Effectively Using Data to Develop Reading and English Language

Development Interventions for ELLs

MILENA VARBANOVA

JESSICA DUNWOODIE

CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE PRACTICES

SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS

AND

MARIE KOBAYASHI, ESL MANAGER

CINCINNATI PUBLIC SCHOOLS (CPS)

VARBANM@CPS-K12.ORG DUNWOOJ@CPS-K12.ORG

OHIO TESOL CONFERENCE

NOVEMBER 15, 2013

Why is this Important?

Many ELLs are in need of additional supports to make core instruction comprehensible and address any skill and content gaps that students have

It is common practice in schools to mismatch individual student needs and interventions provided.

A structured decision making process is likely to lead to better student outcomes and provides for more efficient use of instructional time and personnel.

Objectives

To provide an overview of a structured data-based decision making (DBDM) process for instructional support planning in the context of Response-to- Intervention (RTI) framework

Response to Intervention Framework

The RtI framework provides for the instructional differentiation this population needs. Strengthening school-wide and group supports reduces the number of students who will need intensive, individualized services.

Tier 3 • Collaborative problem solving (IATs)• Intensive individualized intervention

plan• Newcomer programs

Tier 2 • English language development instruction

• Interventions supporting identified academic and/or behavior needs

• Mentoring

Tier 1 • Positive Behavior Supports• Core curricula with differentiation• Sheltered Instruction Observation

Protocol (SIOP)

RtI for ELLs

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Tier II – English Language Development – Rationale

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Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires that districts provide alternative language programs that meet the following criteria :

(1) be recognized as sound by some experts in the field or is considered a legitimate experimental strategy;

(2) have sufficient resources and staff reasonably calculated to implement effectively the educational theory adopted by the school; and

(3) demonstrate its effectiveness, after a period of “reasonable implementation,” in producing results indicating that students' language barriers are actually being overcome.

• Castañeda v. Pickard, 648 F.2d 989, 1007 (1981).

Planning Instructional Supports

1. Know who your students are: organize relevant available data across background, language, and academic domains

2. Collect more data as needed

3. Analyze data and determine instructional needs in terms of oral language, literacy, and access to content areas

4. Prioritize needs for Tier 1 supports and Tier 2 interventions

5. Identify appropriate instructional supports and interventions to address prioritized needs

6. Implement supports and monitor progress

7. Review progress and make adjustments

Step 1: Organize Data

Know who your students are: organize relevant available data across background, language, and academic domains

Create a set or portfolio of relevant information; don’t overlook some sources of focus on only one

Demographic information – years in U.S.; previous schooling and performance , other important experiences

English language proficiency – IPT, LAS, WMLS, OTELA

Grade level academics – OAA, OGT, State Screeners, District and School assessments

Indicators of basic skills – DIBELS, AIMSweb, other Curriculum-Based Measures, classroom assessments

Step 2: Collect More Data as Needed

Grade level - DIBELS, AIMSweb Off-grade level assessments (DIBELS,

AIMSweb) Native language proficiency if

appropriate and/or possible (oral language, literacy)

Diagnostic assessments (phonics)

Example

US Sch Entry Date

O-L O-S O-R O-WO -CH

OAA R

O-CP

AIMS Fall

WCPM

AIMS accuracy

Priority Reading Areas

Need for Additional

Assessments

Progress monitoring

Assessments

8/18/2009 2 4 1 2 1 390 1 71 96% F & C, V ORF 3rd 8/18/2009 2 4 2 1 2 390 2 87 98% F & C, V ORF 4th 8/18/2009 1 4 1 1 1 390 1 60 90% OL, F Check PH ORF 3rd 10/6/2009 3 3 2 1 2 378 1 101 98% F & C, V ORF 4th 8/18/2009 2 4 1 1 1 369 1 40 90% PH, F Check PH ORF 3rd 8/18/2009 1 3 1 1 1 361 1 46 88% OL, PH, F Check PH ORF 2nd 8/18/2009 3 4 3 1 3 410 2 86 94% F & C, V ORF 4th 9/1/2008 3 5 2 2 2 392 2 77 97% F & C, V OFR 3rd 8/1/2010 2 3 2 1 2 378 1 86 98% F & C, V ORF 4th

8/18/2009 2 2 1 1 361 101 99% F & C, V ORF 4th 8/18/2009 2 4 2 1 2 394 2 75 98% F & C, V ORF 3rd 8/18/2009 1 1 2 1 2 355 1 83 96% OL; F & C, V ORF 4th

Step 3: Analyze Data and Determine Instructional Needs

Analyze the interaction between all the data pieces you have available

Examples:

Area Tier 1 (Core Instruction)

Tier 2 (Supplemental Interventions)

Oral language Scaffold language instruction and production

English language development curriculum

Literacy Reading Readings at student’s independent level

Systematic Reading interventions

Access to content areas

Background knowledge, concepts, vocabulary other SIOP components

Pre-teaching vocabulary and concepts

Stage Question orCue

AppropriateExpectations

Preproduction “show me”“which of these”

Nodding, pointing or physically demonstrating

Early Production

“is it the __one or the___ one?”

