The Virginia Intervention Model:

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The Virginia Intervention Model

• Evaluating Its Effectiveness for Struggling
  Readers Who Speak English as a Second Language

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University of Utah Reading ClinicGranite School
District

• Kathleen J. Brown, Darrell Morris, Matt Fields,
  Stacey Lowe, Debbie Skidmore, Debbie Van Gorder,
  Connie Weinstein, Julie Robertson, Ursula Brock

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Theoretical Framework

• Virginia Model of Intervention
• Early Steps/Book Buddies effective for at-risk
  G1 students in embedded, implicit, and explicit
  code classrooms
• Next Steps/Howard St. effective for struggling
  G2-3 students when delivered by volunteers,
  certified teachers, or teacher aides

(Brown, Morris, Fields, 2002 Brown et al.,
2000 Morris, Shaw, Perney, 1990 Morris,
Tyner, Perney, 2000 Santa Hoien, 1999)
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Theoretical Framework

• Virginia Model of Intervention
• guided reading _at_ instructional level
• systematic, isolated code instruction
• fluency instruction
• (for ES, add p.a. instruction)
• (for NS, add read to for comp/vocab)

(Brown, Morris, Fields, 2002 Brown et al.,
2000 Invernizzi, Rosemary, Juel, Richards,
1997 Morris, Shaw, Perney, 1990 Morris,
Tyner, Perney, 2000 Santa Hoien, 1999
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Research History

• 1999/2000 - Early Steps pilot
• 2000/01 Early Steps Follow-up Next Steps pilot
• 2001/02 - Next Steps w/ strictly ELL

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Research Questions

• Is Next Steps effective for struggling readers
  above G1 who are classified as ELL?
• Can Next Steps be delivered effectively to ELL
  students by non-certified educators, who are
  supervised by an intervention specialist?

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Method

• N 111 G2-G6 students from 8 Title 1 schools
  identified by school as ELL
• 92 ethnic minority 78 free or reduced lunch
  100 ELL
• NS and Control students equivalent at baseline
  reading level primer

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Method

• Next Steps Intervention (Tx)
• 1-on-1 45 min. 2x per week
• guided reading at instructional level
• word study
• fluency training (rate accuracy)
• read to for comprehension/vocab dev.
• Title 1 Intervention (Control)
• 45-60 min. daily small group, some 1-on-1
• reinforce Open Court

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Research Questions

• Is Next Steps effective for struggling readers
  above G1 who are classified as ELL?

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Method

• Measures
• NSSI Passage Reading
• 90 accuracy, grade level rate, comprehension
• WRMT (Woodcock Reading Mastery Test)
• ANCOVA
• Pretest scores used as covariates
• Analyses
• Next Steps Treatment vs. Control
• Certified vs. Non-Certified Instructor
• Non-Certified Instructor vs. Control

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Passage Reading Level Coding
Reading Level
Code
Pre-Primer
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Primer
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1.2 (late G1)
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2.1 (early G2)
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2.2 (late G2)
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3.0
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Results Next Steps vs. Control
a almost end G2 b almost early G2 Note
pretest scores used as covariates
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Results WRMT Percentiles
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Results WRMT Percentiles
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Discussion

• Next Steps is effective at helping ELL readers
  above G1--even in Open Court classrooms
• Next Steps students gained approximately 1
  years growth in reading ability in only 45
  sessions
• Contrast this with control students who gained
  only 1/2 years growth in well over 100 sessions

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Discussion

• What makes Virginia model effective?
• 1-on-1
• targets instructional level
• systematic, isolated decoding instruction
• fluency work
• pacing raise the bar ASAP
• time on task (packed 45 min.--gt1 hour/week
  reading aloud on level w/feedback)

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Limitations

• intervention format differences
• tx all 1-on-1
• control some 1-on-1 mostly small grp
• FAVORS TX GROUP!
• Control 120 sessions_at_45-60 minutes
• tx 45 sessions_at_45 minutes
• FAVORS CONTROL GROUP!

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Research Questions

• Can Next Steps be delivered effectively to ELL
  students by non-certified educators, who are
  supervised by an intervention specialist?

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Results Non-Certified vs. Control
a middle G2 b almost early G2
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Results Certified vs. Non-Certified
a almost end G2 b middle G2
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Discussion

• Next Steps can be delivered effectively to ELL
  students by non-certified educators
• with supervision from intervention specialist
• Next Steps students tutored by non-certified
  educators significantly outperformed control
  students on all measures
• No significant differences between Next Steps
  students tutored by certified and noncertified
  educators

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Discussion

• What accounts for effectiveness of non-certified
  personnel?
• all participants supervised by IS
• high experience level
• practicum model ongoing mentoring
• modeling
• observation
• feedback

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Discussion

• ELLs present complex issues must resist label
• Porfirio G3 late G1 reader--gt 1
  yr of NS--gtlate G2 reader--gtno intervention--gtnow
  in G5 G6 reader
• Juan G5 late G1 reader--gt 1
  yr of NS --gtstill late G1--gt1 yr of OG--gtnow in
  G6 late G2 reader

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Future Research

• Does performance trajectory continue at desired
  levels when Early Steps is followed by Next Steps
  in grade 2?
• How does the size of the group impact the
  effectiveness of the Virginia Model? To what
  extent is it effective in pairs? small group?
• Does group size interact with severity of reading
  difficulty? Who really needs 1-on-1 and who can
  make it with pair or even small group
  instruction?

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