M. Christina Rivera

Grant Proposal

12/4/12

Title: EFFECTIVE ITINERANT TEACHING: CHILD X INSTRUCTION FACTORS WITH

STUDENTS WHO ARE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING

RFA Topic: Professional Development for Teachers and Related Service Providers (84.324A)

Goal: Exploration

Purpose of the Project: The purpose of this project is to determine the extent to which identified

malleable factors that contribute to (or mediate) effective reading instruction are present for students

who are DHH placed in general education settings and taught by itinerant teachers. Through this

exploration, researchers will corroborate previous findings that specific instructional mediators have a

direct effect on student reading achievement and subsequently design appropriate interventions and

professional development opportunities to improve these outcomes.

Research Setting: Research will be conducted in large urban school districts throughout the state of

Arizona. School districts in the greater Phoenix and Tucson areas have served a diverse population of

students, both culturally and economically. To broaden the pool from which to choose students,

districts with 6 or more DHH students in grade 4 who receive one-to-one support for reading

instruction with an itinerant teacher will be considered for this study.

Sample Description: Student participants will be selected based on the following criteria: have a

moderate to severe hearing loss, are in grade 4, are 1-2 years below grade level in reading, and receive

at least two hours per week of pull-out/one-to-one reading instruction with an itinerant teacher.

Teacher participants with at least five years of experience as an itinerant teacher will be considered for

this study.

Primary Research Method: The research team will study typical literacy instructional practices of

itinerant teachers of students who are DHH based on the Individualizing Student Instruction (ISI)

Classroom Observation System. Mixed methods will be used to determine the extent to which

identified malleable factors mediate between reading instruction and student outcomes for itinerant

teachers of students who are DHH. First, itinerant teachers will be interviewed to investigate how they

determine their instructional effectiveness. Next, descriptive statistics will be used to report typical

instructional practices and Child X Instruction factors that have been found to improve literacy

outcomes for students with normal hearing. And finally, correlational analyses will be completed to

determine if the Child X Instruction factors found to be effective for normal hearing children in general

education settings are also effective with DHH students taught by itinerant teachers, or if any

additional factors are present.

Measures and Key Outcomes: The ISI Classroom Observation System has been used to determine

key Child X Instruction factors that affect literacy outcomes for students with normal hearing

(Connor, et al., 2009). By using and adapting the ISI codes to fit the instructional circumstances of

itinerant teaching, we can measure the presence or absence of effective instructional factors

(mediators) can be measured. The subsequent professional development that occurs in conjunction

with the observation system (use of the Assessment-to-Instruction software) has been shown to have a

positive effect on student reading achievement (Connor, et al., 2009). The long-term outcome of the

study will be a reduction in the amount of time that DHH students need to spend outside of their

general education classes for reading support with an itinerant teacher.

Data Analytic Strategy: The interview data will be compiled and analyzed to search for categories

and themes according to the research questions and theoretical framework. Constant comparative

analysis will be used to narrow data into patterns and themes. Descriptive statistics will be used to

report the amount and type of literacy instruction DHH students typically receive from their itinerant

teachers. Analysis of covariates will be conducted to determine the relationship between the Child X

Instruction factors and student reading achievement.

M. Christina Rivera

Grant Proposal

12/4/12

Logic Model for EFFECTIVE ITINERANT TEACHING: CHILD X INSTRUCTION FACTORS WITH STUDENTS WHO ARE DEAF

AND HARD OF HEARING

Input Short-term

Outcomes

Intermediate

Outcomes Long-term

Outcomes Activities

Itinerant teachers

of students who are Deaf and Hard

of Hearing

(DHH).

Students who are

DHH in grades 1-

3 and who receive

pull-out services

for literacy needs.

Local Education

Agency and school personnel.

Primary

investigator and

research

assistants.

Adapted

Individualizing

Student

Instruction (ISI) Classroom

Observation

System.

Interview itinerant

teachers about the

ways they track

their instructional

effectiveness.

Assess DHH

students’ literacy

skills at the

beginning of the

school year and

end of the school

year.

Video-record

typical literacy

instruction between itinerant

teachers and their

DHH students.

Use the ISI

Observation

System to code

instruction.

Analyze the

correlation

between typical itinerant

instruction and

student literacy

outcomes.

Better understand

the typical

instructional

practices of

itinerant teachers

of DHH students.

Determine the

instructional

practices of

itinerant teachers

that lead to greater

student outcomes

in literacy.

Provide

professional

development to

itinerant teachers in the most

effective

instructional

practices.

Increased itinerant teacher awareness

of the

effectiveness of

their instruction.

More effective

and precise

instructional

planning and

delivery for

itinerant teachers.

Increased student

time on task and

progress toward

IEP goals during

pull-out

instructional

services.

Decrease in amount of time

DHH students are

pulled from their

general education

classes for literacy

services.

Increased number

of DHH students

functioning on

grade level within the general

education

curriculum.

Increased

instructional

effectiveness for

itinerant teachers.

Increased literacy

skills for DHH

students.

Outputs

M. Christina Rivera

Grant Proposal

12/4/12

Special Education Research Grant for the Topic of Professional Development for Teachers and

Related Services Providers

EFFECTIVE ITINERANT TEACHING: CHILD X INSTRUCTION FACTORS WITH

STUDENTS WHO ARE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING

SIGNIFICANCE

Aims and Research Questions. The purpose of this grant project is to identify the malleable factors

that affect reading instruction for students who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH), placed in general

education settings, and served by itinerant teachers. Through this exploration, the research team will

find those instructional factors that have a direct effect on DHH student reading achievement and

subsequently design appropriate interventions and professional development opportunities to improve

these outcomes. The following questions will drive this study: (a) How do itinerant teachers of the

DHH perceive the effectiveness of their direct educational service time with student achievement in the

general education curriculum? (b) How do itinerant teachers of students who are DHH monitor the

effectiveness of their instruction? (c) What is the nature and variability in the amount and type of

reading instruction and non-instruction DHH students experience during one-to-one service time with

an itinerant teacher? (d) How do malleable factors of instruction and student management affect DHH

students’ reading development?

Description of Malleable Factors. The language and literacy needs of children who are DHH are

well documented (Marschark, 2007). Yet despite decades of efforts to determine the best literacy

interventions for this population, children who are DHH continue to lag behind their normal hearing

peers in this area (Traxler, 2000). Most studies about teaching students who are DHH focus on

students who are placed in special schools for the deaf; the students served in these schools are

primarily profoundly deaf and use a manual mode of communication. However, the National Center

for Education Statistics (2011) has reported that 86% of all DHH students were served in general

education settings with special classes or resource classroom support during the 2008-09 school year.

With so many students who are DHH receiving services in general education settings, the itinerant

teachers who support them must be well-equipped to provide effective instruction.

Itinerant teachers of the DHH have helped to support students in general education settings

with direct support services or consultation services with their classroom teachers (Foster & Cue,

2009). Researchers have found that itinerant teachers’ caseloads typically spanned several schools and

included a variety of students with unique needs. Itinerant teaching services for students who are DHH

allow for individualization of students’ instruction outside of the general education classroom, while

still allowing students to participate along with their general education peers. However, no studies

have been conducted to determine the efficacy of the itinerant model for students who are DHH, nor

have studies been conducted to determine the most effective instructional strategies for use during pull-

out/one-to-one service time with students who are DHH. Studies of itinerant teaching for students who

are DHH have been limited to examining the roles and responsibilities of these teachers, as well as

typical characteristics of an effective itinerant teacher (Yarger & Luckner, 1999; Luckner & Howell,

2002; Foster & Cue).

Malleable factors pertaining to effective teaching in general education settings are well

documented (Connor, Morrison, Fishman, et.al., 2011; Connor, Morrison & Katch, 2004).

Researchers have used a variety of classroom observation tools to investigate how students interact

with instruction and what type of instructional practices yield the most benefits to student achievement

(Connor, Morrison, & Petrella, 2004; Connor, Morrison, & Slominski, 2006; Foorman, Francis,

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Grant Proposal

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Fletcher, Schatschneider, & Mehta, 1998; Juel & Minden-Cupp, 2000). The Individualizing Student

Instruction (ISI) Observation System is an instrument developed to track such interactions. Through

the use of this instrument, researchers found that the following specific Child by Instruction factors

lead to the greatest gains in student reading achievement: management (who is managing the

instruction), context (whole class, small group, or individual instruction), and content (intended

purpose of the instruction) (Connor, et al., 2009). In previous studies researchers have achieved strong

reliability on the coding system used in the ISI; average Cohen’s kappa = .80 (Connor, et al.). Through

the use of the ISI Observation System researchers have found that when instruction is intentionally

planned to accommodate individual differences, students’ assessed skills, and students’ changing

cognitive, behavioral, and social-emotional status it is more effective than global or intuitive

instruction (Connor, et al.).

THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL RATIONALE

Theoretical Rationale. In his ecological systems model Bronfenbrenner (1986) theorized that there

are many distal/external factors, such as a child’s family, friends, and city in which he/she was born,

that influence a child’s development. Using this model, the researchers contend that the school

represents a proximal factor that will influence a child’s learning. The researchers posit that the many

ways in which a child interacts with his/her learning environment will affect his/her academic

development. Specifically, the researchers will explore the instructional management, context, and

content that an itinerant teacher uses in the learning environment that influence a DHH student’s

reading development. Using the ISI Observation System, researchers can better understand those

proximal instructional factors that have a direct effect on reading outcomes for students who are DHH.

Empirical Rationale. Researchers have conducted several studies about itinerant teachers of students

who are DHH. Researchers have primarily used qualitative designs to determine the roles and

responsibilities of itinerant teachers and develop a composite of an effective itinerant teacher of

students who are DHH (Antia, 1999; Kluwin et al., 2004; Yarger & Luckner, 1999). In these studies,

researchers identified facilitators and barriers to effectiveness, but none of them explored the

relationship between itinerant teacher services with students who are DHH and their progress in the

general education classroom. One of the primary purposes of special education is to support student

progress through the general education curriculum. To study the efficacy of the itinerant model, a

determination of ways itinerant teachers of students who are DHH collaborate with general education

teachers and determine the effectiveness of their services must be made.

