In this brief, we use a nationally representative sample of ever-English learners (ELs; N = 783) to examine relations between EL concentration within classrooms and reading growth between kindergarten and Grade 5. Piecewise growth models were used to estimate relations for four developmental periods (K-1, Grades 1-2, Grades 2-3, and Grades 3-5).…

In this brief, we use a national representative sample of ever-English learners (N = 783) to examine relations between English learner concentration within classrooms and reading growth between Kindergarten and Grade 5. Piecewise growth models were used to estimate relations for four developmental periods (K-1, Grade 1-2, Grade 2-3, and Grade…

Separating students into homogeneous groups is a common instructional practice used by elementary teachers during reading instruction. Although researchers have been studying the effects of homogeneous grouping for many decades, there is little consensus on whether grouping is an effective or equitable instructional practice. The central challenge…

Ability grouping is a common educational practice utilized by elementary teachers during reading instruction. This study examines whether ability grouping operates as a form of educational stratification by examining the following research question: To what extent do student literacy skills, background characteristics, and prior group placement…

Previous research has indicated benefits and potential pitfalls of within-class homogeneous and heterogeneous ability grouping for elementary math learning. However, there has been scant evidence with regard to the impacts of grouping for language minority kindergartners who may experience the small group setting differentially due to their…

There are few areas of school organization that reflect more dissatisfaction than how to structure the education of adolescents in the middle grades. This study uses multilevel models on nationally representative data provided by the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study to investigate the relationship between schools' middle-level grade span and…

Informed by the current literature, this study examines social contexts across middle grade schools with different grade span configurations. In doing so, the authors aim to build understanding of where and how to target interventions in the middle grades to enhance maintenance of social-emotional adjustment and experiences from middle childhood…

Many school districts have turned attention to school grade configuration as a way to ease student transitions and improve academic performance, however the research base supporting such reforms is limited. Little attention has been given to how and to what degree school attachment influences the relationship between schools' middle level grade…

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether small group instruction in kindergarten widens or closes the achievement gap in mathematics between EL students and non-EL students. The first objective is to examine whether the impacts of small group instruction on math learning differ between EL kindergartners and their non-EL peers. For…

The purpose of this study is two-fold. Firstly the authors examine, given the amount of time allocated to literacy instruction, whether homogeneous grouping helps improve class manageability over the kindergarten year and whether individual students' externalizing problem behaviors will decrease in tandem. Secondly, they investigate whether the…

A kindergartner's opportunities to develop reading and language arts skills are constrained by the amount of time allocated to reading instruction. In the meantime, the student's engagement in learning tasks may increase if the instruction has been adapted to his or her prior ability through homogeneous grouping. This study investigates whether…

There are three self-contained essays in this dissertation. In the first essay (Chapter 2 of the dissertation) I estimate various achievement models for math and reading using the nationally representative Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class (ECLS-K) dataset. An indicator for gifted program participation captures the impact of…

Regardless of individual differences at kindergarten entry, schools have a mission to promote reading achievement for all students. Within-class ability grouping is an instructional strategy that has received attention for its potential benefits to students. The authors assessed the effects of within-class ability grouping on kindergarten reading…