Evidence-Based Education Preventing Reading Failure in America Presentation to the American Psychological Association

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Evidence-Based Education Preventing Reading
Failure in AmericaPresentation to the American
Psychological Association

• G. Reid Lyon, Ph.D.
• President and CEO
• Synergistic Education Solutions
• Dallas, Texas
• learning4all_at_tx.rr.com

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Reading FailureAn Educational and a Public
Health Problem

• Reading Proficiency is Critical to Academic
  Learning and Success in School
• (Lyon, 1998 2002, 2003, 2004 Snow, Burns
  Griffin, 1998)
• The Ability to Read Proficiently is Significantly
  Related to Quality of Life and Health Outcomes
• (Lyon, 1997 Lyon Chhabra, 2004 Thompson, 2001)

3
Percent of 4th Grade Students Performing Below
Basic Level - 37
White
27
Black
63
Hispanic
58
Poor
60
Non-poor
26
Percent Performing Below the Basic Reading Level
National Center for Educational Statistics, 2003
4
Research Questions

• How do children develop language abilities?
• How do children develop social competencies?
• How can we foster childrens emotional health?
• How do children learn to read?
• Why do some children have difficulties learning
  to read?
• How can we prevent reading difficulties?
• How can we remediate reading difficulties?

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The Scientific Investment

• Number of Research Sites
  44
• Children and Adults Studied
  48,000
• Proficient Readers
  22,000
• At-Risk/Struggling Readers
  26,000
• Average Years Studied/Followed
  9
• Max Longitudinal Span to Date
  24
• Current Prevention/Intervention Trials
  12
• Schools Currently Participating
  266
• Classrooms Currently Participating
  985
• Classroom Teachers Participating
  1,012

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NIH-NICHD Multidisciplinary Research Program
(North America Lyon, 1985-2005)
Childrens Hospital/ Harvard LDRC Waber
U of Washington Berninger
U of Massachusetts Rayner
Emerson College Aram
Toronto Lovett
Beth Israel Galaburda
Mayo Clinic Kalusic
Tufts Wolf
Yale Shaywitz
Syracuse U Blachman
Haskins Labs Fowler/Liberman
U of Michigan Morrison
SUNY Albany Vellutino
U of WisconsinJohnson-Glenburg
Stanford Reiss
Carnegie-Mellon
Northwestern UBooth
Boys Town Smith
Rutgers UScarboro-ugh
Johns Hopkins Denckla
U of Southern California Manis/Seidenberg
Purdue U Hynd
D.C./Houston Forman/Moats
Colorado LDRC Defries
Duke UGoldston
U of KansasShumaker
U of Missouri Geary
Georgetown U Eden
U of Louisville Molfese
Univ of California IrvineFilipek
ColoradoMoats
Gallaudet ULaSasso
San FranciscoHerron
Bowman Gray Wood
U of California San Diego, Salk
Institute Bellugi
U of Arkansas Med Ctr Dykman
Georgia State R. Morris
U of GeorgiaStahl
U of Houston Francis
Yale Methodology Fletcher
Florida State Torgesen/Wagner
U of Texas Med Ctr Foorman/Fletcher
Univ of Florida Alexander/Conway
NICHD Sites
U of TexasVaughn
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Some Reasons Why Reading Instruction Has Not Been
Helpful

• Untested Theories and Assumptions Regarding
  Reading Development and Instruction
• Romantic Beliefs About Learning and Teaching
• Fads
• Appeals to So Called Authority

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Our Youngest Citizens Will Surprise Us

• Infants, Toddlers, and preschoolers can learn
  more than we ever thought possible
• From birth to age 3 the brains of children are
  rapidly forming connections between neural cells
• The quality and degree of connections between
  neural cells are established through the the
  quality of interactions the child has with
  adults, other children, and the environment
• Infants before the age of 6 months can perceive
  and express all sounds of all languages spoken on
  the planet

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P. Kuhl, U. Washington
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P. Kuhl, U. Washington
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Our Youngest Citizens Will Surprise Us

