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The goal of the present intervention research was to test whether guided invented spelling would facilitate entry into reading for at-risk kindergarten children. The 56 participating children had poor phoneme awareness, and as such, were at risk of having difficulty acquiring reading skills. Children were randomly assigned to one of three training conditions: invented spelling, phoneme segmentation, or storybook reading. All children participated in 16 small group sessions over eight weeks. In addition, children in the three training conditions received letter-knowledge training and worked on the same 40 stimulus words that were created from an array of 14 letters. The findings were clear: on pretest, there were no differences between the three conditions on measures of early literacy and vocabulary, but, after training, invented spelling children learned to read more words than did the other children. As expected, the phoneme-segmentation and invented-spelling children were better on phoneme awareness than were the storybook-reading children. Most interesting, however, both the invented spelling and the phoneme-segmentation children performed similarly on phoneme awareness suggesting that the differential effect on learning to read was not due to phoneme awareness per se. As such, the findings support the view that invented spelling is an exploratory process that involves the integration of phoneme and orthographic representations. With guidance and developmentally appropriate feedback, invented spelling provides a milieu for children to explore the relation between oral language and written symbols that can facilitate their entry in reading.

A main objective in educational settings is to build system and school capacity in data driven decisionmaking and evidence-informed practice in support of the development, monitoring, and measuring of initiatives targeted to support student achievement and well-being. In 2016-2017, the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) implemented an innovative Data Support Model to provide support to senior staff, school administrators and teams of educators: (1) in the exploration/understanding of data reflecting student achievement/attitudes/ demographics, (2) in the design of school-specific initiatives, and (3) through the development of online and interactive data resource tools. This paper discusses the conceptual framework and collaborative approach of the model, as well as the use and impact of the model. The results indicate a strong positive relation between the Data Support Model and improved Data Literacy at both a systemand school-level. Implications and opportunities for model improvement and growth are discussed. There has been considerable commitment from participants and a continued desire to grow and enhance this model. With time, it is anticipated that student outcomes will also be positively impacted. This approach is unique to this school district and as such, can serve as a valuable model to other school districts.

This study investigated access to and outcomes of Early French Immersion (EFI) for students with special education needs (SEN) attending a large school board in Canada. Data analysis was carried out on: provincially mandated achievement test scores for all Grade 3 students with SEN participating over a three-year period (n = 705) who attended either EFI or English programs; standardized French and English language and reading scores for a small subset of students (n = 20); and interviews with parents of Grade 4 students in EFI (n = 9). Results revealed lower participation but higher English academic and language performance for students with SEN in the EFI program as well as development of French language and reading skills. Interviewed parents often believed children with SEN ‘could not handle’ EFI and that withdrawal should be an option in response to learning difficulties. Implications for inclusive practices in EFI are discussed. Cette étude a examiné l’accès et les résultats des élèves ayant des besoins éducatifs spéciaux fréquentant un programme d’immersion française (EFI) d’un grand conseil scolaire au Canada. Les données analysées étaient : les résultats aux tests obligatoires de rendement scolaire pour tous les élèves de 3e année avec besoins spéciaux fréquentant un programme EFI ou anglais, sur une période de trois ans (n = 705); les scores aux tests standardisés du langage et de lecture en français et en anglais pour un petit sous-ensemble de ces élèves (n = 20); et des entrevues avec des parents d’élèves de 4e année en EFI (n = 9). Les résultats ont révélé une participation plus faible mais des performances académiques et linguistiques en anglais plus élevées pour les élèves ayant des besoins spéciaux du programme EFI et le développement des habiletés langagières et de lecture en français. Les parents interrogés pensaient souvent que les enfants ayant des besoins spéciaux «ne pouvaient pas gérer» la EFI et que le retrait du programme devrait être une option en réponse aux difficultés d’apprentissage. La discussion porte sur les retombées concernant les pratiques inclusives.

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