Publications by authors named "Amy M Elleman"

In tiered instructional systems (Response to Intervention [RTI]/Multitier System of Supports [MTSS]) that rely on ongoing assessment of students at risk of experiencing academic difficulties, the ability to make informed decisions using student data is critical for student learning. Prior research has demonstrated that, on average, teachers have difficulty analyzing and interpreting student progress-monitoring (PM) data presented graphically (i.e.

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We conducted a secondary analysis of data from a randomized control trial to explore this question: Does "response/no response" best characterize students' reactions to a generally efficacious first-grade reading program, or is a more nuanced characterization necessary? Data were collected on 265 at-risk readers' word reading prior to and immediately following program implementation in first grade and in spring of second grade. Pretreatment data were also obtained on domain-specific skills (letter knowledge, decoding, passage comprehension, language) and domain-general skills (working memory, non-verbal reasoning). Latent profile analysis of word reading across the three time points with controls as a local norm revealed a group ( = 45) with mean word-reading scores of 0.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study examined how efficiently at-risk first graders (N = 93) learned sight words through a yearlong intervention focusing on word reading and decoding skills.
  • Students participated in brief sight word reading activities, and the research looked at factors affecting how many times they needed to see each word to master it (N = 145 words).
  • Findings revealed that students required about 5.65 exposures on average for word mastery, with word characteristics like length and imageability significantly impacting learning, especially for students with weaker reading skills.
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Purpose The purpose of this tutorial is to explain key concepts about vocabulary acquisition and instruction and to translate research from middle school vocabulary interventions into practice recommendations for practitioners. In this tutorial, we consider the relationship between vocabulary and reading comprehension, describe vocabulary acquisition including the development of semantic networks, provide a review of high-quality middle school vocabulary studies, and make recommendations for practice. Method We reviewed the experimental and quasi-experimental literature examining the impact of vocabulary instruction on the vocabulary and reading comprehension development of middle school students.

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This special issue bundles a set of eight empirical studies and one review article that explore the role of SL mechanisms (both domain-specific and domain-general) in supporting word reading and spelling development, and vice-versa. In this introduction to the special issue, we worked to summarize the extent to which studies support our hypotheses relating SL to reading and spelling development while also pointing out inconsistencies across studies that require us to refine and rethink our hypotheses.

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Because of the importance of teaching reading comprehension to struggling young readers and the infrequency with which it has been implemented and evaluated, we designed a comprehensive first-grade reading comprehension program. We conducted a component analysis of the program's decoding/fluency (DF) and reading comprehension (COMP) dimensions, creating DF and DF+COMP treatments to parse the value of COMP. Students ( = 125) were randomly assigned to the 2 active treatments and controls.

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This study explored the developmental trajectories and predictors of word reading and reading comprehension among young at-risk readers. In fall of first grade, 185 students identified as at-risk for reading difficulties were assessed on measures of domain-specific skills (phonological awareness, letter knowledge, and vocabulary), domain-general skills (working memory, nonverbal reasoning, and processing speed), and word reading and reading comprehension. Word reading and reading comprehension were assessed again in spring of grades 1-4.

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Purpose: In this article, we respond to Catts and Kamhi's (2017) argument that reading comprehension is not a single ability.

Method: We provide a brief review of the impact of strategy instruction, the importance of knowledge in reading comprehension, and possible avenues for future research and practice.

Results: We agree with Catts and Kamhi's argument that reading comprehension is a complex endeavor and that current recommended practices do not reflect the complexity of the construct.

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In English, gains in decoding skill do not map directly onto increases in word reading. However, beyond the Self-Teaching Hypothesis (Share, 1995), little is known about the transfer of decoding skills to word reading. In this study, we offer a new approach to testing specific decoding elements on transfer to word reading.

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In this study, the authors explore a newly constructed dynamic assessment (DA) intended to tap inference-making skills that they hypothesize will be predictive of future comprehension performance. The authors administered the test to 100 second-grade children using a dynamic format to consider the concurrent validity of the measure. The dynamic portion of the assessment comprised teaching children to be "reading detectives" by using textual clues to solve what was happening in the story.

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