• Depending on the environment, vocabulary
  development accelerates rapidly during the second
  year of life.
• Under the right circumstances, most 18 month olds
  (on average) learn 9 new words a day, every day,
  throughout the preschool years
• By 3 years of age the child can speak in full
  sentences

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Learning Begins Early
P. Kuhl, U. Washington
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The Role of the Environment and Early Experience
on Language Development

• Language development requires an interplay
  between genes, biology, and environmental factors
• Poverty and disadvantage reduce the quantity and
  quality of interactions with language
• Limited language interactions in the home
  environment place children at severe risk for
  school failure, particularly in reading
• Cultural influences every aspect of human
  development and must be considered in the design
  and implementation of any program

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Environmental Influences

• By kindergarten a child from disadvantage
  typically has twice the vocabulary as a youngster
  born into poverty
• The typical 5-year-old from an urban environment
  and disadvantaged home enters kindergarten at the
  5th percentile in vocabulary
• By age 16 advantaged children have four times the
  vocabulary as children born into poverty

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Major Sources of Reading Failure

• Socioeconomic Factors Poverty
• Biological Factors Genetics and Neurobiology
• Instructional Factors Predominate

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What Do Kids Need to Know to Read?

• A HECK OF A LOT

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In 1995, the U.S. Department of Education and
the National Institutes of Health
National Academy of Sciences
Report from the National Research Council 1998
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In 1997, United States Congress
National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development U.S. Department of Education
Report of the National Reading Panel
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How Do Children Learn to Read?
Hart and Risley, 1995
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How Do Children Learn to Read?The Influence of
Early Language and Literacy Experiences

• Differences in exposure to words over one year
  can predict substantial difficulties in oral
  language and reading development

• Children in Professional Families 11 million
• Children in Working-class Families 6 million
• Children in Welfare Families 3 million

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Mean Number of Interactions Initiated per Hour
Mean Number of Minutes per Interaction per Hour
50
Professional
40
42
Professional
Working-class
Welfare
Working-class
30
33
29
28.5
26
Welfare
20
18
10
0
Hart and Risley, 1995
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Cumulative Language Experiences
Cumulative Words Spoken to Child (in millions)
50
Professional
48
40
Working-class
30
30
20
12
Welfare
12
10
7.5
3
0
0
12
24
36
48
Age of Child (in months)
Hart and Risley, 1995
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The Effects of Weaknesses in Oral Language on
Reading Growth
Reading Age Level
16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5
High Oral Language in Kindergarten
5.2 years difference
Low Oral Language in Kindergarten
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Chronological Age
Hirsch, 1996
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How Do Children Learn to Read?

• Phonological and Phonemic Awareness

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What is Phonological Awareness?
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How Do Children Learn to Read?

• Phonological Awareness
• Phonological awareness involves the understanding
  that spoken words are composed of segments of
  sound smaller than a syllable.
• It also involves the ability to notice, think
  about, or manipulate the individual sounds in
  words.

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How Do Children Learn to Read?
7
7
6
6
5.9
5.7
5
5
Reading Grade Level
4
4
3.5
3
3
2.3
2
2
Average
Average
1
Low Average
Low
1
K
K
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
Grade Level Corresponding to Age
Grade Level Corresponding to Age
Growth in word reading ability of children who
begin 1st grade in the bottom 20 in Phoneme
Awareness and Letter Knowledge
Growth in phonics ability of children who
begin 1st grade in the bottom 20 in Phoneme
Awareness and Letter Knowledge
Torgesen Mathes, 2000
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Growth in Reading Comprehension of Children Who
Begin 1st Grade in the Bottom 20 in Phoneme
Awareness and Letter Knowledge
6.9
7
6
5
4
3.4
Reading Grade Level
3
2
Average
1
Low
K
1
2
3
4
5
Grade Level Corresponding to Age
Torgesen Mathes, 2000
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How Do Children Learn to Read?

