Lit. Review Article 5

Literature Review

Article 5

APA Citation: Manset-Williamson, Genevieve, St. John, Edward, Hu, Shouping & Gordon, David (2002). Early Literacy Practices as Predictors of Reading Related Outcomes: Test Scores, Test Passing Rates, Retention, and Special Education Referral. Exceptionality 10(1), 11-28. Retrieved from JSTOR database 31 July 2007.

I. Title: Early Literacy Practices as Predictors of Reading Related Outcomes: Test Scores, Test Passing Rates, Retention, and Special Education Referral.

II. Author: Genevieve Manset-Williamson, Edward St. John, Shouping Hu and David Gordon.

III. Author’s Purpose for Writing:

IV. What are the points made in the review of the literature? Do they support the need for the study? Rather than emphasizing explicit versus holistic skill instruction, perhaps early literacy programs should increase the frequency of activities in each of these areas, particularly in high-poverty schools.

V. Author’s Inquiry Question: Which features of model early literacy programs are associated with improvement in school-level indicators of language arts outcome?

VI.
A. Author’s methodology: The Early Literacy Survey (St. John, Manset, & Michael, 1999) was developed specifically for the research project.

B. Who is being studied? Early literacy programs for Grades K through 3 in the state of Indiana and their impact on student achievement.

C. Over what length of time? Not specified

D. What data is being collected? Results from The Early Literacy Survey

VII. How the author collected information? By compiling principal’s reports on general practice across a school program as specified by the program features described in the surveys.


VIII. What the author discovered:
•Students who attend school with higher percentage of students living in poverty score lower on state achievement tests (Linn, 2000). As a result this students are more likely to be retained, which is in itself not considered an effective intervention (Jimerson, 1999; McCoy & Reynolds, 1999).
•Explicit skill instruction is positively associated with higher retention rates(i.e., theirs is greater retention in those programs where there is a reported greater use of basal readers, worksheets and books, reading drills and phonics instruction). The structure imposed by the features of the explicit skills instruction, although associated with test score gains, may create a less adaptable environment.
•The greater the focus on holistic skills (i.e., there is less retention in those programs where there is a reported greater focus on whole texts and higher order cognitive skills, such as supporting early writing through emergent spelling activities or comprehension and reading fluency with paired reading, and teachers reading aloud to students) the lower the rate of retention. The lower retention rate suggests that less structured activities that make up the holistic skills focus may again be associated with a more adaptable environment.
•Opportunity for collaboration was also found related to lower rates of retention because it contributes to the adaptability in a classroom.
•Practices that will lead to an increase in test scores may also create an environment that encourages more grade retention.