Researchers have used a variety of classroom observation tools to investigate how students

interact with instruction and what type of instructional practices yield the most benefits to student

achievement (Connor, Morrison, & Petrella, 2004; Connor, Morrison, & Slominski, 2006; Foorman,

Francis, Fletcher, Schatschneider, & Mehta, 1998; Juel & Minden-Cupp, 2000). The Individualizing

Student Instruction (ISI) Observation System is an instrument developed to track such interactions.

Through the use of this instrument, researchers found that the following specific Child by Instruction

factors lead to the greatest gains in student reading achievement: management (who is managing the

instruction), context (whole class, small group, or individual instruction), and content (intended

purpose of the instruction) (Connor, et al., 2009). During several recent studies researchers found a

connection between these malleable factors and student literacy outcomes for students with normal

hearing (Connor, Morrison, & Katch, 2004; Connor, et al. 2007). However, no such studies exist for

itinerant teachers of students who are DHH. In addition, no studies have been conducted to determine

the similarities and differences between effective itinerant teacher instructional practices and general

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Grant Proposal

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education teacher instructional practices. To determine the efficacy of the itinerant model, these

similarities and differences must be parsed out.

By using the ISI Observation System with itinerant teachers of students who are DHH, those

factors that make pull-out/one-to-one instruction more efficient and effective can be explored. Based

on the Child X Instruction factors researchers found with the ISI Observation System, they developed

the Assessment to Instruction (A2i) software and intervention. The researchers developed the

software, and accompanying professional development, to provide instructional recommendations and

planning strategies for teachers to individualize instruction in a classroom setting with general

education students (Connor, et al., 2009). Researchers studied the A2i intervention to test the effects

of the recommendations on student reading achievement and to further determine the integrity of the

ISI Observation System. In a series of randomized control trial studies researchers found a significant

positive effect on reading comprehension with students in the treatment classrooms when compared

with control classrooms (Connor, Piasta, Fishman, et al., 2009). In addition, previous ISI/A2i studies

have shown that small group instruction is more effective than large group instruction (Connor,

Morrison, & Slominski, 2006). The one-to-one instruction that an itinerant teacher provides fits this

framework perfectly. After itinerant teachers evaluate their DHH students using a specified series of

assessments, the ISI/A2i intervention will provide recommendations for the management and content

of instruction that could maximize the benefit of literacy instruction for each student. Subsequent

professional development in the use of the ISI/A2i intervention after the exploratory study will provide

itinerant teachers with tools to use immediately to improve individual student instruction. Through an

exploratory study the researchers will determine if the Child X Instruction factors on which A2i is

based are also relevant to an itinerant teaching setting. The software and professional development for

teachers will be adjusted according to any differences found in the itinerant (one-to-one) instructional

setting compared to a general education (classroom) setting.

Rationale for Exploratory Study. Through an Exploration study, as opposed to an

Efficacy/Replication study, the efficacy of the ISI intervention for use by itinerant teachers with

students who are DHH can be determined. Researchers have studied the effects of the ISI intervention

in general education settings with typically developing students and their teachers in grades K – 3.

Because the ISI intervention has never been used with special education students or teachers, an

Exploration study is necessary to first determine if the malleable factors found to exist with normal

hearing students in general education classrooms also exist with DHH students during itinerant teacher

services. Mediators such as the specialized setting and unique language and literacy needs of students

who are DHH must be explored with moderators such as itinerant teacher management style and

instructional focus.

Effective instruction with normal hearing children is a well-studied topic. However, the ISI

Observation System is the first to provide a way for the researcher to be “in” the classroom along with

teachers and students to study the dynamic and specific factors that influence student achievement

(Connor, et al.). Through video/audiorecording classroom instruction (three times over the course of

the school year) and coding the data at a later date using a specialized software package, such as

Noldus Observer Pro, researchers were able to more precisely study the malleable factors that affected

literacy instruction and the effectiveness of the ISI intervention with normal hearing students. The ISI

intervention has allowed researchers to determine why students sitting in the same classroom,

receiving the same instruction from the same teacher, do not develop at the same rate. By exploring its

use with a variety of DHH students engaged in typical instruction from an itinerant teacher, the

efficacy of the ISI intervention as well as the itinerant model can be investigated.

M. Christina Rivera

Grant Proposal

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Practical Importance. The ISI/A2i intervention is not yet widely used among general education

teachers, and studies regarding its use are limited. However, the quality of the studies so far show

promise with the intervention and the software for teacher use. A study such as the one proposed in

this grant application will add to the existing research on the ISI Observation System and subsequently

the ISI/A2i intervention, as well as the larger body of studies on effective instruction. Finding a way

for itinerant teachers to create more purposeful instruction and make the most out of the limited time

they have with students would have a significant practical impact on the field. By having participants

from a low incidence disability population and in a specialized field of instruction, this study will add

to the evidence base for this intervention and for this population.

Summary. In cooperation with Local Education Agencies, itinerant teachers of the DHH, and

students who are DHH and their families, researchers will explore the use of the ISI Observation

System to determine if malleable factors previously found to be present with normal hearing students

in general education classrooms are also present with DHH student during instruction with an itinerant

teacher. The results of this study can lead to the full implementation of the ISI/A2i intervention that

will provide itinerant teachers with instructional recommendations to improve literacy support services

to DHH students. By first identifying the malleable factors that contribute to itinerant teacher

instructional effectiveness, the efficacy of the itinerant model can be explored. Providing teachers with

subsequent professional development will help them monitor their instructional effectiveness and will

increase student time on task during pull-out/one-to-one instruction. Through this professional

development opportunity, teachers can help DHH students regulate their own learning and experience

more success during literacy instruction both with the itinerant teacher and in their general education

classrooms. Ultimately, this exploratory study will lead to a decrease in the amount of time DHH

students are pulled from their general education classrooms and an increase in the number of DHH

students performing at grade level in the general education curriculum.

RESEARCH PLAN

Research Design Mixed methods will be used to explore the effectiveness of itinerant teachers

providing literacy support to students who are DHH. First, phenomenological interviews will be

conducted to explore how itinerant teachers perceive and monitor their effectiveness with DHH

students. Then, ANCOVA and descriptive statistics will be used to explore and compare the presence

of Child X Instruction factors with itinerant teachers supporting DHH students and those factors

previously found to be effective with normal hearing students in general education classes. Finally,

Pearson’s correlation coefficient will be calculated to determine if the Child X Instruction factors

found to be present with those students who make greater gains in literacy are related to the gains.

Research Question 1 and 2. The first and second research questions the research team will answer

are (a) How do itinerant teachers of the DHH perceive the effectiveness of their direct educational

service time with student achievement in the general education curriculum? and (b) How do itinerant

teachers of students who are DHH monitor the effectiveness of their instruction?. To answer these

questions an in-depth phenomenological interviewing process will be conducted with each itinerant

teacher. A phenomenological interview is used when the researcher seeks to understand a concept or

phenomenon shared among individuals (Marshall & Rossman, 2011). Researchers will interview

itinerant teachers to better understand the ways they determine and perceive the effectiveness of their

literacy instruction with their DHH students. The interviews will be scheduled 3-7 days apart with

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Grant Proposal

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each itinerant teacher. In this way the teachers will have some time between each interview to

consider their responses but not lose sight of the purpose of the interviews (Seidman, 2006). Each

interview will last about 45 minutes, but a 90-minute window will be scheduled to ensure ample time

is given to the interviewee. Interviews will take place at a public place of the itinerant teacher’s

choosing, within reason, and attempts will be made to minimize distractions (i.e. at the itinerant

teacher’s last school of the day).

Research Questions 3. The third research question the research team will answer is, What is the

nature and variability in the amount and type of reading instruction and non-instruction DHH students

experience during one-to-one service time with an itinerant teacher?). To answer this question an

ANCOVA and descriptive statistics will be used to report the degree to which teachers use previously

identified effective Child X Instructional factors during reading instruction with their DHH students.

Individual reading instruction between an itinerant teacher and a DHH student will be recorded and

coded for the malleable factors previously found to have an effect on student reading outcomes. In

addition, new Child X Instructional factors that may be unique to itinerant teaching and/or students

with moderate to severe hearing loss will be identified. The purpose will be to determine the amount

and types of instruction DHH students receive from itinerant teachers and characteristics of typical

itinerant reading instruction.

Research Question 4. The fourth research question the research team will answer is, How do

malleable factors of instruction and student management affect DHH students’ reading development?).

To answer this question a Pearson’s correlation coefficient will be calculated to determine the reading

gains DHH students experience as a function of Child X Instruction factors. Based on previous

research (Connor, et al.), the moderators may include management factors (teacher-student managed or

student-managed instruction) and content factors (meaning-focused and code-focused instruction). By

using Pearson’s correlation coefficient researchers will be able to find the extent to which improved

student reading outcomes are related to these mediators.

Sample and Setting

Research Setting: Research will be conducted in urban school districts throughout the state of

Arizona. To obtain a large enough sample size, school districts will be chosen according to the

number of DHH students in the district in grade 4 who receive pull-out/one-to-one support for reading

instruction with an itinerant teacher. By having school districts from varied geographic locations

within the state of Arizona the researchers will be able to identify area specific patterns.

Sample Description: The National Center for Education Statistics (2011) has reported that 86% of all

DHH students were served in general education settings with special classes or resource classroom

support during the 2008-09 school year. Regardless of placement and despite decades of efforts to

determine the best literacy interventions for this population, children who are DHH continue to lag

behind their normal hearing peers in this area; reading at an average 4th grade level by graduation from

high school (Traxler, 2000). For this grant project, teacher participants will be selected based on the

reading needs of the DHH students they serve (i.e. 1-2 years below grade level reading skills) and their

years of experience as an itinerant teacher. Teachers with a minimum of five years of itinerant

teaching experience will be considered for this study. Itinerant teachers with at least five years of

experience have had the opportunity to teach a variety of students, try several different instructional

strategies, and have extensive experience developing Individual Education Programs (IEPs) for their

students. After initial selection, final inclusion criteria will be based on the individual teacher’s current

M. Christina Rivera

Grant Proposal

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caseload. For final inclusion the itinerant teacher must provide support services for the following type

of DHH student: has a mild-moderate hearing loss, uses spoken language as primary mode of

communication, is 1-2 years below grade level in reading, and receives at least two hours per week of

pull-out/one-to-one reading instruction with an itinerant teacher. The determination of the extent to

which students fit these criteria will be based on the teacher interview, standardized testing, and

examination of student educational records, including the most current Multidisciplinary Evaluation

Team report (MET) and IEP. Between 20 and 25 itinerant teachers will be recruited for this study.

