Many English language learners (ELLs) struggle with literacy skills, and by the upper elementary grades this problem affects their ability to learn in social studies, science, and other content areas (Francis, Rivera, Lesaux, Kieffer, & Rivera, 2006). When ELLs perform below grade level, schools need to provide effective interventions to help them gain essential literacy skills.
What We Know
Research shows that instruction in the key components of reading identified by the National Literacy Panel—phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension—has clear benefits for ELLs as well as for other students (August & Shanahan, 2006). However, there is a growing consensus that ELLs are less likely to struggle with the basic skills—phonemic awareness and phonics—than with the last three components—fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. These are the areas that cause many students, especially ELLs, to falter in mid-elementary school when they are expected to make the transition from "learning to read" to "reading to learn" (Francis et al., 2006). When working with ELLs to improve their literacy, it is important that teachers choose interventions that target the specific difficulties each student is experiencing.
One targeted approach to helping struggling ELLs is daily small-group instruction for students with similar needs. Gersten and colleagues (2007) point to a growing number of high-quality, randomized control trials (Denton, Anthony, Parker, & Hasbrouck, 2004; Gunn, Smolkowski, Biglan, & Black, 2002; Vaughn, Mathes, et al., 2006) that show this intervention can produce sustained improvement in student achievement—especially if the groups focus on explicit, interactive instruction in the core areas of literacy.
One recent study by Vaughn, Cirino, and colleagues (2006) examined a small-group intervention called enhanced proactive reading. Ninety-one ELLs who had scored below the 25th percentile in English reading were randomly placed in a comparison group or in an intervention group where, from October through May they received 50 minutes of daily small-group reading instruction focused on phonological awareness, word attack, word reading, and spelling. The intervention group featured fast-paced, interactive instruction and continual review of materials with an emphasis on fluency and comprehension.
The study found that the students in the intervention group outperformed students in the comparison group in overall reading achievement. Differences were statistically significant on measures of phonological awareness, word attack, word reading, and spelling (effect sizes of 0.35–0.42).
Identifying students' needs through assessment (including screening, benchmark tests, and other forms of ongoing formative assessment) is a crucial component in this process (see Gersten et al., 2007). Teachers should assess students frequently to ensure that the instruction they receive is effective and that they move in and out of interventions in an appropriate and timely manner. It's important to keep intervention groups flexible so that students neither struggle with content that is far beyond their instructional level nor get "stuck" in an intervention that teaches skills they have already mastered.
What You Can Do
To support English language learners' literacy growth, it is essential to begin with accurate measures of reading proficiency. Once students' strengths and weaknesses are identified, struggling students need supportive, daily small-group instruction.
When selecting a program, educators should ensure that it includes fast-paced, interactive instruction that encourages active student participation. The program should recognize all the areas of essential literacy skills: phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Research shows that this strategy can help students perform at or above grade level and sustain high performance.
Educators Take Note
Small-group reading intervention is one effective, research-based strategy that addresses the literacy needs of English language learners performing below grade level. But teachers need more than just research to support their endeavors to provide the most effective instruction for ELLs as well as other students. School leaders need to provide the resources and support to enable teachers to enact these practices.
