Research Corner

 So much research, so little time…

 Kelly B. Cartwright, Ph.D.

 

Just Released!  The Statewide Study of Third Grade Reading in Virginia

 

In 2010, the General Assembly of Virginia, recognizing the importance of 3rd grade reading proficiency for students’ future academic success, directed the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC; a bipartisan group of legislators that evaluate Virginia’s programs) to study “ways to promote and ensure early reading proficiency and comprehension among third grade students in public schools.”  (See the full text of the Joint Resolution that requested the study here: http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+ful+SJ31ER) 

 

JLARC staff conducted the study throughout the 2010-2011 school year and just released their report on September 11, 2011.  The study was broad in scope and involved many different data sources, including the perspectives of many different individuals involved in reading education in Virginia.  For example, JLARC staff examined Virginia’s 2010 3rd Grade SOL scores; conducted a survey of Virginia’s school divisions; conducted site visits and systematic observations in Virginia’s classrooms; interviewed teachers, principals, and school division reading coordinators; interviewed Department of Education (DOE) staff; interviewed early reading experts in Virginia universities; reviewed documents provided by the DOE; and conducted a comprehensive review of the research on early reading and effective reading instruction.  The full 202-page report is available at this link: http://jlarc.state.va.us/meetings/September11/Reading.pdf

 

            The audience for the report was the General Assembly and Governor of Virginia. The JLARC analysis is impressive in its depth and scope and includes

· Background information on the importance of early reading success

· A detailed, critical analysis of the 3rd grade SOL assessment in reading

· An analysis of Virginia’s school divisions’ performance on the 3rd grade reading SOL

· A review of key strategies and practices (not particular programs) that should be included in classroom reading programs, based on research findings

· A review of research on effective reading teachers, with an emphasis on the importance of providing support and ongoing professional development for teachers

· A review of research on working with struggling readers, including Response to Intervention as a framework for supporting struggling learners

· Specific recommendations to help promote and support 3rd grade reading in Virginia

 

            As part of the report, the General Assembly required that JLARC rank school divisions based on 3rd graders’ performance in reading. JLARC staff handled this difficult task fairly and with sensitivity, with keen attention to the impact of various demographic factors on students’ reading SOL performance, accounting for these factors in their ranking analyses. (Disability status, economic status, and race significantly impact Virginia 3rd grade reading SOL performance.  Although I do not have space to address all of their recommendations here, I will list a few of their primary recommendations for supporting and promoting 3rd grade reading in Virginia.

 

A Few Findings and Recommendations:

·  Virginia students do well on the SOL, with an overall 83% pass rate in 2010.  However, the goal of 95% passing is probably not attainable, based on the JLARC staff’s analysis.

·  JLARC staff observed effective reading instruction across all school divisions they visited in Virginia.  Such expertise was consistently apparent in districts that performed higher on the 3rd grade reading SOL, whereas they noted “pockets” of expertise in lower performing divisions with less consistent effective instruction. (For example, 95% of top performing school divisions included writing in the reading block, whereas only 72% of the bottom performing divisions did so.)

·  JLARC noted Virginia teachers’ strengths in word recognition instruction, and, consistent with research on reading comprehension instruction, JLARC found that Virginia teachers vary in the amount of research-based comprehension instruction in their classrooms. For example, 73% of observed teachers in high performing divisions modeled comprehension strategies aloud, whereas only 55% of teachers in low performing divisions did so. Additionally, JLARC’s classroom observations of comprehension instruction in Virginia’s classrooms (an impressive, time-consuming undertaking) confirmed what other researchers have been seeing for decades (Durkin, 1978/79; Pressley and colleagues, 1998): teachers ask many questions about texts’ meanings but engage in comparably less instruction in how to comprehend texts. The good news is that Virginia’s high performing districts did demonstrate much direct comprehension instruction.

·  JLARC reviewed research that indicated training and support for teachers is critical for students’ success, and interviews and surveys with Virginia educators confirmed these findings.  Thus, JLARC recommended that school divisions maintain or increase their professional development opportunities for teachers in areas such as, implementing comprehension strategies instruction, incorporating writing into the reading block, using technology to support instruction, helping word callers (students with strong decoding skills and comparably low comprehension) improve comprehension, implementing a Response to Intervention framework to assist struggling learners, and fostering student motivation and engagement.

·  Additionally, JLARC recommended that the state fund literacy coaches, paraprofessionals, and reading specialists, because these individuals are important for supporting teachers’ effective reading instruction in the classroom.

·  Because early literacy is crucial to later reading and academic success, JLARC suggested that Virginia expand preschool opportunities, and ensure that quality reading instruction is available in K-2 classrooms as well as upper elementary classrooms. Further, they recommended that Virginia reduce class size in early elementary classrooms.

·  After reviewing the SOL assessment, the SOL testing schedule, and effects of high stakes testing on teachers and students, JLARC recommended that Virginia reduce the number of SOL tests in 3rd grade from 4 to 2 to permit students and teachers to focus more fully on reading and math in 3rd grade.

 

            As I noted above, the report is quite lengthy, but it is worth the read!  As one of the Virginia reading experts who was interviewed for the study, I was pleased with JLARC’s nuanced treatment of the research literature on early reading instruction and their enthusiastic emphasis on providing more support for teachers, coaches, paraprofessionals, and reading specialists.  They noted that Virginia’s 4th graders rank very highly nationally on the National Assessment of Educational Progress reading assessment and concluded that Virginia’s teachers are doing a good job educating our young readers.  The JLARC study provides specific ways we might improve an already strong statewide reading program.  In sum, I was impressed with JLARC’s thorough work and felt as though they represented well the various stakeholders in reading education in Virginia.