Research indicated that English language proficiency may influence student performance, and that standardized assessments may be biased against students who have limited English proficiency (LEP). This study investigated the influence of language on student performance differences in reading and mathematics. The content area of reading was…

This report describes a program for improving pre-reading and reading skills. Some students of the targeted kindergarten, first, and fourth grade classes typically exhibited poor reading development due to personal, social, and educational problems. The documents that supported this evidence were observational checklists, parent surveys, pretests,…

This booklet discusses the importance of all students being guaranteed a carefully crafted and appropriately balanced approach to reading instruction. Section 1, "Beginning Reading Instruction," discusses variation and inequity in reading instruction and reading skills nationwide. The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) has made it a priority to…

When selecting standardized reading tests for purposes of decision making, the school psychologist must answer several questions, such as "What reading skills do I wish to assess?" or "How do I judge if the test is technically adequate?" Recommendations for test selection are made within the context of these questions.…

This article discusses a program entitled "Extended Reading Comprehension Skills through Language Transfer," whose goals were to expand and increase English skills through the study of the Latin language and Rome's culture. This program was implemented in Los Angeles based on the Philadelphia program pioneered by Masciantonio. (Author/CFM)

Describes the Scaffolding Reading Experience, a technique that helps students deal with challenging expository texts and supports social science inquiry methods. This technique relies on various supporting activities during the prereading, during-reading, and postreading phases. Outlines a series of these activities used during a U.S. history…

Discusses four critical areas of instruction (decoding skills, language development/competence, concept/context building, and critical thinking skills/strategies) which can help limited English proficient (LEP) students improve their reading competence. (MM)

Presents the six major components of the Directed Reading Activity strategy: Developing Vocabulary, Building Background and motivation, Setting the Purpose, Guiding Silent Reading, Questioning to Determine Comprehension, and Rereading, as applied to mathematical problem solving, resulting in a directed mathematics activity. (MDH)

This document concerns what teachers learned from students responses to the Maryland School Performance Assessment Program (MSPAP) tests in 1995. Teacher responses and comments are presented in the following categories: (1) "Look How Far We've Come!" (identifies areas of improvement in student performance); (2) "Perceptions"…

This book discusses what can be done to extend literacy and raise literacy standards for all sections of the population, the relationship between home learning and school learning, and the role of parents in their children's education, focusing on the situation in England. It is designed to assist teachers who work cooperatively with parents in…

The wealth of information gleaned from reading research both past and present needs to be applied to a practical eclectic reading methodology. First, an emergent instruction model needs to be created that takes into account the immediate interests and needs of the learner. This model should recognize that learning is a transaction, with the…

The Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition Program (CIRC), which combines individualized instruction with cooperative learning, was evaluated in two studies. In the first study, 461 third and fourth graders were pulled out of their reading classes for part or all of the reading period over a 12-week period and CIRC was implemented. In the…

This report presents both formative and summative data regarding the implementation and effectiveness of the Basic Skills Program carried out in the Montgomery County, Maryland, public schools in 1981. The program provides intensive remedial instruction in the basic skills areas of reading, writing, and mathematics to elementary (through grade 8)…

The Bradford Book Flood--an experiment in which large numbers of additional books were made available to middle school children in England to see whether easy access to books improved reading skills and developed a taste for reading--is detailed in this book. The first chapter discusses the purpose and methodology of the experiment, while the…

This paper describes the English-Italian bilingual education program of the Tangipahoa Parish School System in Tangipahoa, Louisiana. The program reaches approximately seven hundred students from kindergarten through third grade, and the main objectives of the program are (1) refining the native language for children of non-English speaking…