Measures

Phenomenological Interviews. The first interview will serve to gather demographic and contextual

information about the participants, such as educational background, years of itinerant teaching

experience, knowledge and training in literacy instruction, and current job-related information such as

caseload size and weekly schedules. During the first interview researchers also will ask each teacher to

describe how he/she became an itinerant teacher and what life experiences led to their work in the field

of special education for students who are DHH. The purpose of the second interview will be to gather

more concrete details about the itinerant teachers’ experiences with their current students (Seidman,

2006). For the second interview researchers will ask a series of questions to answer the first two

research questions about effective literacy instruction. Questions will be related to relationships with

general education teachers, progress monitoring methods, literacy instruction methods, and

professional development experiences and needs (see Appendix A , for interview questions). During

the third interview researchers will ask the itinerant teachers to revisit and reflect on the responses they

provided in the first two interviews, particularly the second interview. Researchers will have time

between the second and third interviews to begin initial analysis of the responses, and will formulate

specific follow-up questions from this analysis. Clarifying questions related to collaboration with

general education staff, ways in which itinerant teachers monitor student progress, and perceived

effectiveness of instructional practices will be asked as needed.

The Individualizing Student Instruction Classroom Observation and Coding System (ISI) was

developed at the Florida Center for Reading Research. Using the ISI Observation System researchers

will code the notable dimensions of instruction. The system is founded in ecological and transactional

views of child development (Connor, Morrison, et al., 2009). The ISI system has been used to

investigate the interaction of multiple factors that affect student outcomes, with the three primary

dimensions being student characteristics, classroom environment characteristics, and instructional

characteristics. Using the Noldus Observer Pro to assist with coding and data collection, researchers in

previous studies have reached acceptable levels of reliability, averaging a Cohen’s kappa mean of .80

(Connor, Morrison, et al.; Connor, Piasta, et al., 2004). When the ISI is used along with the

Assessment-to-Instruction (A2i) software, the results of the ISI coding have shown to be valid

predictors of strong end-of-year literacy outcomes for hearing students if teachers adhere to the

instructional and time recommendations. Connor et al. (2009) found the correlational coefficient

highest for teacher/child managed meaning focused instruction, TCM-MF coefficient = 0.361 for

Spring letter-word scores and 0.314 for Spring passage comprehension scores.

The Woodcock-Johnson Test of Achievement III (WJ-III) is a psychometrically strong assessment

that is used commonly in schools and for research. Validity for the WJAT-III was obtained with 8,800

students in grades K-12 from 100 geographically different communities. Reliability was strong, with a

Cohen’s kappa mean of .80 or higher (Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather, 2007). The WJ-III was co-

normed along with the Woodcock-Johnson Cognitive battery with the same sample of students and

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Grant Proposal

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each assessment was found to be highly accurate and valid (Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather). Students

will be assessed using specific subtests of the WJ based on each student’s identified need in reading as

indicated on his/her IEP. Possible subtests include the following: the Letter-Word Identification Test

will be used to assess children’s ability to name and decode increasingly difficult letters and words out

of context, the Passage Comprehension Test will be used to assess students’ abilities to complete a

cloze procedure in which students must demonstrate passage comprehension by supplying a missing

word(s), and The Picture Vocabulary Test will assess students’ ability to name pictures on increasingly

unfamiliar vocabulary to demonstrate their expressive vocabulary abilities. Students will be tested at

the beginning of the school year prior to video/audiorecording instruction and at the end of the school

year after video/audiorecording instruction.

Recording Instruction: Pull-out/one-to-one instruction will be recorded via videotape three times

during the school year (fall, winter and spring). Recorded instruction will yield valid and reliable data

according to previous studies done with hearing children (Connor, et al., 2009).

Data Analysis

Interview data will be compiled and analyzed to search for categories and themes according to the

research questions and theoretical framework (Marshall & Rossman, 2011). Teacher interviews will

be transcribed verbatim and analyzed and coded using NVIVO 10. Interrater reliability will be

measured by randomly selecting 20% of the videos, which will be coded by two additional coders

outside of the research team. The goal for interrater agreement will be 90%. Constant comparative

analysis will be used to narrow data into patterns and themes. By using phenomenological interviews

to gather information about itinerant teacher perceptions of effectiveness, researchers will lay the

foundation for the data-driven study to follow. The interviews will provide the framework for

understanding the instructional choices that itinerant teachers make during their one-to-one instruction

with DHH students.

Video/audiorecording of instruction will be coded using a specialized software package, such as

Noldus Observer Pro. The ISI codes will be adapted to fit the one-to-one instructional situation

provided by itinerant teachers. For example, one component of the ISI system is tracking the grouping

context of instruction. This component will be eliminated because most, if not all, itinerant instruction

occurs in one-to-one settings and only one-to-one instruction will be included in this study. With this

adaptation, video/audiorecorded instruction will be coded for the amount of time itinerant teachers

spend in teacher-managed or child-managed instruction and meaning focused or code-focused

instruction. In addition, the amount of time itinerant teachers spend providing reading instruction

across content areas (i.e. phonological awareness, fluency, and oral language) will be measured.

ANCOVA and descriptive statistics will be used to report the degree to which teachers use previously

identified effective Child X Instructional factors during reading instruction with their DHH students.

By using ANCOVA the researchers will be able to determine the impact that itinerant teacher

instruction has on students’ overall reading achievement compared to the students’ general education

teacher(s). Once the Child X Instructional factors are identified, Pearson’s correlational coefficient

will be applied to determine which factors have the greatest impact on DHH students’ reading

achievement. While instruction with each student/teacher dyad will be analyzed, data will be

aggregated for final analyses. In this way excluded cases and missing data will have no impact on the

final reporting of results. In addition, a sensitivity test is unnecessary as the researchers are only

studying the current state of itinerant teaching with students who are DHH; the research itself should

have no influence on the results.

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MANAGEMENT

At the beginning of the grant the research team will review the grant objectives and management plan

timeline (see Table 1) and revise as needed. Monthly progress toward objectives will be discussed at

bi-weekly meetings. Meetings will be held in person or via web conferencing as agreed upon by the

team. All members of the research team will have access to the grant file in Dropbox, a web-based file

hosting service, in which schedules, assessment materials, and updates will be stored. The PI will be

the primary manager of the Dropbox file. To maintain confidentiality of participants, identifying

information for interview transcripts, student assessment protocols, and video/audio recordings will be

removed and replaced with identification numbers.

PERSONNEL

M. Christina Rivera, M.A. (.75 FY FTE), Principal Investigator, is a Doctoral student at the

University of Arizona and has assisted in the federally funded research project The Center for Literacy

and Deafness. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Arizona State University

and a Master’s degree in Special Education/Deaf Education from the University of Arizona. She has

over 20 years of experience as a teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, in a variety of placement

options for DHH students. She is a 2011 recipient of the National Leadership Consortium in Sensory

Disabilities fellowship. She will be responsible for the overall management of this research project,

which includes coordinating with key personnel and stakeholders, research design, recruitment, data

collection, and data analysis.

Shirin Antia, Ph.D. (.25 FY FTE) Co-investigator, is a Professor at the University of Arizona, has

been PI on numerous large-scale funded projects, including two research grants funded by Office of

Special Education Programs, and is a co-investigator for The Center for Literacy and Deafness. She

recently completed a major longitudinal study on academic outcomes (including reading and writing

acheivement) of DHH students. She is a Senior Research Fellow for the federally-funded National

Leadership Consortium in Sensory Disabilities and an associate editor for the Journal of Deaf

Education and Deaf Studies. She directs the teacher preparation program in education of DHH

children. She has published extensively in the areas of social skill development and literacy needs of

children who are DHH in various refereed professional journals including the Journal of Deaf Studies

and Deaf Education and Exceptional Children (Antia, Jones, Luckner, Kreimeyer & Reed, 2011;

Antia, Jones, Reed & Kreimeyer, 2009). She will assist with research design and data analyses for this

project.

Kendra Benedict, M.A. (.25 FY FTE) Co-investigator, is a Doctoral Candidate at the University of

Arizona whose research includes language and literacy interventions and instruction for students who

are DHH. Kendra holds a Bachelor’s degree from Northern Arizona University in Speech/ Language

Pathology and a Master’s degree in Special Education/Deaf Education from the University of Arizona.

She has over 20 years of experience as a teacher of the DHH. She has completed studies in reading

comprehension of DHH students and the faculty needs in teacher preparation programs in the

education of DHH students. She has published in the peer reviewed journal American Annals of the

Deaf (Benedict, Johnson, & Antia, 2011). She will assist with research design, recruitment, data

collection, and analyses for this project.

Carol M. Connor, Ph.D. Faculty advisor, is a Professor of Psychology and Senior Research Scientist

with the Learning Sciences Institute at Arizona State University. Dr. Connor was awarded the 2007

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President’s Early Career Award in Science and Engineering (PECASE), the 2008 American

Psychological Association Richard Snow award for Early Contributions, and the 2009 Society for

Research in Child Development Award for Early Career Research Contributions. Dr. Connor was the

co-PI of Florida State University’s Center for Reading and Understanding, and assisted in the

development of the Individualizing Student Instruction/Assessment-to-instruction intervention. She

has extensive experience developing literacy interventions through iterative design studies, as well as

efficacy studies using group design. She will provide support with research design and coding of

instruction. She has published in professional refereed journals such as Scientific Studies of Reading,

Child Development, and Reading Research Quarterly (Connor, Morrison, Fishman, et.al., 2011;

Connor, Piasta, Fishman, et al., 2009; Connor, Morrison & Katch, 2004).

Other project personnel: Rivera and Antia will recruit other personnel for graduate assistant and

student worker positions to assist with transcribing interviews and videotaping of instruction.