• PHONICS
• Oh My Gosh The F word

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What is Phonics?
It is a kind of knowledge
Which letters are used to represent which phonemes
It is a kind of skill
Pronounce this word
blit
fratchet
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How Do Children Learn to Read?

• FLUENCY

A common definition of reading fluency Fluency
is the ability to read text quickly, accurately,
and with proper expression National Reading Panel
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The Most Common Method of Measuring Reading
Fluency in the Early Elementary
Grades Measuring the number of words per
minute a child can read accurately
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Fluency

• There is a strong relationship between how fast
  you read and how well you comprehend
• Fluent and automatic reading frees up cognitive
  space so that conscious attention can be devoted
  to textual meaning
• If decoding and word recognition are slow and
  labored, material will be forgotten before it is
  understood
• The most powerful way to increase reading fluency
  is through
• reading and reading and reading (see NRP)

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Fundamental Discoveries About How Children Learn
to Read
The challenge of continuing growth in fluency
becomes even greater after 3rd grade.
4th, 5th, and 6th graders encounter about 10,000
words they have never seen before in print during
a years worth of reading.
Furthermore, each of these new words occurs
only about 10 times in a years worth of reading.
Sadly, its very difficult to correctly guess the
identity of these new words just from the
context of the passage.
Torgesen, 2001-2006
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How Do Children Learn To Read?

• VOCABULARY

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VocabularyYou Cant Read Without

• Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary

• Relationship between Vocabulary Score (PPVT)
  measures in Kindergarten and later reading
  comprehension
• Grade 1 - .45
• Grade 4 - .62
• Grade 7 - .69

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VocabularyYou Cant Read Without It

• The fourth grade reading slump reflects a
  language gap as much as a reading gap Why?
• Reading tests (e.g., NAEP) in 4th grade are
  primarily measures of reading comprehension
• It is impossible to comprehend what is read
  without the vocabulary relevant to what is being
  read

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VocabularyYou Cant Read Without It

• Reading comprehension, at a minimum, depends on
  decoding/word recognition accuracy and fluency,
  VOCABULARY, AND BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE
• A student must be able to read correctly
  approximately 95 percent of the words accurately
  in text to comprehend what is read
• MOREOVER, to comprehend, a student must know the
  meanings of 90 to 95 percent of the words being
  read
• The unknown 5 to 10 percent can be inferred from
  text

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What Do Kids Need To Know To Read For Meaning?
Accurate and fluent word reading skills
Oral language skills (vocabulary, linguistic
comprehension)
Extent of conceptual and factual knowledge
Knowledge and skill in use of cognitive
strategies to improve comprehension or repair it
when it breaks down.
Reasoning and inferential skills
Motivation to understand and interest in task and
materials
Torgesen, 2000
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Life Experience Content Knowledge Activation of
Prior Knowledge Knowledge about Texts
Oral Language Skills Knowledge of Language
Structures Vocabulary Cultural Influences
Reading Comprehension
Prosody Automaticity / Rate Accuracy Decoding Phon
emic Awareness
Motivation Engagement Active Reading
Strategies Monitoring Strategies Fix-Up Strategies
Florida Reading Initiative
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Why Do Some Children Have Difficulty?

• Deficient Word Level Reading Skills
• Deficits in Fluency/Automaticity
• Limitations In Vocabulary
• Limitations in Background Knowledge
• Limited Reading Comprehension Strategy Use

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Early Intervention is Clearly Effective

• Prevention studies commonly show that 70- 90 of
  at risk children (bottom 20) in K- 2 can learn
  to read in average range

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Early Intervention is Possible

• Risk characteristics present in Preschool,
  Kindergarten and G1
• Print awareness, Letter knowledge, letter-sound
  knowledge, phonological awareness, oral language
  development, vocabulary, background knowledge
• Assess all children and INTERVENE

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Outcomes from 67.5 Hours of Intensive LiPSTM
Intervention
Standard Score
100
30
90
80
70
Word Attack
Text ReadingAccuracy
Reading Comprehension
Text Reading Rate
Torgesen, 2003
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How Can We Prevent and Remediate Reading Failure?

