Reviewing Core Kindergarten and First-Grade Reading Programs In Light of No Child Left Behind: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

This article describes the findings of our review process for core reading programs and provides a preliminary rubric emanating from this process for rating core reading programs. To our knowledge, this is the first published review of the current Reading First guidelines and includes all five components of scientifically based reading research (SBRR): phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. A research team independently examined all six core reading programs, completed a coding sheet, and recorded field notes. The research team was reliable in rating whether all five components were present and if the instructional routines were of good quality. Core programs aligned with Reading First shared several features that could support teachers in their mission to leave no child behind: a clearly articulated theoretical rationale for SBRR, explicit instructional strategies, and consistent instructional routines and organization.Most teachers are concerned that too many of their students have not acquired adequate literacy skills to enjoy reading and successfully complete grade-level work by the time they leave elementary school.

Is experience the best teacher? A multilevel analysis of teacher characteristics and student achievement in low performing schools

“…The assessment focused on the five core components of SBRR (Otaiba et al 2005): phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, and comprehension. Scaled scores were linked across different grade levels and represented approximately equal units on a continuous scale, making scaled scores "especially suitable for comparing group performance over time" (Harcourt Assessment, Inc. 2004, p. 33).…”

A Phenomenological Study of Teacher Perceptions of the Applicability of Differentiated Reading Instruction Designs in Turkey

“…in the instruction process. Among the above mentioned reasons, crowdedness of classrooms, inconsistency of the instruction program in terms of content and time, lack of pre-service and in-service training, and insufficient support from stakeholders, are also found in the literature as causes of inapplicability (Al Otaiba et al, 2005;Calabrese et al, 2005;Edwards et al, 2006;George & Alexander, 2003;Margolis & Nagel, 2006;Sharabi 2009;Wormeli, 2005). Among the answers given by teachers, combined classroom structures and paid teacher policy can be evaluated as restrictions peculiar to Turkey.…”

“…Indeed, most of the related studies in the literature try to reveal the ideas of the teachers on theory and application. According to the findings of these studies, some of the difficulties teachers have during the implementation of this approach are as follows (Al Otaiba et al, 2005;Calabrese et al, 2005;Edwards et al, 2006;George & Alexander, 2003;Margolis & Nagel, 2006;Sharabi 2009;Wormeli, 2005): (1) the population of the classrooms; (2) the gap between the expected work and time; (3) rarity of the resources and the difficulties in pre-assessment; (4) insufficient professional development; (5) insufficient training from the teacher training institutions on the approach; (6) insufficient support from the school administration; (7) insufficient support from parents; (8) difficulties in adaptation of the curriculum (9) redundancy of the students with learning difficulties.…”

Teaching Word Identification to Students with Reading Difficulties and Disabilities

“…Foorman and colleagues reported that children whose teachers used systematic and explicit reading curricula that explicitly linked phonemic awareness and the alphabetic principle in kindergarten achieved reading performance that was at the national average. Most commercially available core reading programs published after the NRP (2000) report that claim to be evidence based contain instructional materials and provide routines that support explicit and systematic instruction in phonemic awareness and word recognition, at least in the early grades (Al Otaiba, Kosanovich-Grek, Torgesen, Hassler, & Wahl, 2005). …”