1 or 2 word responses, making choices from given language samples

Speech Emergence

“did this happen at the beginning or the end”“what happens next”“where did you find the answer”

Phrase or short sentences with grammatical errors

Intermediate Fluency

“how did you..”“what was the character trying to do”

Longer sentences, fewer grammatical errors

Krashen and Terrell, 1983

Intervention Considerations for ELLs

Strong predictors of potential reading risk for ELLs: Phonemic awareness

Alphabetical knowledge (including phonics)

Underdeveloped phonological awareness skills and/or difficulty learning sound-symbol correspondence can indicate possible risk for reading difficulties amongst ELLs.

Do not wait and assume these skills will come with development of L2, provide explicit and intensive instruction in phonemic/phonological awareness and phonics

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Important Intervention Considerations for ELLs

Important facts regarding the reading skill development of ELLs:

Most ELLs do not have significant difficulties developing the foundational skills (phonemic awareness, alphabetical principle) in a timely manner; many have the skill in their L1 and need to learn the differences between L1 and L2

However, ELLs take much longer to develop adequate fluency, vocabulary and comprehension which is a function of many factors including Oral Language

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While reading connected text ELLs need to:

• Decode accurately and fluently • Read high-frequency words• Have adequate vocabulary and

semantic skills (the meaning of words and phrases)

• Know grammar and syntax (word forms such as nouns and verbs)

• Know morphology (parts of words that express meaning, e.g. “s” for plurals)

• Know Language pragmatics (understanding the social rules of communication)

Higher order reading skills of ELLs are influenced by:

• Reading skills in native language • Background knowledge• Comprehension strategies• Interest and cultural relevance of

the text• Language proficiency

Why Is That The Case?1515

1616And the result is ….

Too much information –

working memory overload!

Instructional implication: students who have developed basic decoding skills need ample opportunities to develop language proficiency and fluency

Assessment implication: closely monitor student’s progress to be confident that instruction is producing sufficient growth but DO NOT rush to major decisions if the student’s Oral Reading Fluency is not on target in a couple of months

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Important Intervention Considerations for ELLs

The performance of LEP students on assessments is influenced as much by their overall language proficiency as it is by their reading ability. Consider whether a student’s primary need is intervention in reading or English language development or both.

Step 4: Prioritize

When making a decision if Systematic English Language Development instruction (intervention) or Early Literacy/Reading intervention is needed use the following general rules:

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English Language Development

o Key features of English language development Tier II instructiono Systematic and comprehensive curriculum targeting

the 4 language domains – listening, speaking, reading and writing

oDesigned for ELLs

o Target BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills) and CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency) skills

oOffer differentiated instructional materials based on student’s ELP (English Language Proficiency) level and academic skills

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2020

English language development

o English language development Tier II instruction is provided: o In addition to the core literacy instruction

o By specially trained, TESOL-endorsed teachers

o To small groups of students

o For a minimum of 30 minutes per day,

4-5 times per week during the course of the school year

Technology resources can be utilized

for additional practice, not in place of

systematic ELD (English Language Development)

instruction from a qualified teacher

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English Language Development

Some students at Pre-functional ELP level with other risk factors (lack of formal education, low level of acculturation, etc.,) present may require more intensive instructional and behavior support

Students at higher proficiency levels (4, 5) may need some targeted pull-out instruction in addition to the push-in support. Specific interventions and their frequency and duration need to be determined on an individual basis

General Guidelines for Selecting an Intervention Priority

If Oral Language is 1 or low 2 and there are reading deficits target oral Language development; literacy instruction needs to be imbedded in ELD curriculum

If Oral Language is high 2 or up and there are reading deficits start systematic Literacy/ Reading Interventions given your knowledge of existing skills in L1, or if impossible to determine that or languages are too different have fast-paced phonics intervention

If Oral Language is intermediate and there aren’t phonics deficits focus on Fluency and Comprehension interventions with the understanding that VOCABULARY AND BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE may be the primary focus and not necessarily comprehension strategies

Prioritizing Reading Needs

*(based on Michael C. McKenna and Katherine A. Dougherty Stahl, Assessment for Reading instruction)

Fluency and Comprehension

Vocabulary and Comprehension(Students Read)

Are all or nearly all phonics skills mastered?

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Is the student at benchmark in phonics?

No

No

Word Recognition and Fluency

Has the student acquired full

phonological awareness?

FluencyVocabulary and

Comprehension (Teacher Reads Aloud)

 

Phonological Awareness and Word Recognition

Is the student at benchmark in oral reading fluency?