• Evidence from one school that we can do
  substantially better than ever before

• Elements of Curriculum Change

• Movement to a comprehensive reading curriculum
  beginning in 1994-1995 school year (incomplete
  implementation) for K-2

• Improved implementation in 1995-1996

• Implementation in Fall of 1996 of screening and
  more intensive small group instruction for
  at-risk students

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Hartsfield Elementary School Progress Over Five
Years
40
Proportion falling below the 25th percentile in
word reading ability at the end of 1st grade
30
20
10
1995 1996
Torgesen, Alexander et al., 2001
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Hartsfield Elementary ProgressOver Five Years
40
Proportion falling below the 25th percentile in
word reading ability at the end of first grade
30
20
10
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Average Percentile 48.9 55.2
61.4 73.5 81.7 for entire grade
(n105)
King Torgesen (in press)
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Proactive Intervention

• Explicit instruction in synthetic phonics, with
  emphasis on fluency.
• Integrates decoding, fluency, and comprehension
  strategies.
• 100 decodable text
• Carefully constructed scope and sequence designed
  to prevent possible confusions.
• Every activity taught to 100 mastery everyday.

Mathes, Denton, Fletcher, et al, 2005
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Responsive Intervention

• Explicit instruction in synthetic phonics and in
  analogy phonics
• Teaches decoding, using the alphabetic principle,
  fluency, and comprehension strategies in the
  context of reading and writing
• No pre-determined scope and sequence
• Teachers respond to student needs as they are
  observed.
• Leveled text not phonetically decodable

Mathes, Denton, Fletcher et al, 2005
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Mathes, Denton, Fletcher, et al, 2005
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Mathes et a., 2005
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Mathes et al., 2005
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Mathes, et al., 2005
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Mathes, Denton, Fletcher et al
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Mathes, Denton, Fletcher et al
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Mathes, Denton, Fletcher et al
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Evidence-Based Assessment and Instruction
Interventions are more effective when they

• Provide systematic and explicit instruction
• Provide a significant increase in intensity of
  instruction
• Provide ample opportunities for guided practice
  of new skills
• Provide systematic teaching of appropriate
  learning strategies
• Provide appropriate levels of scaffolding as
  students learn to apply new skills

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How Effective Instructional Strategies Improve
Student Achievement
Strategy Number of Studies Examined Effect Size Percentile Gain
Individualization 630 0.14 16
Application 111 0.34 13
Computer-assisted instruction 566 0.31 15
Tutoring 125 0.50 19
Mastery learning 104 0.50 19
Instructional media 4421 0.30 12
Good Brophy, 1986 Hattie, 1992 Lyon,
Fletcher, Fuchs, Chhabra, 2005 Marzanno, 2003
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What Science tells us about Effective Instruction
20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Percentage Point Gains
16 13 15 19 19
12
Individualization
Computerized Instruction
Mastery Learning
Application
Tutoring
Instructional Media
Marzano, 2003
60
Characteristics Of Effective Schools

• Evidence-Based Curriculum
• Continuous Evaluation and Accountability
• Challenging Goals for Both Students and Teachers
• Opportunity to Learn and Sufficient Time for
  Instruction
• Parental Involvement
• Safe and Orderly Environment
• Collegiality and Collaboration

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Characteristics of Effective Teachers

• TEACHERS ARE EXPERTS IN
• Content Knowledge
• Planning and Setting Goals
• Scientifically-Based Curriculum Design and
  Instruction
• Formative and Summative Assessment
• Customizing Instruction for Individual Students
• Classroom Management and Organization
• Motivating and Engaging Students

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Effects of Student Achievement of School and
Teacher Effectiveness with Student Entering
School at 50th Percentile
Avg. School Avg. Teacher

