Field-Based Evaluation of Two-Tiered Instruction for Enhancing Kindergarten Phonological Awareness

Abstract

Research Findings: This study reports on the outcomes of a multisite, two-tiered, response-to-intervention instructional model for delivering phonological awareness instruction and intervention to kindergartners. Fifty-seven kindergartners from 3 classrooms participated in a supplemental phonological awareness program, and 56 kindergartners from 3 classrooms received the prevailing school-adopted literacy curriculum. All children in the supplemental condition received supplemental classroom-based phonological awareness instruction in addition to the adopted literacy curriculum. At mid-year, 6 low literacy achievers were identified in each supplemental classroom (n = 18) to participate in an additional 12-week small-group intervention. The classroom-based supplemental curriculum did not produce statistically significant gains for typically achieving children on measures of letter–sound knowledge, word recognition, or developmental spelling. However, an add-on tier of supplemental instruction exerted a substantial advantage for low-achieving children on a measure of developmental spelling. Practice or Policy: Results suggest that a 2-tiered intervention model provides an effective means for improving the literacy outcomes of low-achieving kindergarten children.

Notes

^aPercent free/reduced lunch reported for the participating classrooms.

^bPercentage of participants receiving special education services.

^cPercentage of children currently repeating kindergarten.

^dWhether a school received Title I funds in the project year. Typically schools are eligible for Title I funds if more than 45% of children are eligible for free/reduced lunch. School B received Title I funds in the previous school year.

¹Although West Virginia has little racial diversity, low income and low educational achievement are far more prevalent than the national averages. The minority population in West Virginia is less than 5% (national average = 25%). The poverty rate is about 18% as compared to 12% nationally; 49% of children in West Virginia live in low-income households, and about half of those children live in poverty. In 2002, 50% of K–12 students in West Virginia qualified for free/reduced lunch. Only 75% of adults in West Virginia have graduated from high school (national average = 80%), and only 15% have at least a bachelor's degree (national average = 24%; Economic Research Service, 2005; National Center for Children in Poverty, 2003; U.S. Census Bureau, 2005).

²Children were also administered a seventh subtest from the PALS-K instrument, Concept of Word. Because Invernizzi (personal communication, October 12, 2002) indicated potential problems with reliability, this subtest was not included in the present analyses.

^aFall and spring spelling measures differed in terms of maximum possible score (20 and 48 points, respectively).

^bFall sum score used as covariate.