The purpose of this study was to examine the construct and predictive validity of a dynamic assessment (DA) of decoding learning. Students (N = 318) were assessed in the fall of first grade on an array of instruments that were given in hopes of forecasting responsiveness to reading instruction. These instruments included DA as well as…

This article reports on a 4-year longitudinal study of the effects of Literacy Collaborative (LC), a school-wide reform model that relies primarily on the one-on-one coaching of teachers as a lever for improving student literacy learning. Kindergarten through second-grade students in 17 schools were assessed twice annually with DIBELS and Terra…

Comorbidity between SLI and dyslexia is well documented. Researchers have variously argued that dyslexia is a separate disorder from SLI, or that children with dyslexia show a subset of the difficulties shown in SLI. This study examines these hypotheses by assessing whether family history of dyslexia and speech and language difficulties are…

The present study compared item and ability invariance as well as model-data fit between the one-parameter (1PL) and three-parameter (3PL) Item Response Theory (IRT) models utilizing real data across five grades; second through sixth as well as simulated data at second, fourth and sixth grade. At each grade, the 1PL and 3PL IRT models were run…

The results of a study in applied educational psycholinguistics are presented. The project used a theoretical model of communicative competence to develop testing techniques for diagnosing levels of ability in functional language skills, and to develop training techniques to promote the acquisition of speaking and listening skills among elementary…

Examined influence of teacher feedback on children's (n=91) evaluations of hypothetical videotaped peers, presented as being liked, disliked, or neutral by the teacher. Teacher feedback had a significant and discriminative effect on subjects' perceptions of the peers. Implications for classroom intervention are discussed. (SNR)

Use of the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests (WRMT), individually administered wide ranging reading tests, was explored, using Title I evaluation Models A1 and A2. Attention was focused on: (1) relationship of the Title I curriculum to the WRMT and the SRA Reading Test; (2) comparative reading achievement gains on both tests, using Model A1; and (3)…

Variations in classroom instruction were observed, and related to student achievement in reading and mathematics. A six-construct model was applied to data on students and instructional practices in sixty second grade classrooms at nine geographic sites, seven of which were sponsored by Project Follow-Through. The constructs were: (l) initial…

This study on Basque language learning is part of a project investigating alternative curriculum designs to promote native language maintenance in the Basque Country of Spain. The study measured the level of Basque and Spanish language proficiency in second- and fifth-grade students in three bilingual education program designs (Basque taught as a…