In 2019, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) released a Literacy Strategic Plan that lays out a vision for "[a]n excellent education in English language arts (ELA) and literacy for all students in Massachusetts" (DESE, 2019a). In support of achieving the goals outlined in the strategic plan, DESE…

The purpose of this research study was to investigate teacher perspectives of implementing standards-based grading in kindergarten through fifth grade in language arts and math in Southern Illinois. This mixed-methods explanatory research study examined the challenges teachers encountered when implementing standards-based grading, and the changes,…

This quantitative descriptive comparative study compared academic achievement scores and student growth percentiles from a southwestern state's test of third-grade students, identified as gifted and talented, enrolled within a self-contained setting, receiving the William and Mary Language Arts Curriculum and the third-grade students, identified…

Instructional coaching has been associated with increased student achievement therefore much research has been devoted to the components of effective instructional coaching. Although some of the literature implies a need for consistency in instructional coaching, no research had been done to determine if student achievement was impacted by the…

This quantitative causal-comparative study, based on secondary data analysis, measured the differences between neighboring Title I traditional elementary schools and Title 1 charter elementary schools in Florida in terms of (a) ELA performance and (b) math performance. More specifically, the study examined the third grade ELA and math scores of 60…

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) has a partnership with Questar Assessment Inc. (Questar) for the development of the 2019 Grades 3-8 English Language Arts Tests. Teachers from across the State work with NYSED in a variety of activities to ensure the validity and reliability of the New York State Testing Program (NYSTP). The 2019…

This study compared the effects of high-tech (clickers) and low-tech (response cards and hand raising) active student responding modalities on student classroom behavior during whole-group English language arts instruction in two 1st-grade classrooms serving students with and without disabilities. The authors combined an ABAB reversal design with…

Providing challenging curriculum in a literacy classroom of students whose reading abilities range widely can be a challenge. Integrating interdisciplinary book selections into a self-selected reading program, however, provides students with challenge by engaging them with big ideas. This article describes methods of integrating advanced…

To ensure all children can be successful in school and beyond, states have increasingly supported and expanded pre-kindergarten (pre-k) programs aimed and improving student outcomes and reducing disparities. While research has shown generally positive short-term outcomes for specific programs, state design and support for pre-k programs varies…

The problem explored in this study was the low achievement of third grade students on the English Language Arts (ELA) Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers Assessment (PARCC). The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore teacher perceptions about third grade students in one charter school who were…

In this study, we describe long-term trends in students' academic performance, documenting persistent and systematic disparities in academic outcomes across several student subgroups. We leverage administrative data from longitudinal student records to examine academic outcomes for English learners (ELs), students with Individualized Education…

Teacher discourse is one way to scaffold instruction for students and is especially important for multilingual learners (MLs). With an ever-growing population of MLs, this topic demands attention. This study takes steps to meet this demand by presenting a language-based approach to content instruction (LACI), a guiding framework comprised of six…

Although the Every Student Succeeds Act sets the parameters for parents and families to be involved in their children's education, there are no specified guidelines on how that involvement should be designed to best impact student achievement. The purpose of this study was to compare Grade 3-5 students' mean Milestones test scores in English…

Science often takes a back burner to English Language Arts (ELA) and Math. With ELA and Math being tested from early years and school funding relying on each, many teachers are pushed by administrators to spend as much time as possible on those two subjects. During the authors' years as classroom teachers and professional development providers,…

Teachers in the US are increasingly required to use scripted curricula. Such instructional materials often reflect the overwhelming whiteness of the publishing industry through a lack of representation of authors and protagonists outside of white, middle-class normative characters. Implementation of such curricula stands in direct contrast to…