The technical adequacy of curriculum-based writing measures with English learners

The purpose of this study was to examine the validity and reliability of Curriculum-Based Measures in writing for English learners. Participants were 36 high school English learners with moderate to high levels of English language proficiency. Predictor variables were type of writing prompt (picture, narrative, and expository), time (3, 5, and 7 min), and scoring procedure (words written, words spelled correctly, correct word sequences, correct minus incorrect word sequences). Criterion variables were teacher ratings of writing performance and student performance on the Test of Written Language-III, the writing subtest of the Test of Emerging Academic English, and the Minnesota state writing test. Results supported the validity and reliability of a 5 to 7-min writing sample written in response to a narrative or picture prompt and scored for percent of correct word sequences, correct minus incorrect word sequences, or words written plus correct minus incorrect word sequences.     

EFFECTS OF TEACHER–CHILD INTERACTION TRAINING (TCIT) ON TEACHER RATINGS OF BEHAVIOR CHANGE

Problem behaviors in preschool‐aged children negatively affect teacher‐child relationships and children's skill development. In this clinical replication of an initial study, we implemented Teacher–Child Interaction Training (TCIT), a teacher‐delivered, universal intervention designed for early childhood settings. The initial study evaluated the TCIT program in a sample of 4‐ to 5‐year‐old children, whereas the current study focused on 2‐ to 3‐year‐old children. Teacher ratings of children's behavior indicated a significant main effect for time on children's protective factor scores, but not on behavioral concerns. However, for children whose ratings fell in the below‐average range at baseline, significant large effect sizes were obtained for changes over time for both protective factors and behavioral concerns. Higher levels of teacher skill change were significantly associated with overall higher protective factor scores, as well as lower behavioral concern scores for children when baseline levels of behavioral concerns were high. Results provide further support for the effectiveness of TCIT as a universal intervention designed to improve children's behaviors through targeted improvements in teachers’ relationship‐building skills and classroom management strategies.     

Special Education in a 4‐Year Response to Intervention (RtI) Environment: Characteristics of Students with Learning Disability and Grade of Identification

This 4‐year longitudinal research was designed to study special education determinations of students who participated in Tier 2 intervention in a Response to Intervention (RtI) model focused on reading across Grades 1–4. We compared identification rates for learning disabilities (LD) and student characteristics of 381 students the year prior to implementation with 377 students in the RtI environment. Across schools, 38–60 percent of students were English language learners (ELL). Key outcomes by Grade 4 for students with LD who had participated in a model of RtI were relatively greater reading impairment with effect sizes ranging from 0.64 to 0.82, and more equitable representation across ELL and native English speakers than in the cohort prior to RtI implementation. Notably, one‐third of the students identified for special services as LD in these schools were not identified until 4th grade.     

Beyond “what works”: A mixed-methods study of intervention effect modifiers in the Good Behavior Game

This mixed-methods study examines two moderators of the impact of the Good Behavior Game—implementation variability, participant risk status, and the interaction between them—as predictors of behavioral and academic outcomes. Quantitative data from 38 primary schools were utilized, with outcome data collected at baseline and 2-year follow-up. Behavior (disruptive behavior, prosocial behavior, and concentration problems) was assessed via the Teacher Observation of Classroom Adaptation Checklist. Reading attainment was assessed via national teacher assessment scores, and the Hodder Group Reading Test. Implementation fidelity/quality data were collected via independent observations. Participant risk status was modeled using a cumulative risk index. Multilevel modeling revealed that higher levels of fidelity/quality were associated with improved overall reading scores (d = 0.203–225), but worsening disruptive behavior among high-risk students (d = 0.560). Thematic analysis of qualitative interview data collected from 20 teachers identified six groups of at-risk students who were perceived to experience differential effects, and five key mechanisms underpinning these.     