Individuals with experience teaching special needs students and research will be considered for these

positions.

The tentative timeline and responsible person(s) for this grant are as follows:

Table 1: Grant timeline, activities, and responsible personnel

Year Month(s) to complete Activity Person

Responsible

One (FY 2013) August – October Interview Itinerant

Teachers

Assess students

Christina Rivera

Kendra Benedict

September Videotape Language

Arts instruction

Christina Rivera

Kendra Benedict

GA

October – February Transcribe and analyze

interview results.

Shirin Antia

Christina Rivera

Kendra Benedict

GA

January Videotape Language

Arts instruction

Christina Rivera

Kendra Benedict

GA

January – March Prepare interview

results for publication

and presentation

Christina Rivera

Kendra Benedict

April Videotape Language

Arts instruction

Christina Rivera

Kendra Benedict

GA

April – May Assess students Shirin Antia

Christina Rivera

Kendra Benedict

June – July Analyze videotaped

instruction

Shirin Antia

Carol Connor

Christina Rivera

Kendra Benedict

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Two (FY 2014) August – December Continue analyzing

videotaped instruction

Shirin Antia

Carol Connor

Christina Rivera

Kendra Benedict

January – March Run correlational

analysis of variables,

analyze and interpret

results

Shirin Antia

Carol Connor

Christina Rivera

Kendra Benedict

April – July Prepare videotaped and

correlational results for

publication and

presentation

Shirin Antia

Christina Rivera

Kendra Benedict

RESOURCES Institutional Resources: The University of Arizona is a major research university that can supply the

research team with library resources, computer resources, and facilities necessary to complete the

project. The university has allocated lab space where key personnel and research assistants will be

housed and transcription and coding will be done. The department of Disabilities and

Psychoeducational Studies (DPS) faculty are actively engaged in teaching, research, and service in

support of individuals with developmental disabilities, special abilities, and special needs. With 35

full-time and part-time faculty engaged in grant development and implementation, the DPS department

will provide the support needed to complete this grant as proposed. The program to prepare teachers

of the deaf and hard of hearing, headed by Dr. Shirin Antia in coordination with Dr. Kathryn

Kreimeyer and Dr. Julie Reichman, is well established, having been in existence for over 25 years.

Drs. Antia, Kreimeyer, and Reichman have worked together on numerous personnel preparation grants

to support students at the Master’s and Doctoral levels.

Access to Schools: Through their work as practicing teachers and research partnerships, each member

of the research team has close working relationships with local school districts and educational

agencies that serve children who are DHH. Participating school districts include Tucson Unified

School District, Mesa Public Schools, Peoria Unified School District, Chandler Unified School

District, and Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind Regional Cooperatives. The

administrators and teachers in these districts are eager to collaborate with the research project and

support achievement of its objectives. School district administrators will provide the researchers

access to their itinerant teachers while they provide instruction to DHH students. School district

administrators who have expressed a commitment have DHH students who represent the full range of

communication options that can exist in a general education setting, from spoken English to

Simultaneous Communication to American Sign Language programs. Letters of cooperation have

been obtained from each school district and agency (see Appendix C).

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APPENDIX A

Interview Questions

1. Demographic information:

a. Describe your educational background.

b. How long have you been a teacher?

c. How long have you been an itinerant teacher of the DHH?

d. How many students are on your caseload right now?

e. How many schools and/or districts do you have on your caseload right now?

f. What is the most service time you are providing to a single student at this time? What

is the least?

g. What are the primary areas for which you provide support to your students?

2. Do you have a system for tracking student progress? Where did you find this system? How

effective do you think this system is?

3. What curricula and/or strategies do your use for literacy instruction? How do you make

decisions about the appropriateness of materials or curricula?

4. What was the last professional development (PD) opportunity in which you participated?

(Follow up question dependent upon teacher’s response. Possible follow up questions include:

What was the last PD opportunity you attended specific to DHH students? How often are PD

opportunities specific to DHH students presented to you?

5. Do you think PD opportunities designed for general education students are applicable to DHH

students? Please expand and/or provide an example.

6. What type of PD do you think would benefit you most? Why have you not participated in such

a PD yet?

When answering the following questions, I’d like you to think about a student for whom you provide

the primary language arts instruction. For example a student who you pull 2 or more hours per week

and work on reading, writing, and language.

7. Describe your relationship with this student’s general education teacher(s).

8. How often do you discuss this student with his/her general education teacher(s)? What is the

purpose of these discussions?

9. How often do you observe this student in his/her general education class(es)? What is the

purpose of your observation(s)?

10. Describe a time in which you’ve adjusted your strategy or plans for this student based on one of

these discussions or observations. On what specifically did you base this decision?

11. When/how do you know your instruction has “clicked” with this student? What behaviors does

the student demonstrate to indicate he/she has learned the intended content of your instruction?

Is there any pattern to this? Can you identify and describe the strategies that work best for this

student?

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APPENDIX C

Letters of support from school district administrators, school site principals and agencies that serve

DHH students follow:

1. Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind

a. Desert Valleys Regional Cooperative

b. Southeast Regional Cooperative

2. Mesa Public Schools

3. Peoria Unified School District

4. Tucson Unified School District

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November 1, 2012

Ms. Christina Rivera

University of Arizona, College of Education

Department of Disability and Psychoeducational Studies

Box 210069

Tucson, AZ 85721

Dear Ms. Rivera,

As the superintendent of the Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (ASDB) I am pleased to

offer my support for your research project to investigate the effectiveness of itinerant teaching. In

addition to our two site-based programs, we have five regional cooperative programs that serve Deaf

and Hard of Hearing students placed in general education settings through itinerant services. Finding

ways to better support our students placed in these programs is a priority of our agency and we

welcome the opportunity to participate in this study.

I understand the goals of the project are to investigate how itinerant teachers perceive their

instructional effectiveness and to determine the instructional factors that have the greatest influence on

student achievement. I also understand that once the factors are identified, you will make professional

development opportunities available to our itinerant teachers to improve their instructional delivery

and subsequent student outcomes. As part of our commitment we will assist you in identifying

students and itinerant teachers to participate in your study. We will also assist you with the logistics of

data collection by being the liaison between our agency and the school districts in which our students

are placed.

We look forward to collaborating with you.

Sincerely,

Robert Hill

Superintendent – ASDB

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November 1, 2012

Ms. Christina Rivera

University of Arizona, College of Education

Department of Disability and Psychoeducational Studies

Box 210069

Tucson, AZ 85721

Dear Ms. Rivera,

As the department chair for the Mesa Public Schools Hearing Impaired Program, I am pleased to offer

my support and cooperation for your research program. In addition to our self-contained program, we

have a well-established itinerant program that serves students who are able to participate in their

general education classrooms with itinerant support. The mission of our program is “to develop, in

partnership with the student and family, the communication skills, academic proficiency and self-

confidence necessary for each student to succeed in educational settings.” We feel your research

project is an important step in the accomplishment of our mission. By determining ways to improve

the instructional effectiveness of itinerant teachers we feel confident that your project will help our

students achieve their full academic potential.

I understand the goals of the project are to investigate how itinerant teachers perceive their

instructional effectiveness and to explore the instructional factors that have the greatest influence on

student achievement. I am particularly interested in the professional development opportunities that

will be developed as a result of your findings. As part of my commitment we will assist you in

identifying students and itinerant teachers to participate in your study.

I look forward to working with you.

Sincerely,

Pam Willis

Department Chair

Hearing Impaired Program

Mesa Public Schools

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November 1, 2012

Ms. Christina Rivera

University of Arizona, College of Education

Department of Disability and Psychoeducational Studies

Box 210069

Tucson, AZ 85721

Dear Ms. Rivera,

As the director of Special Education with the Peoria Unified School District, I am pleased to offer my

support for your research project. We offer the full range of educational placement at the Peoria

Unified School District, including itinerant services for our Deaf and Hard of Hearing students who are

placed in general education settings. By determining ways to improve the instructional effectiveness

of itinerant teachers we feel confident that your project will help our students achieve their full

academic potential. I understand the goals of the project are to investigate how itinerant teachers

perceive their instructional effectiveness and to determine the instructional factors that have the

greatest influence on student achievement. I also look forward to the professional development

opportunities that will be developed as a result of this initial research. As part of our commitment we

will assist you in identifying students and itinerant teachers to participate in your study.

We look forward to working with you.

Sincerely,

Jillian Browne

Director of Special Education Services

Peoria Unified School District

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November 1, 2012

Ms. Christina Rivera

University of Arizona, College of Education

Department of Disability and Psychoeducational Studies

Box 210069

Tucson, AZ 85721

Dear Ms. Rivera,

As the director of Exceptional Education with the Tucson Unified School District, I am pleased to

offer my support and cooperation for your research project. We offer our students who are Deaf and

Hard of Hearing the full range of educational placements, including itinerant services. I understand the

goals of your project are to investigate how itinerant teachers perceive their instructional effectiveness

and to determine the instructional factors that have the greatest influence on student achievement. I

also understand that after your initial study, you will make professional development opportunities

available to our teachers to improve their instructional effectiveness with our Deaf and Hard of

Hearing students. As part of our commitment we will assist you in identifying students and itinerant

teachers to participate in your study.

We look forward to working with you.

Sincerely,

Lorrane McPerson

Interim Director, Exceptional Education

Tucson Unified School District

M. Christina Rivera

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BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES CITED

Antia, S. (1999). The roles of special educators and classroom teachers in an inclusive school.

Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 4(3), 203-214.

Antia, S. D., Jones, P. H., Reed, S., & Kreimeyer, K. H. (2009). Academic status and progress

of deaf and hard-of-hearing students in general education classrooms. Journal of Deaf

Studies and Deaf Education, 14(3), 293-311. doi: 10.1093/deafed/enp009

Antia, S.D., Jones, P., Luckner, J., Kreimeyer, K.H., & Reed, S. (2011). Social outcomes of

students who are deaf and hard of hearing in general education classrooms. Exceptional

Children, 77(4), 489-504.

Benedict, K. M., Johnson, H., Antia, S. D. (2011). Faculty needs, doctoral preparation, and the

future of teacher preparation programs in the education of deaf and hard of hearing

students. American Annals of the Deaf, 156(1), 35-46.

