Reading Improvement of Third Grade Students

Reading Improvement in Third Grade Students

Applied Dissertation Proposal for the Degree of Doctor of Education

Making resources available to the third grade students and teachers lends itself to the appropriate data, types of instruments, and instructional strategies used to enhance education. Wilson School leaders are getting acquainted with reading resources that are beneficial in order to provide teachers with test data, reading instruments, and specific strategies to assist them in raising achievement.

This applied dissertation is designed to equip teachers with current information accessible to the staff and the third grade students to increase their scores in reading. It has been determined that a review of past and recent reading data was needed to find appropriate strategies for improving instruction of teachers to help increase reading scores.

Also, parental involvement has been researched and found to be a valuable asset to increasing academics in their children, as children who are encouraged to read at home, and enjoy reading with their parents, often have higher reading abilities and therefore higher reading scores in the classroom.

Strategies must be implemented to help children learn to read better, and one of the ways to do this is by fostering a love of reading in children at a young age. Ideally, this would be the age where children are just beginning to learn to read, but children who are in the third grade are not too old to develop a love of reading. Appropriate measures must be taken to ensure that children enjoy reading, and therefore will continue to improve their reading skills as they work their way through the educational system.

Children's reading scores have been declining in Wilson School for several years, and this particular school is not alone in this problem. Many schools across the country, especially those that are located in impoverished neighborhoods, are showing a decline in basis reading skills as measured by standardized testing.

Chapter 1: Introduction

Description of Setting

Wilson School is situated in one of the poorer sections of Chicago Heights, at 422 West 16th Place. Some sections of the community are filled with middle- to upper-class homes and thriving businesses. Other areas are less maintained, having some vacant buildings, prevalent litter, and other signs of decay.

The variety of property values and appearance of those properties across the community is evidence of the varied and dramatic range in the socioeconomic status and stability in the lives of the city's residents. The lives and learning of the school's students are impacted by the circumstances in which they live and the conditions of their families.

Wilson School currently serves 450 students, and the population consists of 99.4% Blacks and.6% Whites. The mobility rate is 40.8%, the attendance rate is 92.6%, and the truancy rate is 1.7%. Thirty percent of the students are living in foster care homes. A complete review of the demographics of Wilson School is shown in table 1 (see table 1).

The western part of the building is an older section. An addition was completed in recent years in an attempt to keep up with the growth rate of the student population, and the eastern end of the school is more modern. Another new edition is in progress this year, as the student body continues to expand.

Each room is utilized to the maximum extent possible, with many rooms used for classes that they were not intended for, simply because there is no other space available to hold these classes. Some parts of the building, including classrooms, the library, and the main office, are overcrowded.

Description of Problem

For the past three years in which data is available (1999-2001), Wilson School's third-grade students test results fell in the second and third stanine categories of the bell curve in reading on the Illinois Standard Achievement Test (ISAT). This is not an acceptable reading level for third-grade children, as it is below the state average.

The scores in reading must be increased so that the third-grade students' scores will fall in the fifth or sixth stanine or higher by the 2003 school year.

Demographic Information Summary

Factor

Ethnicity

White

Black

Hispanic

Total Enrollment

Low SES

Mobility Rate

Attendance Rate

Truancy Rate

Average Class Size

Kindergarten

Grade 1

Grade 3

Grade 6

This study focuses on the types of instruments, data, and instructional strategies that are available to raise the students' scores in reading to a more appropriate and acceptable level as set out by the state of Illinois and the standardized testing that they require of all students.

Description of Barriers

The third grade students have been the focus group tested by the state in reading on the ISAT for years. Test data and information from the ISAT has been collected from a database disk housed at the local central office. The existing data records for 1999-2001 show the percentage of students at the local (Wilson School), state, and district levels who have failed to meet the state standards in reading at the third-grade level.

Data for the third-grade teachers at Wilson (n=2) will be provided by their university transcripts and professional development records kept in the central office files. The data from the university transcripts will show the required reading classes that they took at the university level that qualify them to teach reading, the required semester hours of reading courses, and the types of reading courses that they took. The professional development will show the on-going reading trading that the third-grade teachers took to keep them trained in the new reading skills that had been created, or were being developed.

The observation of teachers by the administrator will take place during reading to observe the amount of required state hours taught in reading, which is currently 2 1/2 hours daily for third grade. The time distribution sheet will be displayed in each third grade classroom to show the distribution of time per minute spent on reading skills. Observations and time distribution sheets will provide reading skills time data. (See Appendix).

