This study examined expectations for reading proficiency in the context of Common Core State Standards assessments and how DIBELS Next can inform decisions about student skills relative to these expectations. Data for cohorts of students in grades 3-5 were analyzed to determine the concurrent and predictive validity of the DIBELS Next Composite…

In the context of trying to improve reading proficiency in elementary school students, this study investigated the use of digital technology as part of a blended learning program, Core5, in kindergarten and first grade classes. A quasi-experimental design compared 283 treatment students instructed in schools using Core5 with 237 control students…

This report provides an overview of kindergarten readiness of six Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools) kindergarten cohorts from the 2014-15 to the 2019-20 school year. This report is accompanied by the Digest of City Schools Kindergarten Statistics, 2022 Edition (Baltimore Education Research Consortium [BERC], 2022), which provides…

This digest provides descriptive, aggregated statistics related to the experiences of six cohorts of kindergartners who were enrolled in Baltimore City Public Schools (City Schools) from the 2014-15 school year through the 2019-20 school year which is the most recent available. Multiple indicators of kindergarten readiness and outcomes, including…

In the 2015-2016 school year, Mesa Elementary School's student test scores reflected that 58% of students in the third-through-fifth grades were below English Language Arts State Standards, as measured by the California Assessment of Student Performance. In the primary grades, more than 24% of Transitional Kindergarten, kindergarten, first-grade…

This quantitative research project analyzes the relationship between the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) subtest and the New York State English Language Arts (NYS ELA) test. The study was completed in Upstate New York using the results of the NYS third-grade tests from the 2017-2018 school…

Writing is used for various purposes: to accomplish political agendas, build relationships, assert identities, positioning texts as meaningful beyond printed letters on a page. Therefore, teaching children to write is a cultural practice, an invitation to enter into a larger community where identities are created, practiced, and re-imagined using…

This study involved examination of the validity evidence of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills-Next Edition (DIBELS Next) for a sample of 85 third-and fifth-grade students, in reference to the "simple view" of reading. Tests administered included DIBELS Next, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-IV (PPVT-IV), Group Reading…

Students reading below grade proficiency have been a concern for educators. Students who attended third grade at this Title 1 intermediate school have demonstrated a lack of early literacy skills as measured using a variety of assessments. An early literacy reading program was initiated in 2008; however, the effectiveness of the instructional…

A cross-age peer tutoring program was implemented in a small rural school in west central Belize, Central America. All students at the school were native Spanish speakers, and all general instruction was conducted in English. The program was devised to supplement existing reading and language arts instruction at all grade levels. Progress of both…

While structural reform has certainly inspired change in Boston's public schools, its true value is best measured by examining the impact those changes have had on students. Seen through the lens of student performance over the past five years there is ample suggestion that these structural changes have been more than just window dressing--they…

With budget cuts and the heavy emphasis placed in recent years on student achievement in language arts and mathematics, arts instruction has been greatly reduced in California elementary schools. Yet the research literature has shown arts instruction to be associated with improved literacy skills (Bransford & Schwartz, 1999). Podlozny (2002),…