When Exemplary Gets Blurry: A Descriptive Analysis of Four Exemplary K-3 Spanish Reading Programs in Texas

Abstract

This study represents an effort to describe four high-performing Spanish reading programs in Texas at Grade 3. The schools selected represent one non-border urban school and three U.S.-Mexico border schools. The methodologies used were qualitative based on on-site visits, a semi-direct interview protocol, K-3 classroom observations, and document analysis. The four schools shared the following six features: explicit support for Spanish literacy and biliteracy; high expectations; skills-driven reading instruction beginning in kindergarten; shared understanding of the Spanish reading program: alignment between Spanish and English reading programs; and explicit targeting of the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) test. The state mandated Spanish reading curriculum and TAAS Spanish reading measures are discussed in light of the findings, and policy and research implications are offered.