Least Effective School Least Effective Teacher
100
50
Most Effective School Least Effective Teacher
20
Least Effective School Most Effective Teacher
10
Most Effective School Avg. Teacher
50 3 37 63 78
96
ACE Model Most Effective School Most Effective
Teacher
Achievement Percentile After Two Years
Glass, McGaw Smith, 1981 Marzano, 2000a
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Why Effective Leaders and Teachers are Essential
Avg. School Avg. Teacher
100
90
Least Effective School Least Effective Teacher
80
70
Most Effective School Least Effective Teacher
60
50th percentile
50
Least Effective School Most Effective Teacher
40
30
Most Effective School Avg. Teacher
20
10
WIU Model Most Effective School Most Effective
Teacher
50 3 37 63 78
96
Glass et al. Marzano, 2003a
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Reading stimulates general cognitive growth
particularly verbal skills
Simos, et al
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Using Neuroscience to Guide Teaching and Learning
Lyon et al
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(No Transcript)
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Bookheimer - UCLA
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Meanwhile, Back in the Brain
Simos et al
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Why Do Some Children Have Difficulties Learning
to Read?
Kindergarten
Left Hemisphere
Right Hemisphere
S1 At risk
150-300 300-1000 ms
Time after Stimulus Onset
S31 Not at risk
Simos et al
70
Kindergarten
Left Hemisphere
Right Hemisphere
S1 At risk
150-300 300-1000 ms
Time after Stimulus Onset
S31 Not at risk
Simos et al
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Fuchs et al
72
At Risk Reader
Left Hemisphere
Right Hemisphere
Kindergarten 1st Grade
Simos et al
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(No Transcript)
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Strategies To Increase The Use of Scientific
Evidence To Guide Educational Policies And
Practices

• Development of Consensus Reading Research
  Reports NRC/PRD (1998)
• Development of Evidence-Based Synthesis of
  Reading Intervention Research NRP and the
  Current National Literacy Panel (2000)
• Extension and Continuation of Evidence-Based
  Research Syntheses to Address Early Childhood
  Literacy Development, Biliteracy, and Adolescent
  Literacy (2003)
• Development of Federal Legislation to Ensure the
  Use

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Strategies To Increase The Use of Scientific
Evidence To Guide Educational Policies And
Practices

• Explicitly Base Federal Educational/Reading
  Legislation on Converging Evidence
• Reading Excellence Act (1998)
• No Child Left Behind/Reading First (2001)
• NRC Report on Scientific Research in Education
  (2002)
• Education Sciences Reform Act/The Institute OF
  Educational Sciences (2002)

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Strategies To Increase The Use of Scientific
Evidence To Guide Educational Policies And
Practices

• The Establishment of The What Works Clearing
  House (2002)
• The Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy (2002)
• The Federal Partnership for Reading (2001)
• The National Center for Reading First Technical
  Assistance (2004)
• The Establishment of The Review Of Teacher
  Preparation (2004)

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Progress and Promise Does Not Mean Its Easy Why
does Resistance Persist?

• A Lack of Understanding of Scientific Principles
  and Practices (evidence is in the eye of the
  beholder)
• An Anti-Scientific Culture Within the Traditional
  Reading Community
• Fragmentary Training in Research Design and
  Methods at Both Preservice and Graduate Levels
• A Tendency Among Policy-Makers to Base Policies
  and Initiatives on Beliefs and Anecdotes Rather
  Than Scientific Evidence

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(No Transcript)
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Applying What We Know from Neuroscience to
Improve Education and Student Learning
Motivate
Evaluate
Student Achievement
Modify
Teach
Apply
Assess
80

The ACE/EC CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT MODEL
ENSURING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT THROUGH RESEARCH AND
EVALUATION
1
2
3
4
Quality Assurance Through Comprehensive Evaluation
Instructional Methodology
Learning Objectives
Content
81
WIU Multi-Level, Outcomes-Based Assessment
A COMMITMENT TO CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
THROUGH ONGOING EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENT
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ACE NON-NEGOTIABLES FOR IMPROVING STUDENT
ACHIEVEMENT
Marzano et al, 2001Walberg, 1999 Walberg
Waxman, 1983