A universally designed intervention for English Language Learners from recent immigrant families in the U.S. : Successes and challenges Presented by Sabina Rak Neugebauer in collaboration with:

Acknowledgement The research reported here was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R305G awarded to the Center for Advanced Special Technology (CAST). The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the Institute or the U.S. Department of Education

A collaborative team CAST Bridget Dalton (Vanderbilt University). Elaine Mo, Kristin Robinson, Ge Vue, Joanne Alunni, Kate Brigham, Tom Green, Matt Brambilla, & Dave McFarland Harvard Graduate School of Education Catherine Snow, Paola Uccelli, & Sabina Neugebauer Boston College Patrick Proctor & Yi-Chien Li School partners: 3 semi-urban and 1 urban school in northeastern Massachusetts

Todays Presentation Study goals Language Minority children in the U.S. - Demographics Universal Design for Learning Perspectives: What do they contribute in general and for this population in particular? Intervention Features Findings for ELLS and specifically recent immigrants in the U.S. Future research

Overall Project Goals To develop and test a universally designed (Rose & Meyer, 2002) scaffolded digital reading approach (Dalton & Proctor, 2007) to improving reading achievement and engagement of 5 th grade students, including bilingual students and struggling readers

Demographics – Language Minority Students in the U.S. One of the fastest- growing groups among the school-aged population in the U.S. Over 9 million students, roughly 5.5 million are classified as Limited English Proficient (LEP) Large population Over 400 different home languages are represented Spanish is the predominant home language 70% Predominantly Spanish speakers The largest and fastest growing are: Students who immigrated before Kindergarten, and U.S. born children of immigrants Largest growth By 2015, second generation children of immigrants are expected to be 30% of the school-aged population in the United States. Adapted from Francis, Rivera, Lesaux, Kieffer, & Rivera (2007) Center on Instruction Report

The contribution of Universal Design for Learning for students

Universal design: Access, beauty and function Guggenheim Museum, NYC

Universal design: Everyone benefits Closed captioning Wheeled luggage Sidewalk curb cuts

Critical recommendations for ELLs and technology use in the U.S. Double the work (2007) _ Adolescent ELLs Integrate All Four Language Skills into Instruction from the Start Teach the Components and Processes of Reading and Writing Teach Reading Comprehension Strategies Focus on Vocabulary Development Build and Activate Background Knowledge Teach Language through Content and Themes Use Native Language Strategically Pair Technology with Existing Interventions Motivate ELLs through Choice Lack of sufficient research on development and instruction

Intervention Students read 8 fiction and non-fiction hypertexts with embedded supports for vocabulary, comprehension, and assessment for sixteen weeks. UDL Program Features: Multiple means of representation Multiple means of expression All instructional supports available in Spanish and English Reading is connected to writing, multimedia composition and oral language

Screenshot from folktale showing student supports

Embedded strategies Strategies: Predict, question, clarify, summarize, visualize, feeling, self-reflect

Research Questions What are the benefits and limitations of a UDL intervention for improving 5th grade Spanish-speaking newcomers vocabulary and reading comprehension in the U.S.? What students seem to benefit the most from this intervention?

Participants Nine students in a fifth grade Sheltered English Immersion Classroom. Students came from Central and South America Students attended a K-8 Title 1 urban school which is 90% Hispanic and 78% speak a language other than English.

Participants StudentGenderBorn in U.S.Time in the U.S. Special Education * 1. JuanaFNO6 monthsNo 2. JaneFNO2 yearsNo 3. WillMNO3 yearsYes 4. KatyFNO3 yearsNo 5. FrancisMNO4 yearsYes 6. MartaFNO4 yearsNo 7. JaviMNO7 yearsYes 8. JoseMYESn/aNo 9. RodrigoMYESn/aNo All student names are pseudonyms to protect the identity of these students

Measures Student Profiles Individually Administered Pre-test Woodcock-Muñoz Language Survey-Revised Picture Vocabulary Letter Word ID Passage Comprehension Pre and Post Intervention Assessment Group Administered Pre and Post-Test Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE)

Growth Student Pre-Test Fall, 2006 Post-Test Spring, 2007 Vocabulary Pre-test Grade Equivalent Vocabulary Post-test Grade Equivalent 1. Juana n/a Jean Will* Katy Francis* Marta Javi* Jose Rodrigo**. 8.2 Student Performance comparing pre and post vocabulary scores on the GRADE

K

English Literacy Skills: Student WCJ GE Scores K

Spanish Literacy Skills: Student WCJ GE Scores K

Complementary English skills (WCJ GE Scores) K

Profiles for Success Initial Grade-level English skills –A student with grade-level English skills improved to reach 8th grade equivalent scores (Rodrigo). Initial above-grade level Spanish skills –A student with grade-level skills in the home language improved from no English up to 4th grade equivalent scores in vocabulary and 3rd grade equivalent scores in reading comprehension (Juana). Collaborative work: Complementary Skills in English –Students with low scores in English, but with complementary reading skills, who enjoyed working together (Jean and Marta) improved.

Recommendations and Limitations Small sample size Design needs to be revised to accommodate those who have both a learning disability and low English proficiency. Some activities were not appropriate for students with low English vocabulary skills (web it)

Recommendations and Limitations Representation: Building larger basic English vocabularies More decoding supports Expression: Student voices and lived realities: Book content Linguistic Awareness: Teaching Academic English

Future Research The role of collaborative learning Assessments for U.S. newcomers in their native language