In addition to determining students' writing proficiency, holistic writing scores obtained through a standardized evaluation provide useful data in making value judgments concerning various aspects of high school writing programs. In a cross-sectional study using holistic scoring, average scores of groups of students can be compared, and the…

Promoting Adolescents' Comprehension of Text (PACT) is a text- and discourse-based set of instructional practices that engage students with disciplinary texts as a means of building content knowledge and improving reading comprehension. PACT)s "efficacy" has been the subject of extensive previous trials. The purpose of this study was to…

Novice Teacher Experiences of Online Reading Instruction During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Deyanira Candales, 2023: Applied Dissertation, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice. Keywords: novice teachers, reading, online instruction, elementary school, virtual learning, distance learning,…

Purpose: There are extensive concerns about the size of speech-language caseloads in schools. However, little empirical data exist regarding the patterns of speech-language services enrollment. We reviewed data from several hundred schools in a large state to explore the role of school-level factors in speech-language case enrollment. Method:…

In 2003 the Public Education Network developed the pilot Revitalizing High School Libraries (RHSL) initiative, funded by The New York Life Foundation. Based on the Library Power Program, it included many of the same features--collaborative planning, flexible scheduling, collection development, and facility renovation--with a focus on how this…

There is an extensive body of research establishing measures of oral reading fluency as valid and reliable predictors of important reading outcomes and performance on high stakes tests (Good, Simmons, & Kame'enui, 2001). The present study was conducted to determine whether these findings also apply to the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test…

This document was prepared to assist literacy specialists in the national Regional Comprehensive Center network as they work with states to improve educational policy and practice in the area of adolescent literacy. It comprises three major parts: Part One: "Improving academic literacy instruction for students in grades 4-12." Based on…

A curriculum was developed for 18 at-risk students at the fourth grade level, integrating state minimum skills for math and communication. The goal was to teach basic skills and critical thinking skills (CTS), and to see an increase in motivation, self-esteem, and student attendance through a hands-on project of building a dollhouse and its…

Teachers who meet Common Core recommendations about teaching with multicultural literature need to recognize the traditions, values, and customs of various cultures so they can make sound decisions about the authenticity of the books they select for their students. Furthermore, teachers who support students' literacy achievements with exemplary…

IN ORDER TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR LIVING IN AN INTERNATIONAL, PLURALISTIC WORLD, THE INTERCULTURAL STUDIES PROJECT DEVELOPED A CURRICULUM FOR FRESHMEN AND SOPHOMORES WHICH COMBINES TWO DISCIPLINES, THE HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES, AND TWO LARGE SUBJECT AREAS, WESTERN AND EASTERN AND SOUTH ASIAN CIVILIZATIONS. TWO OTHER OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT…

A practicum designed and implemented a program to address the related problems of negative attitudes toward reading, low reading abiility, and poor student working vocabulary. Intervention strategies and critical thinking activities were used to raise students'"Degrees of Reading Power (DRP) scores and to improve students' attitudes toward…

Reading comprehension--the ability to understand the meaning of text--is a foundational ability that enables children to learn in school and throughout life. Children who struggle with reading comprehension in the third or fourth grade are at high risk for dropping out of school, with detrimental effects on their future employment, income, and…

"Treasures, a basal reading program for students in grades K-6, was developed to address reading comprehension among students in the middle elementary grades. "Treasures" is based on extensive research in vocabulary, comprehension, fluency, and phonics and combines "explicit instruction and ample practice to ensure students'…

Large numbers of children in the United States are not functioning at adequate levels of literacy. Students who have weak reading proficiency skills are identified as "at-risk"; failure to acquire competency early in their schooling adversely affects performance in all academic fields and limits their potential for achievement in life.…

The importance of the beliefs and attitudes of teachers and building-level administrators in achieving school reform has come to be widely acknowledged. As University of Wisconsin professor Kent Peterson put it: "You can implement a good-quality improvement plan and knowledgeable, data-driven decision making, but if the [staff] doesn't…