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1986). Ecology of the family as a context for human development:

Research perspectives. Developmental Psychology, 22(6), 723-742.

Connor, C.M., Morrison, F. J., Fishman, B., Ponitz, C.C., Glasney, S., Underwood, P. S.,

……Schatschneider, C. (2009). The ISI classroom observation system: Examining the

literacy instruction provided to individual students. Educational Researcher, 38, 85-99.

doi: 10.3102/0013189X09332373

Connor, C.M., Piasta, S.B., Fishman, B., Glasney, S., Schatschneider, C., Crowe, E.,

……Morrison, F.J. (2009). Individualizing student instruction precisely: Effects of child

X instruction interactions on first graders’ literacy development. Child

Development, 80(1), 77-100

Connor, C.M., Morrison, F. J., Fishman, B., Giuliani, S., Luck, M., Underwood, P. S.,

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……Schatschneider, C. (2011). Testing the impact of child characteristics X instruction

interactions on third graders’ reading comprehension by differentiating literacy

instruction. Reading Research Quarterly, 46(30), 189-221. doi: 10.1598/RRQ.46.3.1

Connor, C.M., Morrison, F. J., & Katch, L. E. (2004). Beyond the reading wars: Exploring the

effect of child-instruction interactions on growth in early reading. Scientific Studies of

Reading, 8(4), 305-336.

Connor, C. M., Morrison, F. J., & Petrella, J. N. (2004). Effective reading comprehension

instruction: Examining child by instruction interactions. Journal of Educational

Psychology, 96(4), 682–698. doi: 10.1037/0022-0663.96.4.682

Connor, C.M., Morrison, F. J., & Slominski, L. (2006). Preschool instruction and children’s

literacy skill growth. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98(4), 665-689.

doi: 10.1037/0022-0663.98.4.665

Foorman, B.R., Francis, D.J., Fletcher, J.M., Schatschneider, C., & Mehta, P. (1998). The role

of instruction in learning to read: Preventing reading failure in at risk children. Journal

of Educational Psychology, 90(1),

Foster, S. & Cue, K. (2009). Roles and responsibilities of itinerant specialist teachers

of deaf and hard of hearing students. American Annals of the Deaf, 153(5), 435-449.

Juel, C., & Minden-Cupp, C. (2000). Learning to read words: Linguistic units and instructional

strategies. Reading Research Quarterly, 35(4), 458–492.

Kluwin, T. N., Morris, C. S., & Clifford, J. (2004). A rapid ethnography of itinerant

teachers of the deaf. American Annals of the Deaf, 149(1), 62-72.

Luckner, J. L. & Howell, J. (2002). Suggestions for preparing itinerant teachers: A qualitative

analysis. American Annals of the Deaf. 147(3), 54-61.

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Marschark, M. (2007). Raising and educating a deaf child: A comprehensive guide to the

choices, controversies, and decisions faced by parents and educators (2nd

ed.). New

York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Marshall, C. & Rossman, G. B. (2011). Designing qualitative research, 5th

eds. Thousand

Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc.

National Center for Education Statistics. (2011). Percentage distribution of students ages 6-21

served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part B, by

educational environment and type of disability: Selected school years, 1990-91 through

2008-09. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved April 15, 2012, from

http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED520001.pdf.

Seidman, I. (2006). Interviewing as qualitative research, 3rd

eds. New York, NY: Teacher

College Press.

Traxler, C.B. (2000). Measuring up to performance standards in reading and mathematics:

Achievement of selected deaf and hard-of-hearing students in the national norming of the

9th

Edition Stanford Achievement Test. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education. 5,

337-348.

Yarger, C. C. & Luckner, J. L. (1999). Itinerant Teaching: The inside story. American Annals

of the Deaf, 144(4), 309-314.

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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF SENIOR/KEY PERSONNEL

Curriculum Vitae for the following key personnel:

1. M. Christina Rivera, M.A.

2. Shirin D. Antia, Ph.D.

3. Kendra Benedict, M.A.

4. Carol M. Connor, Ph.D.

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Maria Christina Rivera

mcrnuna@email.arizona.edu

EDUCATION

Present Doctoral Student

Disability and Psychoeducational Studies

College of Education

University of Arizona

Expected completion: May 2015

Major Area: Deaf Education

Minor Area: Applied Behavior Analysis

Advisor: Dr. Shirin Antia

Anticipated Dissertation Title: “The Effects of a Conversational Intervention on

the Vocabulary Development of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children”

1994 – 2010 Non-Degree Post Graduate Courses:

University of Phoenix: Educational Administration courses

Arizona State University: Middle School Curriculum Development and Guiding

Girls in Math and Science

Gallaudet University: Deaf Children and the Learning of Mathematics

1993 M.A.

Special Education and Rehabilitation with an emphasis in Deaf Education

College of Education

University of Arizona

1991 B.A.

Elementary Education

College of Education

Arizona State University

TEACHING

Fall 2013 Graduate Assistant

University of Arizona

SERP 538: Methods for Teaching Speech to the Hearing Impaired

Responsibilities:

set up online course materials

graded assignments

designed instructional unit on Vocabulary Development

Summer

2012 & 2013 Graduate Assistant

University of Arizona

SERP 430/530: Educational Issues: Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children

Responsibilities:

set up and updated online course materials

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graded all undergraduate assignments

monitored discussion board

graded all discussion posts

revised assignments

Spring 2012 Graduate Assistant

University of Arizona

SERP 537/ Language and Literacy Assessment and Intervention of

Deaf/Hard of Hearing Students

Responsibilities:

designed and presented information on writing instructional objectives,

backward design, and administering and scoring formal assessments

provided online instructional sessions on using the Qualitative Reading

Inventory and designing appropriate interventions for students based on results

of assessments

graded assignments

SERP 594 Communication and Literacy Practicum

Responsibilities:

supervised two graduate students

provided weekly feedback on written lesson plans

provided feedback on video-recorded practicum sessions with DHH students

2009 - Associate Faculty

Present College of Education

University of Phoenix Online

MTE 506: Child and Adolescent Development

EDU 305: Child Development

Responsibilities:

facilitate discussion between students by designing relevant and reflective

discussion questions and further responses

facilitate collaboration among student learning teams

grade student assignments

participate in ongoing faculty development

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2012 -

Present Research Assistant, University of Arizona, Center for Literacy and Deafness

Responsibilities: Assist in all aspects of the research, including the following:

recruiting participants

conducting child assessments

participating in developing interventions and materials for strengthening English

syntax in DHH children

developing and collecting data on intervention fidelity and effectiveness.

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2011 - Itinerant Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, part-time

2012 Desert Valleys Regional Cooperative

Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind

Responsibilities:

provided instruction to students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing placed in

general education classroom programs

prepared daily lesson plans according to students’ Individual Education Plans

and Arizona State Standards

used a variety of evaluative instruments to assess student skills to determine the

best program of learning

wrote and implemented Individual Education Plans

2006 – 2011 Parent Advisor

Desert Valleys Regional Cooperative

Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind

Responsibilities:

provided professional home visits and consultation to families of children with

hearing loss between the ages of 0-5,

provided support based on the identified needs of the family

participated in the Individualized Family Service Plan

assisted with identified evaluations for child and family

2008 – 2011 Supervising Teacher – Hearing Impaired

Desert Valleys Regional Cooperative

Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind

Responsibilities:

provided leadership for instructional and programmatic development of the

itinerant program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students

assisted teachers in evaluating the effectiveness of student programs

promoted and maintained climate for effective working relationships among

staff and school districts

supervised and evaluated staff

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Structured English Immersion Trainer, Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind

Mentor/Protégé Program, Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and the Blind

PUBLICATIONS

Invited Articles

Rivera, M. C. (2013) Curriculum-Based Measures: Past, Present, and Future [Review of the book A

measure of success: The influence of curriculum-based measurement on education, by

C. A. Espin, K. L. McMaster, S. Rose, & M. M. Wayman, Eds.] Journal of Deaf Studies

and Deaf Education, doi: 10.1093/deafed/ent017

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PRESENTATIONS Invited

Rivera, M. C. (2014). Language and Literacy Development of Children Who are Deaf and Hard

of Hearing: Information for Educational Interpreters. Registry of Interpreters for the

Deaf Continuing Education Activity. Phoenix, Arizona.

Rivera, M. C. (2013). Special Education 101 for Interpreters: The MET and IEP. Registry of

Interpreters for the Deaf Continuing Education Activity. Phoenix, Arizona.

Rivera, M. C. (2013). Part of the IEP Team: Where Do We All Fit In? Registry of Interpreters

for the Deaf Continuing Education Activity. Phoenix, Arizona.

Refereed

Antia, S. & Rivera, M. C. (2013). Effectiveness of Itinerant Teaching. Association of College

Educators of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Annual Conference. Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Rivera, M. C., Antia, S., Armstrong, H., Kreimeyer, K., Hayes, C., & Henry, M. (2012). Teacher

preparation from a distance: Students’ points of view. Poster presentation, Association

of College Educators of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Annual Conference. Jacksonville,

Florida.