TAKING A “SIMPLE VIEW” OF THE DYNAMIC INDICATORS OF BASIC EARLY LITERACY SKILLS AS A PREDICTOR OF MULTIPLE MEASURES OF THIRD‐GRADE READING COMPREHENSION

The purpose of this study was to examine the validity evidence of first‐grade Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) scores for predicting third‐grade reading comprehension scores. We used the “simple view” of reading as the theoretical foundation for examining the extent to which DIBELS subtest scores predict comprehension through both word recognition and language comprehension. Scores from the DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) subtest, a measure of word recognition speed and accuracy, strongly and significantly predicted multiple measures of reading comprehension. No other DIBELS subtest score explained additional variance beyond DIBELS ORF. Although experimental DIBELS Word Use Fluency (WUF) was significantly correlated with a language comprehension measure and measures of reading comprehension, WUF scores did not predict reading comprehension beyond ORF scores. Alternatively, first‐grade Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test scores did predict additional, significant variance in reading comprehension, beyond DIBELS ORF.     

GENDER MODERATES ASSOCIATION BETWEEN EMOTIONAL‐BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS AND TEXT COMPREHENSION IN CHILDREN WITH BOTH READING DIFFICULTIES AND ADHD

Evidence suggests that higher order linguistic functioning such as text comprehension is particularly vulnerable to emotional modulation. Gender has been identified as an important moderating variable in emotional expression such that girls tend toward internalizing emotions (e.g., sadness, anxiety) whereas boys tend toward externalizing emotions (e.g., anger, combativeness), which may influence the relationship between emotion and text comprehension. The present study examined whether gender moderates the relationship between emotional‐behavioral problems and text comprehension among children (n = 187; boys = 115, girls = 72) with both word reading difficulties (RD) and attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a sample widely acknowledged to be at increased risk for developing emotional‐behavioral problems such as anxiety, poor academic self‐concept, and delinquency. A moderated regression analysis tested for the significance of two separate interaction terms (i.e., gender × externalizing problems, gender × internalizing problems) after controlling for gender, IQ, basic reading skills, cognitive‐linguistic processes closely related to reading, attentional problems, internalizing problems, and externalizing problems. Results indicated that gender significantly and uniquely moderates the relationship between emotional‐behavioral problems and text comprehension. Specifically, text comprehension was relatively lower among girls with relatively higher externalizing problems, whereas no such association was observed among boys. These results contribute to our understanding of cognition–emotion interactions within reading development and raise important implications.     

Childhood sexual assault victims: long-term outcomes after testifying in criminal court

We report a longitudinal study of long-term outcomes of participating in criminal cases following child sexual abuse (CSA). In the 1980s, 218 child victim/witnesses took part in a study of short-term sequelae of legal involvement. Approximately 12 years later, 174 of them, as well as a comparison group of 41 matched individuals with no CSA history, were interviewed about their mental health and legal attitudes. Being young when the legal case started was associated with poorer later adjustment. Additionally, even when controlling for psychological problems at the start of the legal case and other familial, CSA, and life stressors, testifying repeatedly in childhood predicted poorer current functioning. These associations were often moderated by the severity of both the CSA and the perpetrator's sentence: Testifying repeatedly in cases involving severe abuse, and not testifying when the perpetrator received a light sentence, predicted poorer current mental health. In partial contrast to the mental health results, being older when the case began and the perpetrator receiving a lenient sentence predicted more negative feelings about the legal system. In addition, not having testified when the perpetrator received a light sentence predicted more negative legal attitudes. Individuals' emotional reactions while waiting to testify and while actually testifying were also associated with their current mental health and attitudes toward the legal system: Greater distress predicted poorer adjustment, especially in individuals who were adolescents when they went to court. Greater distress also predicted more negative attitudes. Finally, when the former CSA victim/witnesses were compared with individuals with no CSA history, the former reported poorer adjustment and more negative feelings about the legal system. Results have implications for multilevel-transactional models of development, for understanding developmental sequelae of legal involvement following childhood trauma, and for social policy concerning the treatment of child victim/witnesses.     

Mining Induced Displacement and Mental Health: A Call for Action

India is a country of unparalleled diversity within both the cultural and ecological spheres of life. This paper examines the author’s experience exploring and inquiring into the mental health implications of mining and mining induced displacement within several Adivasi (tribal) communities in Andhra Pradesh, India. Through collaboration with Samata, a local Non-Government Organization (NGO), a qualitative pilot study was conducted to explore potential effects of mining on three communities that have been threatened by mining for a number of years. A particular focus is paid to women and the unique challenges they currently face.