For example, reading is a major weakness for students in grade 3 across the district. The assessment scores have been declining for the past three years. Reading across the curriculum has been a focus for improvement during recent years. The staff at Wilson School is actively exploring why this is the pattern and what can be done to try to improve the reading skills of the third-grade students.

Providing ongoing staff development at Wilson School is the top priority of the principal, the superintendent, the curriculum director, and the school board members. Faculty members, along with the principal, are expected to participate in staff development at the school, district, and regional levels. All staff continuing education plans must be developed and implemented for future certification and academic improvement. Past and recent data in reading were needed to find strategic approaches to improving reading instruction of teachers.

By taking a careful look at the past and current reading test results (scores) of the third grade students in reading, we can obtain a projection of failed skills and the percentage of students who failed those skills. This information is presented to the teacher to learn from and improve the skills needed to increase the reading scores. If these teachers have reading certificates and reading endorsements, they will be qualified by the state of Illinois to instruct the students in reading. With continuous staff development in reading, the teachers and the principal will be knowledgeable in the areas of reading to help improve the reading scores.

Description of Proposed Intervention

The third-grade group has been the focus group tested by the state in reading on the ISAT for several years. The test data from the ISAT was collected from a data disk housed at the central office. The existing data records from 1999-2001 show the percentage of students who did not meet the state standards in reading at the third-grade level.

The Illinois State Standard Achievement Test that is administered to the third-grade students each year shows the percentage of students who perform above, at, or below the state accepted standards in reading. It also shows the skill levels of the students who did not meet the state standards in reading, so that it can be determined where these students reading skills lie in order to attempt to bring their skills up to the state standards.

The administrator of Wilson School explained that using state standards across the curriculum in reading, and reading more books, has been another focus for improvement for the next school year (2002-2003). An analysis of the data revealed that the third-grade teachers are receptive to the new data. This is important for the future of the students, as it has the potential to bring their reading scores up to state standards for the first time in several years.

Presentation of Terminal Objectives

Wilson School has targeted reading skills as an area in which we need to improve at the third-grade level by falling into the fifth and sixth stanines of the bell curve by the year 2003. The goals are as follows:

Terminal objective 1. Students will demonstrate positive attitudes toward reading by accelerating their growth and reading ability, fostering a love of reading, developing into lifelong learners, becoming critical thinkers, and improving their scores.

Terminal objective 2. Students will demonstrate their ability to construct, extend, and examine meaning for a variety of texts by using strategic behavior and integrating their prior knowledge about both reading and the topic.

Terminal objective 3. Students will demonstrate their ability to vary their orientation to the text by interacting with a variety of texts for different purposes. Students will read for recreation, for literary experience, to be informed, and to perform a task.

Terminal objective 4. Students will demonstrate their ability to interact with texts through four stances: (a) initial global understanding, (b) developing interpretation, - personal reflection and response, and (d) evaluation in order to construct, examined, and extend meaning, as measured by improvement in reading comprehension.

Terminal objective 5. Parents will be invited to meet with the program manager to get a better understanding of the reading goals and outcomes, as well as how and to what extent this reading program will involve them.

Chapter 2: The Setting

Wilson School is a kindergarten through eighth-grade building with all classrooms and offices housed on one level. This elementary school includes 28 staff members. During the last five years, the principalship has changed hands four times. This pattern has had a significant impact on both teachers and students. Changes in leadership and the resulting changes in priorities, rules, and procedures have been highly confusing and frustrating. Consistent efforts toward school and instructional improvement in reading have been impossible to maintain in the past.

The staff at Wilson School is comprised of 17 classroom teachers, two Title I teachers, one special education teacher, two physical education teachers, one library assistant, one nurse, one psychologist, one speech therapist, one social worker, and one art teacher. Table 2 gives demographic information about staff members at Wilson School. Table 3 shows the educational degree held, years of experience, and grade(s) taught for each teacher at Wilson School.

Demographics of Staff at Wilson School

Staff Member

Age

Gender(s)

Race(s)

Principal

Black

Administrative Staff

Counselors

Social Worker

White

Psychologist

Black

Speech Pathologist

White

Department Heads

(Lead Teacher-K)

White

Black

Black, White

(Lead Teacher-5)

Black

M, F

Black

Secretary

Black

Librarian Aide

Black

Wilson Teacher's Educational Degrees, Years of Experience, and Grade(s) Taught

Years of Experience

Grade(s) Taught

BAa

MAb

BA

MAc

BA

MA

Dd

BA-MA

K-8 aBachelor of Arts. bMaster of Arts. cMaster of Arts plus 15 hours. dDoctorate.