GRANTS

2012 University of Arizona Graduate and Professional Student Council Travel Grant Recipient

CERTIFICATES/ENDORSEMENTS

Arizona, Standard Hearing Impaired, K-12

Arizona, Standard Elementary Education, K-8

Arizona, Supervisor

Arizona, Structured English Immersion, K-12, endorsement

National Interpreter Certification, pending; knowledge exam completed 2010

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

2011- Present: Council for Exceptional Children

Division of Communication Disorders and Deafness

Division of Teacher Education

2013 – Present: American Education Researchers Association, since 2013

Division of Teaching and Teacher Education

Division of Learning and Instruction

SERVICE

2012 – Present: Graduate and Professional Student Council Travel Grant Application Judge,

University of Arizona

2006 – Present: Hearing Screening volunteer, various public and private school districts

2004-2009: Cartwright Family Resource Center: Dia de las Mujeres Health Fair volunteer

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HONORS AND AWARDS

2013 University of Arizona College of Education Marion Miller Strauss Memorial Scholarship

recipient

2012 University of Arizona College of Education Jay Howenstine scholarship recipient

2012 University of Arizona Department of Disability and Psychoeducational Studies Graduate

College Merit Fellowship

2011 National Leadership Consortium in Sensory Disabilities Fellow

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Reading comprehension and vocabulary development strategies for Deaf and Hard of Hearing

students

Support service delivery to Deaf and Hard of Hearing students in general education programs

Language development of Deaf and Hard of Hearing children from Spanish speaking homes

Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports with students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing

M. Christina Rivera

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Kendra M. Benedict

benedict@email.arizona.edu

EDUCATION

2012 PhD. Special Education

University of Arizona

College of Education

Department of Disability and Psychoeducational Studies

Major Area of Study – Education of Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Minor Area of Study – Educational Leadership

2002 Certificate Program in Educational Leadership

Northern Arizona University

College of Education

1994 M.A. Special Education

University of Arizona

College of Education

Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation

Major Area of Study – Education of Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Minor Area of Study – Language and Literacy

1992 B.S. Speech and Language Pathology and Audiology

Northern Arizona University

College of Health Sciences

EXPERIENCE

2012 Graduate Associate, University of Arizona

2008-2009 Responsibilities: Supervised graduate students enrolled in their final internship;

assisted Drs. Shirin Antia (University of Arizona) and Harold Johnson (Michigan

State University) on Excellence Through Collaboration: A Doctoral Preparation

Planning Grant Proposal for D/HH Education; collected, analyzed, and interpreted

qualitative data.

2009-2011 Itinerant Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Tempe Union High

School District

Responsibilities: Collaborated with colleagues to coordinate the district’s D/HH

program; coordinated the provision of appropriate educational services to high

school students who are deaf, hard of hearing, deafblind, or deaf with additional

disabilities; purchased and maintained equipment and materials; monitored out of

district placements; evaluated student performance and needs in the areas of

language, reading, writing, self-advocacy, and social/emotional development;

determined students’ transition needs and planned for their transition from high

school to post-secondary education/training, employment, and independent living;

provided assistance to staff, parents, and students in understanding the impact of

hearing loss and in developing strategies to ensure D/HH students equal access to

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school curriculum and activities.

2005-2006 Itinerant Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Gilbert Public Schools

2002-2003 Responsibilities: Evaluated student performance and needs in the areas of

1994-2000 language, reading, writing, self-advocacy, and social/emotional development;

developed IEPs based on student performance, identified areas of strength and

need, and Arizona State Standards; provided assistance to staff, parents, and

students in understanding the impact of hearing loss and in developing strategies

to ensure D/HH students equal access to school curriculum and activities;

collaborated with colleagues to establish the district’s first D/HH program;

purchased and maintained equipment and materials; obtained and managed

audiological services.

2004-2005 Interpreter, Mesa Community College

Responsibilities: Provided interpreting services to deaf college students in a

variety of subject areas.

2000-2001 Supervising Teachers, Desert Valleys Regional Cooperative, Arizona State

Schools for the Deaf and the Blind Responsibilities: Provided instructional leadership to a team of itinerant teachers

and other staff responsible for the education of children who are deaf or hard of

hearing; assisted the regional director with region-wide planning activities,

personnel recruitment and hiring, supervised itinerant teachers and instructional

assistants

CERTIFICATIONS AND AFFILIATIONS

American Educational Research Association, 2011

Association of College Educators of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, 2008

Council on Education of the Deaf, Administrative Certification, 2008

Council of American Instructors of the Deaf, 2008

Council for Exceptional Children, 2008

Arizona Principal Certificate, 2003

Council on Education of the Deaf, Professional Certification, 1994

Arizona Hearing Impaired Teaching Certificate, K-12, 1994

Arizona Professionals for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, 1994-2002

SERVICE

President, Arizona Professionals for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, 1999-2001

Co-Incorporator, Arizona Professionals for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, 1999

HONORS AND AWARDS

Roberta and Jay Howenstein Endowed Scholarship, 2011-12 and 2009-2010

Herman and Lillian Capsuto Memorial Scholarship, 2010-2011

Mary and Maude Miller Scholarship, 2010-2011

M. Christina Rivera

Grant Proposal

12/4/12

Golden Key International Honour Society, 2009

RESEARCH INTERESTS

My primary area of research interest is deaf and hard of hearing students’ metacognitive awareness and

strategy use. I used a single-case design to examine the effect of instruction in metacognitive

strategies on deaf and hard of hearing students’ comprehension of content area text for my dissertation.

I will extend my dissertation research by investigating the impact of instruction in metacognition on

deaf and hard of hearing students’ performance across the curriculum.

SCHOLARLY ACTIVITIES Refereed Journal Articles

Benedict, K.M., Johnson, H., & Antia, S.D. (2011). Faculty needs, doctoral preparation, and the

future of teacher preparation programs in education of deaf and hard of hearing students.

American Annals of the Deaf, 156, 35-46.

Conference and Professional Presentations

Cannon, J., Guardino, C., Antia, S., & Benedict, K.M. (2012). Single-case design research:

Building the evidence-base within the field of education of deaf/hard of hearing students.

Association of College Educators of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing Annual Conference.

Jacksonville, Florida.

Benedict, K. M. (2012). Instruction in Metacognitive Strategies to Increase Deaf and Hard of

Hearing Students’ Reading Comprehension. Poster presentation at the Association of

College Educators of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing Annual Conference. Jacksonville,

Florida.

Antia, S.D., Kreimeyer, K., Reed, S., Benedict, K., Spolsky, S., & Metz, K. (2010). Supporting

deaf and hard-of-hearing students in public schools: A longitudinal investigation. 21st

International Congress on the Education of the Deaf. Vancouver, British Columbia.

Antia, S.D., Johson, H., Lenihan, D., & Benedict, K.M. (2009). Doctoral preparation in the

education of DHH students: Needs, concerns, and the way ahead. Association of

College Educators of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing Annual Conference. New Orleans,

Louisiana.

Inservice Workshops

Metacognitive Literacy Instruction. Workshop for the Special Education Department at Desert

Vista High School. Phoenix, Arizona, February 2011.

M. Christina Rivera

Grant Proposal

12/4/12

Shirin Dara Antia

E-mail: santia@email.arizona.edu

EDUCATION

1979 Ph.D. Special Education

School of Education

University of Pittsburgh

Major area: Education of the Hearing Impaired

Minor areas: Learning Disabilities

Mental Retardation

Curriculum and Supervision

1973 M. Ed.

School of Education

University of Pittsburgh

Major area: Education of the Hearing Impaired

1972 Diploma: Teacher of the Deaf

Maharashtra State

Education, Audiology and Research Society,

Bombay, India

1971 B.A.

Calcutta University

Calcutta, India

Major area: Education (Foundations)

Minor area: English Literature

EMPLOYMENT Current Professor, Department of Special Education and

Position Rehabilitation, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona

Responsibilities: Coordinate Graduate Program to prepare teachers of the Deaf/Hard of

Hearing students; teach master's and doctoral courses in the area of education of

Deaf/Hard of Hearing, language development, and research, advise master's and

doctoral students, obtain funding for research and teacher preparation.

1985- 1996 Associate Professor, Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation,

University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona

Responsibilities: Coordinate Graduate Program to prepare teachers of Deaf/Hard of

Hearing children; teach master’s and doctoral courses in the area of education of

Deaf/Hard of hearing, language development, research; advise master’s and doctoral

students; obtain funding for research and teacher preparation.

1980-1985 Assistant Professor, Department of Special Education, University of Arizona,

Tucson, Arizona

M. Christina Rivera

Grant Proposal

12/4/12

Responsibilities: Coordinate and develop graduate program to prepare teachers of deaf

and hard of hearing students.

CERTIFICATIONS AND AFFILIATIONS

Council on Education of the Deaf, Professional Certification, Elementary and Multi-

handicapped, 1972-present

Council on Education of the Deaf, Supervisory Certificate, 1984

Pennsylvania Certification in teaching the hearing impaired K-12, 1978

Certification of competence in Verbotonal Training, Western Pennsylvania

School for the Deaf, 1974

Certificate for Teacher of the Deaf, Maharashtra State, India, 1972

Member, Council for Exceptional Children

Member, Convention of American Instructors of the Deaf

Member, Alexander Graham Bell Association

Member, Association of College Educators of the Hearing Impaired

Member, American Educational Research Association

OTHER PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Research grant proposal reviewer for the Economic and Social Research Council of the UK ,

June 2006.

Grant Reviewer for U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and

Rehabilitation, Field Initiated Research grants, Early Childhood Personnel Preparation,

Leadership Preparation, Directed Research 1989-present

Grant Reviewer for National Institutes of Health, Biobehavioral and Behavioral Processes.

February 2000, July 2003, March, December 2004.

Member of Review Panel for The Volta Review, June 1993-present;

Associate Editor: Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education (Term 2004-present).

Member of Editorial Board (Consulting Editor) Communication Disorders Quarterly. (Term

2001-present)

Editorial Consultant: Language Speech and Hearing Services in the Schools, (1993-2000)

Site Reviewer, Council on Education of the Deaf, Lewis and Clark College, Spring 2000

Evaluator for Promotion and Tenure proposals: Georgia State University, 2002; University of

Melbourne 2004, 2005; University of Colorado, Boulder, 2007; Tel-Aviv University, 2007.

INSERVICE WORKSHOPS

Facilitating academic success for deaf and hard-of-hearing students in general education

classrooms. Presentation to the Arizona Chapter of Hands and Voices. Phoenix, September

2008.

Academic and social status and progress of DHH students in general education. Presentation to

leadership group of the Arizona State Schools for Deaf and Blind. Tucson, September 2008.

(with Dr. Kathryn Kreimeyer).

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children in the public schools: School, family and student influences

on success. Conference of Educators of Deaf and Hard of Hearing, British Columbia:

Vancouver, British Columbia, October 2006.

M. Christina Rivera

Grant Proposal

12/4/12

Longitudinal Study of Academic and Social Status of D/HH Students in Public Schools:

Factors influencing progress. Arizona State Schools for Deaf and Blind, Statewide Conference

Tucson, Arizona: October 2005 (with Drs. Reed and Stryker and graduate students Sarah

Goins, Caroline Guardino and Denise Tarpley).

