Rising rates of chronic absenteeism across the nation underscore the need to explore the impact of attendance on the foundational literacy skills of kindergarten students. The absence of young learners from school jeopardizes essential instruction pivotal for literacy development. This study draws on a quantitative correlational approach and…

This quantitative study aimed to determine the growth of students who did and did not attend a state-funded pre-kindergarten program based on Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) reading achievement. The study occurred in a rural school district in the southeastern United States. The sample population consisted of one treatment group (n = 97) and…

Intervention is imperative when students enter kindergarten with deficits in early literacy skills due to multiple factors, including the complexities of a community's needs and resources. In the Seaford School District (SSD), entering kindergarten students lacked needed early literacy skills, as evidenced by low scores on the Dynamic Indicators…

The purpose of this two-phase, sequential explanatory mixed-methods research study was to examine the correlation between kindergarten through fifth-grade teachers' self-efficacy and the impact on literacy achievement to determine how professional development (PD) positively impacted teachers with high self-efficacy. The study was conducted in a…

The purpose of this quantitative study is to examine what impact volunteer tutoring has on improving the reading standardized test scores of K-2nd elementarystudents in East Baton Rouge Parish public schools. An Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) multiple regression was conducted to analyze the extent in which Volunteers in Public Schools' (VIPS)…

The purpose of this experimental study was to examine the impact of English language learner (ELL) instructional extension strategies on African American K-2nd grade students with low-literacy proficiency. DIBELSO 8th edition literacy assessment for K-2nd grade was used to determine literacy proficiency during the study. The study included 74…

Numerous urban elementary schools have utilized reading intervention programs that provide remedial instruction to improve students' reading achievement levels. However, the success of these programs is contingent on the fidelity of implementation. Educators have long grappled with the best ways to support struggling readers, as they present with…

The purpose of this quasi-experimental quantitative study was to determine whether the supplemental phonics program, Fundations, improved reading skills over time. Ehri's theory of orthographic mapping served as the theoretical framework for this study. Archival data from 254 second grade students who did, or did not, participate in the…

Due to barriers to kindergarten readiness, many kindergarten students do not enter kindergarten with the prerequisite skills needed for reading. A number of students do not leave kindergarten with adequate reading skills needed for future success. As a result, students are ill-prepared for first grade and are at risk for future reading failure.…

Research has shown that, although phonics and phonemic awareness predict reading success, a majority of early learners still lack these skills. Research also showed that a majority of preservice teachers (PSTs) in early childhood education teacher (ECTE) may not have gained adequate pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in phonics and phonemic…

Fewer than half of students demonstrated proficiency on Michigan state-administered summative assessments at the end of third grade at a rural, Title I school in Michigan. The purpose of this quantitative study was to compare reading fluency gains between grade levels (i.e., kindergarten, first, and second grades) in an effort to better understand…

A balanced assessment system is vital to the instructional process in all schools. This system includes both formative and summative assessment measures. Both assessments provide data that can inform curriculum design and the instructional process. The purpose of this study was to examine the predicative validity of formative diagnostic and…

Decades of research in the science of reading suggest that using scientifically based reading practices that are aligned with the science of reading will help improve literacy. Literacy is a necessary skill and is critical for a child's overall development. How well children learn to read in school can impact their future success. This mixed…

The Mississippi State Department of Education (MDE) adopted a state assessment in 2014 to measure early literacy skills for incoming kindergarten students (Mississippi Joint Legislature Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review [PEER], 2015). The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of early childhood education (ECE)…

This study describes the relationship between phonemic awareness and the reading achievement of kindergarten students. The purpose of this quantitative, time series, a two-year study was conducted to examine why some kindergarteners are not phonemically aware when leaving kindergarten and entering first grade. This study hypothesizes that…