Exploring the Relation Between Teacher Factors and Student Growth in Early Writing

University of Minnesota M.A. thesis. February 2019. Major: Educational Psychology. Advisor: Kristen McMaster. 1 computer file (PDF); vii, 46 pages.Data from a small randomized control trial of teachers’ use of Data-Based Instruction (DBI) for early writing were analyzed to determine the influence of teacher knowledge, skills, and treatment fidelity on student growth. Participants included 11 elementary grade teachers who delivered intensive intervention in early writing and their students (n = 31), all identified as either at-risk for or with disabilities that affect their writing. Teachers received professional development accompanied by ongoing coaching to support the implementation of DBI for improving their students’ early writing skills. Results from a multiple regression analysis suggest that teacher knowledge and skills in DBI was strongly related to student growth in early writing. Implications for instructional coaching and improving student writing growth are discussed. Findings also informed improvements to a fidelity measure with the intention to capture more precisely teachers’ fidelity of intensive intervention

Launching K-2 Students Toward Reading Proficiency

Many students experience difficulty learning to read, and in fact, year after year, over one-third of U.S. 4th graders read below a basic proficiency level (NAEP, 2019). Although reading achievement in Minnesota is typically high overall, the achievement gap between lower and higher performing students continues to increase. In response, Richfield Public Schools (RPS) and the University of Minnesota (UMN) began a partnership in 2014, with the goal to improve reading achievement for students in kindergarten through grade 2. The result of this partnership is the Inference Galaxy, a suite of personalized digital learning tools that provide inference-making instruction to students in the primary grades. Inference-making is the cornerstone of reading comprehension, as it allows readers to fill in gaps in texts that are otherwise left unsaid. By improving inference-making, the Inference Galaxy may also foster students’ reading comprehension skills. In our research, we have examined whether scaffolding and feedback support inference making in students in kindergarten through grade 2.The research reported herein was funded by grant number R324A160064 from the U.S. Department of Education to the University of Minnesota. The opinions are those of the authors and do not represent the policies of the U.S. Department of Educatio