Deaf and Hard of hearing students in public schools: Who are they and how are they doing?

Arizona State Schools Statewide Inservice, Phoenix, Arizona: October 2004 (with Drs. Reed,

Stryker, and doctoral student Sarah Goins).

CONFERENCE AND PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS

Antia, S. D. (2008). No child (with hearing loss) left behind. Keynote paper presented at the

29th Annual Conference on mainstreaming students with hearing loss. Northampton, MA.

Antia, S.D. (2008). Academic and social status and progress of DHH students in general

education. National Technical Institute for the Deaf. Rochester, NY.

Antia, S.D., (2008). Facilitators of academic success for DHH students in general education

classrooms. National Technical Institute for the Deaf. Rochester, NY.

Antia, S.D., & Kreimeyer, K.H. (2008). DHH students’ communication participation in

general education classrooms. Paper presented at the Association of College Educators:

Deaf/Hard of Hearing. Monterey CA.

Reed, S., Antia, S. D., & Kreimeyer, K., H. (2007). Longitudinal investigation of the academic

status of deaf and hard of hearing students in public schools: School, home and program

facilitators and detractors. Paper presented at the American Education Research Association.

Chicago IL.

Guardino, C., Goins, S., Antia, S.D., & Reed, S. (2006) Assessing Classroom Participation,

Social Behavior and Academic Competence. Poster presented at the Association of College

Educators-Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Denver, Colorado.

Goins, S., Guardino, C., Antia, S.D., & Reed, S. (2006): Preliminary Data on Social Outcomes.

Deaf and Hard of Hearing students in general education classrooms. Poster presented at the

Association of College Educators-Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Denver, Colorado.

Kreimeyer, K., Sedey, A., Stredler-Brown, A. & Antia, S.D. (2006) Western States Early

Intervention Project. Paper presented at the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI)

Conference, Washington DC.

CONSULTANCIES

Consultant to Mesa Public Schools to review Special Education Programs Serving the Hearing-

Impaired. Spring 1997.

Consultant to special education program in Paradise Valley, Arizona, Fall 1994.

Consultant to special education program in Santa Cruz School District, Arizona, Spring 1992.

GRANTS FUNDED

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. “Southwest Project to

Prepare Teachers of children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing”. January 2009- December

2012. Total funds $ 800,000.

U.S. Department of Education. “Excellence through collaboration: A doctoral preparation

planning grant proposal for DHH Education”. 2007-2008. Extended to Sept. 30 2009.

Subcontract with Michigan State University . Total funds $100,00; UA subcontract $24,443.

(Co-principal Investigator with Dr. H. Johnson, MSU).

M. Christina Rivera

Grant Proposal

12/4/12

Arizona Board of Regents Reach Out. “ Initiating a Distance Learning Program for Preparing

Teachers of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students”. 2007-2008. Total Funds $50,000.

U.S. Department of Education. “Preparing Special Education Faculty for Universities and

Colleges”. 2004-2007 Extended to 2008. Total funds $ 654,956. (Co-principal Investigator with

Drs. Umbreit and Ofiesh. Responsibility .20FTE)

U.S. Department of Education. “Southwestern Project to Prepare Teachers of Deaf/Hard of

Hearing”. 2002-2007. Extended to December 2008. Total funds $1,380,454.

U.S. Department of Education. “Longitudinal Study of Academic and Social Status of

Deaf/Hard of Hearing students attending general education classrooms in public schools”.

2001-2006. Extended to December 2007. Total funds $884,109.

PROFESSIONAL PUBLICATIONS Refereed journal articles

Reed, S., Antia, S.D., & Kreimeyer, K.H. (2008) Academic status of deaf and hard-of-hearing

students in public schools: Student, home and service facilitators and detractors. Journal

of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 13, 458-502

Antia, S. D., Sabers, D., & Stinson, M. S. (2007). Validity and Reliability of the Classroom

Participation Questionnaire with Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students in Public Schools.

Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 12, 158-171.

McCain, K., & Antia, S. D. (2005). Academic and social status of Hearing, Deaf, and Hard-of-

Hearing students participating in a co-enrolled classroom. Communication Disorders

Quarterly, 27, 20-32.

Antia, S.D., Reed, S. & Kreimeyer, K.H. (2005) Written language of Deaf and Hard of Hearing

students in public schools. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 10, 244-255.

Antia, S. D., Stinson, M. S., & Gaustad, M. G. (2002). Developing membership in the education

of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students in inclusive settings. Journal of Deaf Studies and

Deaf Education, 7, 214-229.

Book chapters

Antia, S. D., Kreimeyer, K., H., & Reed, S. (2011). Supporting students in general education

classrooms. In M. Marschark & P. Spencer (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of deaf studies,

language and education (Vol. 2).

Antia, S. D., & Kreimeyer, K., H. (2003). Peer Interactions of Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Children. In M. Marschark & P. Spencer (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Deaf Studies,

Language , and Education.(pp 164-176) : Oxford University Press.

M. Christina Rivera

Grant Proposal

12/4/12

Carol McDonald Connor

Carol.connor@asu.edu

EDUCATION

2002 University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

Ph.D. Language, Literacy & Culture, Special Education

Northwestern University, Evanston, IL

1975 B.S. Speech-Language Pathology

1976 M.A. Speech-Language Pathology

RESEARCH, TEACHING, and CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

2012-present Professor, Arizona State University, Department of Psychology, and Senior Research

Scientist, Learning Sciences Institute.

2009 –2012 Associate Professor, Florida State University, Department of Psychology,

Developmental Psychology, and Research Faculty, the Florida Center for Reading

Research (FCRR), Florida Center for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math

(FCR-STEM)

2008-2009 Associate Professor, Florida State University, College of Education and

Research Faculty, the Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR), Florida

Center for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (FCR-STEM)

2004-2008 Assistant Professor, Florida State University, College of Education

2003-2004 Assistant Research Scientist, University of Michigan, Department of Psychology,

Developmental Psychology.

2003-2004 Assistant Research Scientist, Center for Human Growth and Development, University

of Michigan. Project Director, Pathways to Literacy Project.

GRANTS

2012-2017 Co-Principal Investigator: Predicting and Preventing the Development of Learning

Disabilities (renewal). PI on Learning Disabilities in Context. National Institutes of

Health, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Center PI: Richard

Wagner. Learning Disabilities Multidisciplinary Research Center Grant #P50

HD062120, ($7,000,000).

2012-2017 Investigator, Center for Literacy and Deafness, PI: Amy Lederberg, Georgia State

University, funded by the US Department of Education, Institute for Education Science.

($10,000,000).

2012-2017 Investigator, Florida Center for Reading Research, Regional Education Lab. PI:

Barbara Foorman, funded by the US Department of Education. Anticipated funding

2012-2017 ($38,000,000).

2010-2015 Principal Investigator with Christopher Lonigan: Reading for Understanding

Research Initiative: Pre-kindergarten through 5th Grade. US Department of Education,

Institute for Education Sciences Grant #R305F100027. Funding 7/1/2010 through

6/30/2015 ($20,000,000).

2007-2011 Principal Investigator: Child-by-Instruction Interactions in Literacy: Examining

Causal Effects of Individualized Instruction in First through Third Grade. US

M. Christina Rivera

Grant Proposal

12/4/12

Department of Education, Institute for Education Sciences Grant # R305B070074.

Funding 7/1/07 through 5/31/2011 ($3,000,000). PECASE Fellowship.

2006-2010 Co-Principal Investigator: Improving Deaf Children’s Literacy. US Department of

Education, Institute for Education Sciences Grant # R324E06035. Funding 9/1/06

through 8/31/2020 ($1,468,000).

2004-2007 Principal Investigator, Child-Instruction Interactions in Early Reading: Examining

Causal Effects of Individualized Instruction, US Department of Education, Institute for

Education Sciences Grant # R305H04013. Funding 9/1/04 through 8/31/2007

($1,632,000).

FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS

2010 Developing Scholar, Florida State University

2009 Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) Early Career Contribution Award

for 2009

2007 Recipient of the 2006 President’s Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers

(PECASE).

2007 Richard C. Snow Early Career Award from the American Psychological Association.

Gave address at 2008 APA Conference.

2006 Dina Feitelson Research Award for Beyond the Reading Wars: The effect of classroom

instruction by child interactions on early reading.

PUBLICATIONS

Peer Reviewed Journals

Easterbrooks, S.R., Lederberg, A.R., & Connor, C.M. (in press). Contributions of the emergent literacy

environment to literacy outcomes in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade children who are

deaf. Accepted for Publication in American Annals of the Deaf.

Connor, C. M., Morrison, F. J., Fishman, B., Giuliani, S., Luck, M., Underwood, P., . . .

Schatschneider, C. (2011). Classroom instruction, child X instruction interactions and the

impact of differentiating student instruction on third graders' reading comprehension. Reading

Research Quarterly, 46(3), 189-221.

Connor, C. M., Morrison, F. J., Schatschneider, C., Toste, J., Lundblom, E. G., Crowe, E., & Fishman,

B. (2011). Effective classroom instruction: Implications of child characteristic by instruction

interactions on first graders' word reading achievement. Journal for Research on Educational

Effectiveness, 4(3), 173-207. PMC3251831

Connor, C. M., Kaya, S., Luck, M., Toste, J., Canto, A., Rice, D. C., et al. (2010). Content-Area

Literacy: Individualizing Student Instruction in Second Grade Science. Reading Teacher,

63(6), 474-485.

Connor, C. M., Piasta, S. B., Fishman, B., Glasney, S., Schatschneider, C., Crowe, E., Underwood, P.,

& Morrison, F. J. (2009). Individualizing student instruction precisely: Effects of child by

instruction interactions on first graders’ literacy development. Child Development, 80(1), 77-

100.

Connor, C. M., Morrison, F. J., Fishman, B., Ponitz, C. C., Glasney, S., Underwood, P., et al. (2009).

The ISI classroom observation system: Examining the literacy instruction provided to

individual students. Educational Researcher, 38(2), 85-99.

Connor, C. M. (2009). Individualized reading instruction in early elementary classrooms. Perspectives

on Language and Literacy, Special Edition, 33-38.

