence. American Educational Research Journal, 47, 596-632.
Mancilla‐Martinez, J., & Lesaux, N. K. (2011). The gap between Spanish speakers’ word reading and word knowledge: A longitudinal study. Child development, 82(5), 1544-1560.
Nakamoto, J., Lindsey, K. A., & Manis, F. R. (2007). A longitudinal analysis of English language learners’ word decoding and reading comprehension. Reading and Writing, 20(7), 691-719.
Proctor, C. P., Carlo, M., August, D., & Snow, C. (2005). Native Spanish-Speaking Children Reading in English: Toward a Model of Comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology, 97(2), 246.
Umansky, I. M., & Reardon, S. F. (2014). Reclassification patterns among Latino English learner students in bilingual, dual immersion, and English immersion classrooms. American Educational Research Journal, 51(5), 879-912.