ERIC Number: EJ1137059
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2325-7466
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Using Curriculum-Based Measurements to Assess Reading: The Cultural Connections of Diverse Students with Learning Disabilities
Blue, Elfreda V.; Alexander, Tammy
Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals, p88-99 Fall 2009
Students with learning disabilities face real reading challenges. Research into the reading performance of culturally diverse students indicates improved reading performance for culturally diverse students when text matches students' cultural perspective. This quasiexperimental research investigates whether Caucasian and African American students with learning disabilities read diverse text differently. Curriculum-based measures (fluency level, comprehension score, and meaning-changing deviations) were used to assess reading performance by ethnicity and reading ability. Two-way MANOVA tests yielded interactions for reading ability x passage and reading ability x ethnicity. Results indicate that low achieving readers comprehended more and had fewer meaning-changing deviations when cultural cues were embedded in text. Results of this study indicate that further consideration must be given to the cultural perspective of readers and text used in reading assessment. Generalizations about student reading ability must be contextualized in discussions about the presence or absence of cultural cues in text to be read.
Descriptors: Learning Disabilities, Curriculum Based Assessment, Reading Tests, Student Diversity, Cultural Differences, Quasiexperimental Design, African American Students, White Students, Ethnicity, Reading Ability, Oral Reading, Multicultural Education, Grade 8, Reading Fluency, Reading Rate, Reading Comprehension, Racial Differences, Multivariate Analysis, Statistical Analysis
American Academy of Special Education Professionals. 3642 East Sunnydale Drive, Chandler Heights, AZ 85142. Tel: 800-754-4421; Fax: 800-424-0371; e-mail: editor@aasep.org; Web site: http://www.aasep.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Grade 8; Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Elementary Education; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New York
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Woodcock Reading Mastery Test
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A