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