G EORGE W ASHINGTON U NIVERSITY C ENTER FOR E QUITY AND E XCELLENCE IN E DUCATION PA Migrant Reading Comprehension Team Session #2 December 1, 2009 Fluency and Comprehension: Relevant Reading Research

G EORGE W ASHINGTON U NIVERSITY C ENTER FOR E QUITY AND E XCELLENCE IN E DUCATION What is fluency? Fluency is the ability to read a text accurately and quickly. Fluency is the ability to read a text accurately and quickly. When fluent readers read silently, they recognize words automatically. They group words quickly to help them gain meaning from what they read. Fluent readers read aloud effortlessly and with expression. Their reading sounds natural, as if they are speaking. Readers who have not yet developed fluency read slowly, word by word. Their oral reading is choppy and plodding.” Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read

G EORGE W ASHINGTON U NIVERSITY C ENTER FOR E QUITY AND E XCELLENCE IN E DUCATION Why is fluency important? Reading fluently allows students to focus on understanding what they read. Fluency is important because it provides a bridge between word recognition and comprehension. Because fluent readers do not have to concentrate on decoding the words, they can focus their attention on what the text means. They can make connections among the ideas in the text and between the text and their background knowledge. In other words, fluent readers recognize words and comprehend at the same time. Less fluent readers, however, must focus their attention on figuring out the words, leaving them little attention for understanding the text. - Putting Reading First

G EORGE W ASHINGTON U NIVERSITY C ENTER FOR E QUITY AND E XCELLENCE IN E DUCATION Skilled Reading

G EORGE W ASHINGTON U NIVERSITY C ENTER FOR E QUITY AND E XCELLENCE IN E DUCATION Comprehension is not constant The ability to comprehend written texts is not a static or fixed ability, but rather one that involves a dynamic relationship between the demands of texts and the prior knowledge and goals of readers. From Reading in the Disciplines: The Challenges of Adolescent Literacy – Final Report from Carnegie Corporation of New York’s Council on Advancing Adolescent Literacy By Carol D. Lee and Anika Spratley of Northwestern Univ.

G EORGE W ASHINGTON U NIVERSITY C ENTER FOR E QUITY AND E XCELLENCE IN E DUCATION Comprehension must be created Reading comprehension is an active process that engages the reader; it is not a passive receptive process. Reading is intentional thinking during which meaning is constructed through interactions between text and reader. From Guide for Discussing the Findings of the National Reading Panel Report – R3CC Draft 2001

G EORGE W ASHINGTON U NIVERSITY C ENTER FOR E QUITY AND E XCELLENCE IN E DUCATION Sources of Prior Knowledge Include: words and word forms sentence structure or syntax text structures or genres topics

G EORGE W ASHINGTON U NIVERSITY C ENTER FOR E QUITY AND E XCELLENCE IN E DUCATION Prior Knowledge of Topics Studies have demonstrated that prior knowledge of topics can influence what we comprehend, what we pay attention to, even what perspectives we take. From Reading in the Disciplines

G EORGE W ASHINGTON U NIVERSITY C ENTER FOR E QUITY AND E XCELLENCE IN E DUCATION Why teach comprehension strategies? The idea behind explicit instruction in text comprehension is that comprehension can be improved by teaching students to use specific cognitive strategies or to reason strategically when they encounter barriers to comprehension when reading. (4-39/40) From Guide for Discussing the Findings of the National Reading Panel Report – R3CC Draft 2001

G EORGE W ASHINGTON U NIVERSITY C ENTER FOR E QUITY AND E XCELLENCE IN E DUCATION Strategies used by good readers There is a considerable body of research documenting the strategies that good readers use. These strategies include: 1. asking questions 2. making predictions 3. testing hypotheses 4. summarizing 5. monitoring understanding and deploying fix-it strategies as needed. From Reading in the Disciplines

G EORGE W ASHINGTON U NIVERSITY C ENTER FOR E QUITY AND E XCELLENCE IN E DUCATION Areas of Instruction for Expanding Readers’ Skills Pre-reading Predicting Testing hypotheses against the text Asking questions Summarizing From Reading in the Disciplines

G EORGE W ASHINGTON U NIVERSITY C ENTER FOR E QUITY AND E XCELLENCE IN E DUCATION Generic Reading Strategies Can be applied to texts across content areas Monitor comprehension Pre-read Set goals Think about what one already knows Ask questions Make predictions Test predictions against the text Re-read Summarize From Reading in the Disciplines

G EORGE W ASHINGTON U NIVERSITY C ENTER FOR E QUITY AND E XCELLENCE IN E DUCATION Thinking Tools to Support Student Use of Comprehension Strategies Some examples include: Double Entry Journals KWL Graphic Organizers Anticipation Guides Annotation of Texts From Reading in the Disciplines

G EORGE W ASHINGTON U NIVERSITY C ENTER FOR E QUITY AND E XCELLENCE IN E DUCATION 14 PA MEP Service Delivery Plan Objectives SDP Objective 5A: Increase percentage of migrant students who receive data-informed supplementary instruction in reading (by at least 5 percentage points annually). SDP Objective 5B: Increase the percentage of migrant ELL students scoring proficient or advanced on the Reading PSSA (by at least 2 percentage points annually).

G EORGE W ASHINGTON U NIVERSITY C ENTER FOR E QUITY AND E XCELLENCE IN E DUCATION 15 PA MEP Service Delivery Plan Objectives SDP Objective 5B: In 2007 – 20% of migrant students met the reading target. In 2008 – 17% of migrant students met the reading target.

G EORGE W ASHINGTON U NIVERSITY C ENTER FOR E QUITY AND E XCELLENCE IN E DUCATION 16 What Does the Research Tell Us? On one point scholars agree. Giving students more time will not, in and of itself, improve learning. It is all about what educators do to make the most of any extra time they get. Education Week – 2008

G EORGE W ASHINGTON U NIVERSITY C ENTER FOR E QUITY AND E XCELLENCE IN E DUCATION 17 What Does the Research Tell Us? One-on-one tutoring produces an average growth of 2 letter grades in a class. Effect sizes were related to qualifications of instructors—favoring instructors who were specially trained in the targeted interventions (incl. college students, community volunteers, etc.) Results of Multiple Reports on the Impact of Adult-Delivered Tutoring (1975 – 1998)

G EORGE W ASHINGTON U NIVERSITY C ENTER FOR E QUITY AND E XCELLENCE IN E DUCATION 18 What Does the Research Tell Us? More intensive interventions had a greater impact. Programs that were short, but intense, had greater effect than longer, less intense interventions. One-on-one reading tutoring, led by trained adults, can have a significant positive impact on student reading ability, particularly for younger students. How Effective Are One-to-One Tutoring Programs in Reading for Elementary Students At-risk of Reading Failure?, Elbaum, Vaughn, Moody (2000)

G EORGE W ASHINGTON U NIVERSITY C ENTER FOR E QUITY AND E XCELLENCE IN E DUCATION Areas of Instruction for Expanding Readers’ Skills Pre-reading Predicting Testing hypotheses against the text Asking questions Summarizing From Reading in the Disciplines

G EORGE W ASHINGTON U NIVERSITY C ENTER FOR E QUITY AND E XCELLENCE IN E DUCATION Before Reading Strategies Preview Text genre, context, text features Prior knowledge Predict Topics to be covered Points made Questions raised

G EORGE W ASHINGTON U NIVERSITY C ENTER FOR E QUITY AND E XCELLENCE IN E DUCATION During and After Reading Strategies During Check Predictions Monitor Comprehension After Personal Response Summarize