NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
Back to results
ERIC Number: ED628327
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Feb-15
Pages: 44
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Revisiting the Fourth-Grade Slump among Black Children: Taking a Closer Look at Oral Language and Reading
Nearly 30 years ago, Chall, Jacobs, and Baldwin (1990) introduced the "fourth-grade slump" to describe the unexpected deceleration of reading skills between first and fourth grades among children growing up in poverty and low-income households. Advances in our understanding of reading development and how race, racism, or other forms of discrimination are implicated in student achievement encourage another look at the slump among Black children. We reexamined the slump in a cross-sectional, heterogeneous sample (n = 757) of typically developing, Black children in grades 1-4 (ages 6-11 years old), most of whom were growing up in low-income households. As in the original study, we observed a downward trend in word reading and reading comprehension skills between first and fourth grades. However, unlike the original study, children demonstrated relatively weaker performance on oral language measures at each grade level. Implications for studying oral language and reading in Black children are discussed. [This paper was published in "Elementary School Journal" (EJ1371539).]
Related Records: EJ1371539
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Early Childhood Education; Grade 1; Primary Education; Grade 2; Grade 3; Grade 4; Intermediate Grades
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (DHHS/NIH); Institute of Education Sciences (ED); Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) (ED/OSERS)
Authoring Institution: N/A
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: 1R24HDO7545401; R305B200020; H325D190037