ERIC Number: ED618654
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Mar-2
Pages: 32
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Evaluating the Efficacy of an English Language Development Program for Middle School English Learners
Chaparro, Erin A.; Smolkowski, Keith; Gunn, Barbara; Dennis, Caroline; Vadasy, Patricia
Grantee Submission
This paper reports the outcomes of an experimental evaluation of "Direct Instruction Spoken English (DISE)," an English language curriculum that focuses on developing English speaking, listening, and comprehension skills in English Learners (ELs). Twenty-nine middle schools in three states were randomly assigned to teach "DISE" Level 1 or their typical English language development program. Treatment teachers received two days of training and taught daily lessons. Project staff assessed 746 sixth and seventh-grade students with a proximal measure of English language proficiency and distal measures of language and oral reading fluency. Analyses of oral English language suggested differences between intervention conditions favored the DISE condition for students who began with lower English language proficiency and accumulated when taught over two years. Differences between intervention conditions were not observed after only one year of instruction and for students with advanced levels of English language proficiency. The findings suggest that an evidence-based English oral language program that included frequent teacher demonstrations and opportunities for students to practice speaking English may improve English oral language skills for middle school students. [This is the online first version of an article published in "Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk (JESPAR)."]
Descriptors: Program Effectiveness, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Language Proficiency, Intervention, Evidence Based Practice, Direct Instruction, Outcomes of Education, English Language Learners, Middle School Students, Grade 6, Grade 7, Oral Reading, Reading Fluency, Advanced Students, Teaching Methods, Speech Communication, Oral Language, Elementary School Students, Emergent Literacy, Reading Tests, Achievement Tests, Language Tests, Educational Improvement, Instructional Design
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education; Elementary Education; Grade 6; Intermediate Grades; Grade 7
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS); Woodcock Johnson Tests of Achievement
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305A150325