Yes

Analyzing Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) Data Fast and accurate oral reading – check comprehension

across data (Maze, OAA, OTELA, other) if comprehension is low focus on vocabulary and background knowledge and possibly comprehension strategies

Slow but accurate (93% or above) – focus on fluency building activities, vocabulary development and background

Fast and inaccurate - examine pronunciation and possible impact of accent; examine phonics – does the student know how to decode unknown words; complete phonics screener or diagnostic phonics assessment if accent is not an issue

Slow and inaccurate – check oral language (pronunciation, accent,) complete phonics screener or diagnostic phonics assessment if accent is not an issue

If fluency, comprehension, and phonics are low – start with phonics, reading at independent level, and vocabulary support

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Interventions need to be: Appropriate/research-based for English Language Learners

Appropriate for the student’s oral language proficiency

Address the identified area of need

Systematic

Explicit

Targeted

Small group

Students should be grouped based on these needs/current levels of performance

Build upon mastered literacy skills acquired in native language when appropriate

Tier II Reading Interventions 25

Step 5: Identify Appropriate Reading Supports

Identify Appropriate Reading Supports

Identify Appropriate Reading Supports

Step 6: Implement Interventions and Monitor Progress

Program Target Skills (primary focus – bold) Grades Groupings Time 

K-PALS Reading K 

Phonemic Awareness and Phonics k Small group; Pairs

30 min 3/4x wk

PALS Reading 1 Phonics and Fluency 1 35 min 3/4x wk

PALS Reading 2-6 Fluency and Comprehension 2-6 35 min 3/4x wk

PALS High School Fluency and Comprehension 9-12 35 min 3/4x wk

Signs for SoundsLevel 1 and Level 2   

Phonics and high frequency words through spellingPhonemic Awareness

1-31-8 

Individual/small group instruction

 

Word Warm-upsLevel 1, Level 2, Level 3

Phonics Phonemic awarenessFluency

1-41-8

Individualized but could be done in group

 

Group and Tutoring Edition (GATE)Level .8 short vowels Level 1.3 long vowels

Phonics and FluencyPhonemic awareness

11-2

   

Take Aim! at VocabularyGrade 4 and Grade 5  

Vocabulary FluencyComprehension

4-54-Adult

Individualized could be done in groups Audio-supported

 

Read Naturally – Read Live Computer and internet required

Phonics FluencyVocabulary Comprehension

  Computer and internet required

 

Corrective ReadingDecoding A, Decoding B, Decoding C

Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, FluencyComprehension

3-12 Small-moderate group (1-8)

45 min per session (65-130 sessions)

The Six Minute SolutionPrimary Level k-2 Intermediate Level 3-6

Fluency k-8 for intervention

Pairs within whole class or small group

10 min per session

SRA Language for Learning

Vocabulary and Language K-3 Small group of 4-12Or whole group

30 min daily

Reading A-Z Phonics, Fluency and Comprehension   Used to supplement a research-based intervention

 

Read 180 Vocabulary, Fluency, and ComprehensionGeneral Reading Achievement

4-12 Small groups, 3 different groups running 

90 min / day 5x/wk

SRA Reading Mastery Comprehensive, including oral language K-6 Small group 35-90 min daily?

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Goal Setting

Key Question: What do we want to see happen and by when? Direct Assessment of Dynamic Indicators- Progress

Monitoring

Timeline for Goal

Consider Benchmarks/ national norms

Rate of progress of monolinguals and similar peers

Example: In (#) weeks (Student name) will read (#) Words Correctly in 1 minute from randomly selected Grade (#) passages.

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Intervention Summary Statement

Example of an intervention plan

The students with identified skill deficits in the areas of Phonemic Awareness and Alphabetic Principle will receive Teacher-Directed PALS intervention (Specific intervention) for 30 min per day (Duration), 3x per week (Frequency), implemented by the general education teacher (Person responsible) during small group reading instruction time (Setting). Student progress will be monitored weekly (Progress monitoring schedule) using DIBELS Phoneme Segmentation Fluency and Nonsense Word Fluency assessments (Description of measurement).

The skill goal for each student is recorded on their individual progress monitoring graphs.

This intervention is provided in addition to the core ESL/ELD instruction provided to ELLs.

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Step 7: Review progress and make adjustments

Key concepts: Treatment integrity – was the intervention done as

planned What is the level of skill as a result of the intervention What is the rate of improvement the student

demonstrated How does that rate of improvement compares to the

progress of similarly acculturated English language learners (similar cultural and linguistic background and learning experiences)

Always evaluate the environment/instructional context as well as the student’s performance in that context

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Collaboration and Coordination

• Collaboration between all educators delivering Tier I and Tier II instructional services is critical

• Coordination between all targeted interventions addressing problem areas is imperative

• Adding interventions without team planning and a clear rationale may have negative impact on student progress

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“Stop asking me if we’re almost there; we’re Nomads, for crying out loud.”

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Web Resources

Lau Resource Center: http://www.ode.state.oh.us/students-families-communi

ties/lau_resource_center/ National Clearinghouse for English

Language Acquisition: http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/ http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/ncbepubs/parent/index.htm

National Association for Bilingual Education : http://www.nabe.org/

National Center for Response to Intervention: www.rti4success.org

RtI Action Network: www.rtinetwork.org

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Web Resources cont.

Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence http://www.crede.ucsc.edu/

Center for Applied Linguistics : http://www.cal.org/

i teach i learn.com : http://www.iteachilearn.com/uh/guadarrama/

sociopsycho/paper.htm#education%20webs Ohio TESOL (Ohio Teachers of English to

Speakers of Other Languages): http://willow.cats.ohiou.edu/~otesol/aboutote

s.htm Bilingual resources, graphic organizers:

www.eduplace.com