M. Christina Rivera

Grant Proposal

12/4/12

Bergeron, J. P., Lederberg, A. R., Easterbrooks, S. R., Miller, E. M., & Connor, C. M. (2009). Building

the alphabetic principle in young children who are deaf and hard of hearing. Volta Review,

109(2-3), 87-119.

Easterbrooks, S. R., Lederberg, A. R., Miller, E. M., Bergeron, J. P., & Connor, C. M. (2008).

Emergent Literacy Skills during Early Childhood in Children with Hearing Loss: Strengths and

Weaknesses. Volta Review, 108(2), 91-114.

Connor, C. M., Morrison, F. J., Fishman, B. J., Schatschneider, C., & Underwood, P. (2007). THE

EARLY YEARS: Algorithm-Guided Individualized Reading Instruction. Science, 315(5811),

464-465.

Connor, C. M., Morrison, F. J., & Underwood, P. (2007). A Second Chance in Second Grade? The

cumulative impact of first and second grade reading instruction on students’ letter-word reading

skills. Scientific Studies of Reading.11(3), 199-233.

Moeller, M. P., Tomblin, J. B., Yoshinaga-Itano, C., Connor, C. M., & Jerger, S. (2007). Current state

of knowledge: Language and literacy of children with hearing impairment. Ear and Hearing,

28(6), 740-753.

Connor, C. M., Morrison, F. J., & Katch, E. L. (2004). Beyond the Reading Wars: The effect of

classroom instruction by child interactions on early reading. Scientific Studies of Reading, 8(4),

305-336. Winner of the 2006 Dina Feitelson Research Award.

Connor, C. M., Morrison, F. J., & Petrella, J. N. (2004). Effective reading comprehension instruction:

Examining child by instruction interactions. Journal of Educational Psychology, 96(4), 682-

698.

SELECTED CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

Connor, C. M. (2010, February) Individualizing instruction from first through third grade. Paper

presented at the Annual Pacific Coast Research Conference, San Diego, CA.

Connor, C. M., Morrison, F. J., & Crowe, E. C. (2010, July) Refining dynamic system forecasting

intervention models: New child X instruction interactions for third graders. Paper presented at

the Annual Meeting of the Society for Scientific Study of Reading, Berlin.

Amy Lederberg, Victoria Burke; Carol M. Connor; Susan Easterbrooks (2009, July). The development

of a curriculum to teach deaf children alphabetic knowledge, phonological awareness, and

vocabulary. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Scientific Study of

Reading, Boston

Lederberg, A. R., Carol McDonald Connor, Susan R. Easterbrooks, Jessica P. Bergeron, Elizabeth M.

Miller (2009, April). Improving Deaf Preschoolers' Emergent Literacy Skills. Paper presented

at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Denver.

Connor, C. M., Morrison, F. J., Schatschneider, C., Fishman, B., & Underwood, P. (2007, March).

Child X instruction interactions: Examining effects of individualizing student instruction. Paper

presented at the Institute for Education Sciences Conference, Washington DC.

CURRENT PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Society for Research on Child Development

Society for the Scientific Study of Reading, voting member, board member, editorial review

board, & treasurer

Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness, Associate Editor

American Speech, Language, and Hearing Association

AERA – American Educational Research Associational (Reading and Writing Program

Division Co-chair, 2010-2011)

M. Christina Rivera

Grant Proposal

12/4/12

AAAS – Association for the Advancement of Science

APA – American Psychological Association

APS – Association for Psychological Science

IRA – International Reading Association

SERVICE/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

2012-present Associate Editor of the Journal for Research on Educational Effectiveness

2011-present Permanent member of US Department of Education, Institute for Education Sciences,

Reading & Writing review panel

2011-present Editorial Review Board, Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education

2008-present Editorial Review Board, Reading Research Quarterly

2008-2014 International Reading Association: Commission on Response to Intervention member

2006-present Reviewer for Cognitive Development, Journal of School Psychology, and the American

Journal of Speech Language Pathology

2005-present Reviewer for Ear & Hearing

2004-present Reviewer for Scientific Studies of Reading

2004-present Reviewer for Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research

WEB-BASED TOOLS and SITES DEVELOPED

2010-Present Currently developing Comprehension Tools for Teachers, a web- and iPad-based digital

support system for teachers. Developed as part of the Reading for Understanding

project. Also led development of the project website (http://rfu.fcrr.org).

2005-Present Developed Assessment-to-Instruction (A2i) software, which uses research generated

algorithms to generate recommended amounts and types of language arts instruction

based on individual students’ vocabulary and letter-word recognition scores Also

developed, the ISI Online Resource Guide, which is integrated with A2i, to support

teachers’ efforts to individualize instruction in their classroom.

2007-Present Developed the Content-area Literacy Instruction (CALI) website, which allows teachers

to view and download CALI Science units on Earth Science and Chemistry.

M. Christina Rivera

Grant Proposal

12/4/12

CURRENT & PENDING SUPPORT OF SENIOR/KEY PERSONNEL

Grant Personnel Current or Pending Grants Time Project Period

Shirin Antia, PhD Center for Literacy and

Deafness

25% 2012-2017

Personnel Preparation 25% 2012-2015

Christina Rivera, M.A. Center for Literacy and

Deafness

50% 2012-2017

M. Christina Rivera

Grant Proposal

12/4/12

BUDGET JUSTIFICATION

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

CFDA 84.324A SPECIAL EDUCATION RESEARCH GRANT

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR TEACHERS AND

RELATED SERVICE PROVIDERS

YEARS 1-2

8/1/2013 – 7/31/2015

EFFECTIVE ITINERANT TEACHING: CHILD X INSTRUCTION FACTORS WITH

STUDENTS WHO ARE DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING

PERSONNEL

Principal Investigator and Project Director: M. Christina Rivera, M.A.

University of Arizona total 3-year commitment (.25 FTE)

Institute of Education Sciences – US DOE total 3-year requested (.50 FTE)

Responsibilities: Ms. Rivera will devote 50% effort during the academic year and 25% effort during

one month during the summer to the project. She will oversee all aspects of the project including

overall grant management and administration, personnel and participant recruitment, project evaluation

and revision, and data collection and analysis. During year one she will be responsible for

coordinating with Local Education Agencies to obtain proper permissions and consent for data

collection. She will also conduct itinerant teacher interviews and initial analysis of the results. During

year two, she will continue to analyze teacher interviews, assess student participants in the Fall and

Spring, and videotape itinerant and classroom literacy instruction. She also will begin coding and

analysis of data. During year two, she will complete data coding and analysis and prepare results for

publication and presentation. Throughout years 1-3, she will manage the day-to-day organization of

the project and project personnel.

Co-Principal Investigator: Shirin Antia, Ph.D.

Institute of Education Sciences – US DOE total 3-year requested (.25 FTE)

Responsibilities: Dr. Antia will devote 25% effort during the academic year to the project. She will

assist with research design and data analyses for this project. During year one she will assist in the

development of the interview questions for itinerant teachers and initial coding of their responses.

During year two she will assist with assessment and videotaping of student instruction and init ial

coding of the results. During year three she will assist with all data coding and analysis and

preparation of results for publication and presentation.

Co-Investigator and Project Coordinator: Kendra Benedict, M.A.

Institute of Education Sciences – US DOE total 3-year requested (.50 FTE)

Responsibilities: Ms. Benedict will devote 30% effort during the academic year and 20% effort during

one summer month to the project. During year one she will assist with coordination with obtaining

proper permissions and consent for data collection with Local Education Agencies. She will assist in

the development of interview questions, conduct itinerant teacher interviews, and code and analyze

initial results. During year two, she will continue to assist with the analysis of teacher interviews,

assessment of student participants, and video/audiorecording of literacy instruction. During year two,

she will assist with completing data coding and analysis and preparing results for publication and

presentation.

M. Christina Rivera

Grant Proposal

12/4/12

Research Consultant: Carol M. Connor, Ph.D.

Institute of Education Sciences – US DOE total 3-year requested ($4,000 for fees and expenses)

Responsibilities: Dr. Connor will provide consultation services on the use and coding of student

literacy instruction with the Individualizing Student Instruction Observation System during years 2 and

3. She also will provide consultation about analysis of results. Dr. Connor is a professor at Arizona

State University, so overnight travel for her consultation services is not necessary; all travel expenses

are included in her fees. Her consultation services will be 5 – 10 days during year 1 and 30 – 60 days

for year 2.

Graduate Associate:

Institute of Education Sciences – US DOE total 3-year requested (.50 FTE)

Responsibilities: The graduate associate will assist the project director and coordinators in data

collection by video/audiorecording teacher interviews and student literacy instruction. The graduate

associate also will assist with transcribing interviews and coding interviews and student literacy

instruction. Beginning doctoral students at the University of Arizona are hired at the Associate 1 level

and then promoted to the Associate 2 level after having completed coursework and comprehensive

exams. We have therefore budgeted for an Associate 1 for years 1 and 2, and an Associate 2 for the

year 3.

A 3% cost of living adjustment has been built into years 2 and 3 for all personnel.

SUPPLIES AND MATERIALS

Technology: The following equipment and software will purchased for use during years 1-3:

3 Dell laptop computers w/Microsoft Office 2010 Home and School Edition

6 Canon Vixia video cameras with 32GB memory cards and tripods

1 Sony Digital Flash Voice Recorder

NVivo 10 software for coding teacher interviews

Noldus The Observer XT Behavioral Coding Suite software for coding student instruction

Supplies for Project Director, Project Coordinator, and Teachers

Funds are requested for general supplies such as printer cartridges, folders, paper, colored and dry-

erase markers, binders, and laminating products.

Travel

Travel includes conference travel for the primary investigators and project coordinator. The type of

conference will be specified at a later date, but may include the annual Office of Special Education

Programs Project Directors’ Conference or the Council on Exceptional Children Conference. Results

of the study will be presented at the conference. Travel expenses to conferences includes conference

registration fees, airfare, per diem, ground transportation, and hotel.

Funds are requested for local travel, including travel between widely separated schools in the

Phoenix area. Mileage will be paid to the project members at $0.45/mile.

OTHER

Background Checks

School districts in the state of Arizona require that those conducting research at their schools have a

background check and receive fingerprint clearance; $67 per person has been included in the budget.