Description of the Community

Chicago Heights, Illinois, is a diverse suburban community located in the far southern end of Cook County. Some sections of the community are filled with middle- to upper-class homes and thriving businesses. Other areas are less maintained, having some vacant buildings, prevalent litter, and other signs of decay.

The variety of property values and appearance of those properties across the community is evidence of the dramatic range in the socioeconomic status and stability in the lives of the city's residents.

The community has experienced significant changes and upheavals in the community environment, especially during the last four years. Some sections of the community are characterized by high unemployment rates and a great deal of poverty.

These changes in the community have led to increased numbers of troubling incidents involving gangs, drugs, theft, foster children, and some homelessness. Because of this, some of the children in the community have been adversely affected due to family hardships, crime, and parents who have been jailed.

A number of partnerships in support of increased student success have been formed and utilized at Wilson School, for which the school is very grateful. Community and parent involvement in the school takes a number of forms, and continues to remain high despite the problems that are prevalent in the community. There are many activities that are typical of every school in the district, including community and parental membership on the Board of Education.

For example, McDonald's restaurant of Chicago Heights, Illinois, donated free food coupons to the school for students who have read 25 books or more. The Marcus Theater donated free movie tickets for students. Parents gave free books to the school for students as well as devoting extra time to come to the classrooms to hear the students read books.

Saint James Hospital of Chicago Heights, Illinois, activity department donated books for all students. Parents participated in the 25 books parade to encourage the community to give their continuous support for Wilson School. Each school has a Parent Coordinator who plans and provides activities for the parents. A Parent-Teacher Association and other committees have also been established.

Chapter 3: Literature Review

For the reading problem that Wilson School is faced with, research needs to be done not only into the methods of reading teachers that are most effective, but how children are affected by the other issues that are going on in their lives at the time. In other words, is the children's ability to read well affected only by how much and how well they are taught by teachers, parents, and other adults, or does it also have a correlation to their family life as a whole?

This question is important, as it affects not only the outcome that the child will face, but also be outcome that the school will face on standardized testing such as the ISAT. Because of the concerns about children's family lives and how they either help or hinder a child's reading ability, the literature reviewed will include not only what teaching methods have appeared to be effective, but how demographics and background affect a child's ability to learn.

Until both of these aspects are studied and it can be determined whether there is a correlation between the two, it will be difficult to ensure that the process of teaching children to read is being utilized in the best way possible.

Teaching Methods

Graphics studies are becoming more popular as one way of teaching children to read. These studies involve correlating the entire text into a visual mode (Robinson, 1998). Some children learn better when they can see how the words on the page apply to a real-life scenario. This helps to interest them in the world of words and encourage them in further exploration (Chang, et.al, 2002).

This type of reading approach can be used by very young children before they learn to read well, by children who are just learning to read, and also by those who can already read well. It provides a clear picture of what is being presented in the text, and also helps foster an understanding of the words that are being read (Chmielewski & Dansereau, 1998).

Another goal of this approach is to help the reader memorize the information that they read more easily so that it can be recalled on tests and other events (Dowhower, 1999). Memorization has often been a problem, especially for young children who have so much going on in their minds at any given time. By utilizing a visual approach to reading, children can learn more and retain it for the future (Barron & Schwartz, 1984).

Another study relating to the visual impressions of written words leans more toward seeing it as an art form, like dance or music. Children who were allowed to draw their visual representations of what they read consistently fared better at reading, and showed more interest in reading stories, then others who were not allowed this visualization exercise (Winner & Hetland, 2003).

Because of this, there is an indication that performing plays, writing poetry, and drawing pictures of what children have read or have had read to them may be beneficial when used as a teaching method for children who are having trouble learning to read well (Winner & Hetland, 2003).

A general consensus has been reached by many researchers that children need more one-on-one time with teachers or other adults when they are first beginning to learn to read (Elliot, et.al, 1998).

Since reading is the basis of all subjects, it is vitally and fundamentally important that children acquire the skill early in life and continue to practice it as they grow up. Without enough one-on-one time, and without enough interest in reading, a love for reading will never be created in these children, and they will struggle with many other subjects throughout their lives because they cannot read the textbooks well enough to understand what other subjects are about (Nelson, 1996).

Many schools are increasing their students' ability to read by using software and other programs that require one-on-one time, the ability to assess the needs of individual students, and the ability to allow these students to work at their own pace so that those who read poorly are not left behind. This gives them a chance to catch up and feel as though they have accomplished something, while not holding other students back and allowing them to be bored and disruptive because they can read better than others (George, 2002).

New, computerized reading programs have been in the news in the last few years, and while newspaper reporting is not as informational as journal articles, some of the information applies here. Several school systems in the country have gone to a computerized program that helps children learn to read.

