Early Literacy Screening : Comparing PALS-K with AIMSweb and STAR

Color poster with text and tables.Wisconsin schools are required to assess K - 2nd grade students with the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS). However, other literacy screeners are also used in Wisconsin schools. Research suggests that the validity and accuracy of early literacy screeners varies from test to test. Outside of evidence published by the test authors, limited research exists to support the accuracy of PALS-K as an early literacy screener. The AIMSweb Tests of Early Literacy has strong evidence to support its ability to identify kindergarteners at risk for future reading difficulties. The validity of STAR Early Literacy assessment has been examined extensively; however, less research exists examining its predictive accuracy.University of Wisconsin--Eau Cliare Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

Using Brief Experimental Analysis to Increase GRE Vocabulary Knowledge

Color poster with text and graphs.BEA is a tool that "test drives" different interventions to select a promising intervention for each participant, which can be implemented over time. Research indicates that for school-aged children, Brief Experimental Analysis (BEA) can be used to select effective academic interventions, especially in oral reading fluency (Burns & Wagner, 2008). On the GRE, university students emphasize the verbal component because they perceive it as especially difficult (Loken, Radlinsky, Crespi, Millet, & Cushing, 2004). We selected three interventions commonly used to teach word definitions: interspersal, incremental rehearsal, and traditional flashcard drill. Although traditional flashcard drill procedures have been used for vocabulary instruction (e.g., MacQuarrie, Tucker, Burns, & Hartman, 2002), research suggests that interspersal procedures yield better results than traditional flashcard drill procedures for definitional knowledge and retention of knowledge over time (Petersen-Brown & Burns, 2011). We aimed to extend the traditional use of BEA to select an effective vocabulary intervention for college students. We then measured the effectiveness of this intervention across time in an extended analysis using a cumulative acquisition design.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

Evaluating the Outcomes of Brief Experimental Analyses at Two Points in Time

Color poster with text, graphs, tables, and charts.Reading is a fundamental skill for success in school. Thus, providing effective intervention to children underperforming in a standard classroom is critical. Our study explores differences in the outcomes of brief experimental analyses (BEAs) when administered at two different times during the school year to see how children's instructional needs may change. We found that BEA outcomes differed for most children in our sample when administered at two different times, perhaps as a function of changes in students' academic skills. Our results may shed light on how often instruction needs to change in schools to meet the changing academic needs of students.Kell Container Corporation; University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

School Wide Early Literacy Screening : A Comparison of PALS-K and AIMSweb Tests of Early Literacy

Color poster with text and tables.The purpose of this study was to examine the differences between PALS-K and AIMSweb assessments.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program

Understanding the Sexual Prejudices of Sexual Orientation Minorities

Color poster with text and charts.Much of the sexual prejudice research has focused on understanding the prejudices and stereotypes of heterosexuals towards nonheterosexuals. Minimal research has examined the prejudices and stereotypes of nonheterosexuals. The purpose of this study was to find out the stereotypes endorsed by gay/lesbian and bisexual men and women toward heterosexual, bisexual, and gay/lesbian men and women.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

A Comparison of AIMSWeb TEL and PALS-K Reading Assessments

Color poster with text and tables.Response to Intervention (RtI) practices in educational settings aim to identify students who are at risk for academic struggle. Typically, RtI tries to identify 20% of students as at-risk (Good, Simmons, & Smith, 2008). It is crucial to provide at-risk students with early interventions to prevent student failure (Hughes & Dexter, 2014). Standardized screening assessments are used in identifying students who are at-risk for failure. To successfully identify at-risk students, screeners must be reliable, valid, accurate, and inexpensive. This study addresses two questions. One, how well does each screener correctly predict which children will perform below expectation (i.e. "at-risk" children) on grade 1 reading measures? And two, which kindergarten subtests are most predictive of first-grade reading performance?University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

Brief Experimental Analysis of Modeling Interventions for Oral Reading Fluency : Results From a Summer Program

Color poster with text and graphs.Brief experimental analysis (BEA) is an important tool used to guide intervention selection for learners who have failed to respond to standard reading instruction (Reschly, Coolong-Chaffin, Christenson & Gutkin, 2007). The purpose of this project was to examine how BEA procedures could be used to identify a potentially effective oral reading fluency intervention involving different types of modeling combined with practice. Participants were three elementary students who attended a summer reading program. An extended analysis examined the effectiveness of the indicated intervention over time when used within the context of a comprehensive reading instructional package.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Program

Using Brief Experimental Analysis to Increase GRE Vocabulary Knowledge

Color poster with text and graphs.College students planning to apply for graduate school often prepare to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). The advanced vocabulary questions on the GRE verbal are often a high priority for students studying for the GRE (Loken, et al., 2004). We plan to explore whether Brief Experimental Analysis (BEA) procedures can be applied to select an effective intervention for university students preparing for the GRE. Once an effective intervention is identified through BEA, an extended analysis using a cumulative acquisition single-case experimental design will be conducted.University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire Office of Research and Sponsored Programs