Description of Research Setting
This study was conducted in a kindergarten classroom in a K-5 elementary school in a town of average socioeconomic status in the northeast United States. According to the 2010 census report, the population of the town is approximately 27,000, with approximately 20% non-white residents. This public school system is made up of one early childhood center, five elementary schools (K-5), one middle school (6-8), and one high school (9-12). There currently are 410 students who attend the participating elementary school. The school’s race/ethnicity is 13.7% African American, 3.2% Asian, 4.9% Hispanic, 77.3% White, and 1% Multi-Race/Non-Hispanic. All of the teachers at the school are certified and highly qualified in their area of employment, and there is a 14.8 to 1 student to teacher ratio. The average class size has 17 students. The special education population comprises 18.3% of the school, and 23.4% of the school is indicated as being low income. A small population (8.3%) of the school has indicated that English is not their first language.
Description of Population
Twenty-one students in a kindergarten classroom in a K-5 elementary school in a town of average socioeconomic status in the northeast United States participated in this investigation. This classroom included 5- and 6-year-old students with and without diagnosed disabilities. In this classroom, one student received accommodations documented on a 504 Plan. Two students received pullout and inclusion speech and language services and occupational therapy services documented on Individualized Education Plans. From kindergarten registration information, four students were recognized as speaking another language other than English in their homes. After participating in an evaluation prior to entering kindergarten, none of these children qualified for services from the English Language Learner Program. More than half of the class population was considered typically developing children who demonstrated age-appropriate skills at the beginning of kindergarten.
Description of Sample
Sample
A sample group of seven students were chosen to represent the general population of this kindergarten classroom. Male and female students in this classroom ranged in age from 5-6 years old. Student A was a six-year-old male student whose first language was English. Student B was five-year-old female whose first language was reported to be English. Student C was a five-year-old male whose first language was English. Student D was a five-year-old male whose first language was reported English. Student E was a six-year-old female who first language was English, and Student F was a five-year-old female whose first language was Vietnamese. Student G was a six-year-old male whose first language was English. Student G received speech and language services through an Individualized Education Plan. This is Student G’s second year in kindergarten. Student G received intervention services from the reading specialist during the 2012/2013 school year. During the year of this study, his scores on pre-assessments did not qualify him for intervention reading services.
Sample Selection
Students were assessed in September 2013 using AIMSweb Letter Naming, Letter Sound, Phonemic Awareness, and Nonsense Word Fluency Subtests; Marie Clay Observation Survey; and the Qualitative Reading Inventory–5 Word List. Based upon pretest results, a group of seven kindergarten students representative of the general population of the class were selected as a sample group for data collection. A stratified sampling method was used to choose above average, average, and below grade-level students from the pretest results. Three students who were considered well-below grade level on the AIMSweb assessments were not considered in the stratified sample selection because they received additional daily intervention from the school’s reading teacher and also participated in an afterschool enrichment program using Lexia.
A sample group of seven students were chosen to represent the general population of this kindergarten classroom. Male and female students in this classroom ranged in age from 5-6 years old. Student A was a six-year-old male student whose first language was English. Student B was five-year-old female whose first language was reported to be English. Student C was a five-year-old male whose first language was English. Student D was a five-year-old male whose first language was reported English. Student E was a six-year-old female who first language was English, and Student F was a five-year-old female whose first language was Vietnamese. Student G was a six-year-old male whose first language was English. Student G received speech and language services through an Individualized Education Plan. This is Student G’s second year in kindergarten. Student G received intervention services from the reading specialist during the 2012/2013 school year. During the year of this study, his scores on pre-assessments did not qualify him for intervention reading services.
Sample Selection
Students were assessed in September 2013 using AIMSweb Letter Naming, Letter Sound, Phonemic Awareness, and Nonsense Word Fluency Subtests; Marie Clay Observation Survey; and the Qualitative Reading Inventory–5 Word List. Based upon pretest results, a group of seven kindergarten students representative of the general population of the class were selected as a sample group for data collection. A stratified sampling method was used to choose above average, average, and below grade-level students from the pretest results. Three students who were considered well-below grade level on the AIMSweb assessments were not considered in the stratified sample selection because they received additional daily intervention from the school’s reading teacher and also participated in an afterschool enrichment program using Lexia.