Forty percent of children who are not learning-disabled read below grade level by the time they reach the fourth grade (Fischman, 2001). Since there is an obvious need for improvement across the country, these programs that deal with reading on a more interesting and interactive level will likely be very helpful for children. They are, however, rather expensive, so it is possible that an interactive approach that does not require computers would be more economical and helpful for many schools (Fischman, 2001).

One study of interest concerned itself with students with disabilities. While not all children involved in any one school will have a disability of course, many of those who cannot read well have some type of slight learning delay, or teachers may believe that they too simply because they cannot read at the appropriate grade level (Forgrave, 2002).

In this case, reading interest and reading ability were both improved by the use of text-to-speech software, which read selected words or parts of text to a student after the student made a mistake in pronunciation (Torgeson & Barker, 1995).

This allowed the student to understand what the mistake they made was and why they made it so that it would hopefully not be repeated in the future. It also helped the student to understand what was being presented in the text, which worked towards creating more of an interest in reading (Montali & Lewandowski, 1996).

Children's Demographics and Learning Interest

One recent study makes mention of the fact that many children who come from homes that are economically disadvantaged may have a motivation problem that keeps them from doing well in school. It is this motivation problem, and not be seeming inability of the students to perform, that reflects in their report cards and standardized test scores (Howse, et.al, 2003).

Reading is one of the main issues that the study discusses, showing that research indicates a correlation between disadvantaged children and poor reading scores (Alexander & Entwistle, 1988). Many of these children come from homes that do not have a lot of books, and do not have a lot of money. These demographic disadvantages keep children from reaching their full potential because they simply do not have access to be information and learning activities that more affluent children enjoy (Lange, et. al, 2003).

How well children are able to regulate their own behavior is also very important in how well and easily they learn to read. Children with poor self-regulation will consistently do worse than children with good self-regulation, all other factors being constant (Stipek & Ryan, 1997).

There is also evidence that parents have a great effect on their child's reading ability, especially in earlier, more formative years. Parents who read to their children or let their children to read to them are helping them out a great deal by showing them a love of books and encouraging them to take an interest in finding out information for themselves (Hoffman, 1999).

This can, however, cause problems when a child reads very well but yet is bored in school because other students cannot read as well as he or she can. This is indicative of the pressing need to implement more reading programs in the schools can bring all children's reading levels up to at least state minimum standards (Hoffman, 1999).

Race is not seen as a factor for reading ability when all other variables are constant. However, because more minority children tend to live in economically disadvantaged areas, it often appears that children who are black or Hispanic are not able to read as well as children of white ancestry (Jordan, et.al, 1992).

With the exception being learning disabilities, it is not accurate that black children are not able to read as well as white children. It is, however, accurate that many black children do not read as well as white children. This is not due to a lack of ability, but rather to a lack of motivation as well as a lack of opportunity to become involved with individuals and events that would foster a desire to read (St. Pierre & Layzer, 1998).

Many of these underprivileged children are at risk for poor school performance, high dropout rates, and a multitude of other issues that will plague them throughout their lives. Creating an interest in reading and learning in a young child with this type of background can save that child from a multitude of problems, but the child must believe in and be made aware of this or they will not continue to hold an interest in reading (Vasady, et.al, 1997).

Family management training for parents can also help underprivileged and impoverished children do better in school. Many low income families are single-parent families, and even those that are not still often struggle to have enough money to feed their children. Because of the difficulties that they face, there is little time to be concerned about what their child is doing in school or how much homework that child has.

Through family management, parents can learn how to properly supervise their children's home work even if they do not have a great deal of time to spend. This encourages a child to do better (Reid, 1993).

Summary

It can be seen from a review of the literature that the teaching styles used in schools are not the only issue faced by a child learning to read. Children must be concerned with many other aspects of their lives, including their families, communities, and other issues. Because of their concern about many of these things, they sometimes put less interested in learning to read.

Children who grow up in impoverished and crime-ridden communities often do not see reading as a valuable skill. Many of these children see drug dealers and other individuals making a great deal of money, and they do not see that there is any correlation between learning to read and performing this type of activity for money.

Teaching methods for reading must get beyond these concerns of children in order to be effective. One of the ways that this can be done is to find out why it is that children are not interested in reading. Once this has been determined, it becomes easier to find ways around the specific arguments that children make, and once these arguments have been shown to be faulty, children can be introduced to books again and will perhaps look at them in a new way.

Chapter 4: Methodology

Statement of Problem

For the past three years (1999-2001), Wilson School's third-grade students' test results fell in the second and third stanine categories of the bell curve in reading on the Illinois Standard Achievement Test (ISAT). The third-grade students' ISAT achievement levels are below district and state norms in reading.

Improvement in these levels in needed for the sake of the children. Our plans are to encourage students to read books that they like as a part of a reading marathon and the 25-books campaign in which all third-grade students will read 25 or more books this school year (2002-2003). By reading books that they like, students will not feel that they are being made to do more 'work,' which will keep their morale high.

This will work to increase their reading skills in a number of ways, as children who cannot read well will likely discover a particular book that they enjoy, and this will spark their interest. Once they have an interest in a particular type of story, an interest in reading in general can grow from their.

There is also a sense of accomplishment that comes with being able to read well, and many of the students of Wilson School will gain confidence from realizing that they can read at or better than what is appropriate and acceptable for their grade level (third grade) and age group.

In-depth Description of Intervention and Barriers

Both third-grade groups will read at least 25 books over the course of the school year. Students in both third-grade classes will read 25 for more extra books using the accelerated reading program.

Students in both classes will not use that program but will be tested on the same reading skills in May 2003. All books and reading programs are in place. The action could have taken place in November 2002, but has not yet been accepted.

The students in one third-grade class have some of the same or similar demographics as students in the other third-grade class, and this will work to show whether the accelerated reading program and the extra 25 books read in the school year are actually making a difference when it comes to taking the state standardized tests. This accelerated reading program is designed to increase low achievers reading skills.

Three teachers have been surveyed and interview. These are teachers of kindergarten through third grade and two Chapter I reading teachers. This action was taken to gather background information only regarding the improvement of teachers' teaching ability in reading. Four questions were asked:

How do you teach reading?

How much formal and informal training have you had to teach reading?

How do you assess reading throughout the day within the curriculum?

How much time is spent focusing on reading each day?

Survey

Methods Used

Teachers from grades one through three at Wilson School were surveyed and three were interviewed to gather information regarding improving the third-grade students reading on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT). Four questions, listed above, were asked in order to guide the responses (see Appendix A).

Later, three different teachers from grades one through three were interviewed to get more in-depth information about reading. The interviews lasted from 15 to 30 minutes, and were designed to assess these teachers' views about teaching reading. They were asked a variety of questions (see Appendix B.) discussing their opinions about teaching reading.

Results of Surveys

How do teachers teach reading? Based on the responses on the survey, five out of seven teachers expressed the same ideas of how they taught reading. Out of the three teachers interviewed, two of them answered the question by giving a selected time of day they spent focusing on reading.

All three teachers responded to the question by mentioning a specific percentage of time spent focusing on reading each day. Only one teacher expressed, "that reading is done throughout the entire day in all subjects." All three teachers listed constructive way spare time was spent focusing on reading each day.

All three teachers who answered the surveys gave their version of reading instruction to students between kindergarten through third grade. Even though some teachers had more formal or informal training than others, they all seemed to have had a minimum of 10 years of training in reading. They wrote their responses to the questions as they were instructed to complete the survey.

C. Methods Used

Interview Questions

Three teachers were interviewed using four questions:

1. How do you teach reading?

2. How much formal and informal training have you had to teach reading?

3. How do you assess reading throughout the day within the curriculum?

4. How much time do you spend focusing on reading each day?

D. Results

The results of this phase of four interview questions resulted in the development of a reading focus for the next three years. In the analysis of the three teachers from grades one, two, and three, it was resolved that reading comprehension skills were merged in with other reading skills.

The time spent on reading was consistent with the amount of training they had in reading. In other words, those teachers who had more reading training spent more time on it in their classrooms, presumably because they realized its importance and felt comfortable teaching it. How they taught reading coincides with how they assessed it. All three teachers varied in their approaches to reading.

Teacher Survey/Information

T1

Grade 1

T2

Grade 2

T3

Grade 3

How do you teach reading?

From teacher's reading manuals, other books suggested, cues, phonics

Word recognition, word meaning, teacher's manual

From basal, oral reading, guided reading, vocabulary

How much training?

24 hours

25 hours

20 hours

How do you assess reading?

One-on-one small groups

Questioning consistently, playing phonetic bingo

Follow the text, listening, working with them one-on-one

How much time?

Hours (morning) daily and throughout the day hours (morning) daily, throughout the day

All day

All three teachers stated that they taught reading all day throughout the curriculum. The amounts of training that they had in reading what about the same amount of hours, both formally and informally. All three teachers taught reading from their teacher's manual. Two of the teachers mentioned a direct correlation between training and time spent on reading. The teachers who focused on reading in small groups used other books for supplemental sources.