From the abstract: "Learning to read is one of the most important indicators of academic achievement. The development of early literacy skills during the preschool years is associated with improved reading outcomes in later grades. One of these skill areas, phonological awareness, shows particular importance because of its strong link to later reading success. Presented here are two studies that describe the development and revision of four measures of phonological awareness skills: Individual Growth and Development Indicators Sound Blending, Syllable Sameness, Rhyming, and Alliteration 2.0. The authors discuss the measure development process, revision, and utility within an early childhood Response to Intervention framework."Citation: Wackerle-Hollman, A. K., Schmitt, B. A., Bradfield, T. A., Rodriguez, M. C., & McConnell, S. R. (2015). Redefining individual growth and development indicators: Phonological awareness. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 48(5), 495-510.The research study is available online: <https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED605881.pdf>.

From the Abstract: "Review of cost-effectiveness studies suggests that rapid assessment is more cost effective with regard to student achievement than comprehensive school reform (CSR), cross-age tutoring, computer-assisted instruction, a longer school day, increases in teacher education, teacher experience or teacher salaries, summer school, more rigorous math classes, value-added teacher assessment, class size reduction, a 10% increase in per pupil expenditure, full-day kindergarten, Head Start (preschool), high-standards exit exams, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification, higher teacher licensure test scores, high-quality preschool, an additional school year, voucher programs, or charter schools. Limitations of the study are discussed and the findings are interpreted with regard to studies of the effect of performance feedback on student motivation and perceptions of control over academic outcomes."Citation: Yeh, S. S. (2010). The cost-effectiveness of 22 approaches for raising student achievement. Journal of Education Finance, 36(1), 38-75. The full article is available online: <http://works.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1002&context=stuart_yeh>. A summary of the article is available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R43109>.

In this single-group, correlational study, 39 secondary students who used myON over the course of one school year experienced statistically significant gains on the Read Fluency Benchmark Assessor, a measure of reading achievement. The author also determined that there was a significant positive correlation between quantity of reading using myON and student growth on the reading assessment. The study also involved interviews with participating teachers, who found myON's flexibility to enable reading in many formats & devices, at home and at school, and at any time of day to be significant advantages.Citation: Kuykendall, T. G. (2015). The myON Reader program and reading proficiency among high school students (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Walden University, Minneapolis, MN.The full report is available online: <https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/414/>.

From the abstract: "The prevalence of struggling readers by third grade nationwide is estimated at one in three. Reports trace the roots of this problem to early childhood and the opportunity to learn language and early literacy skills at home and in preschool. Reports also indicate that one-size-fits-all preschool language and literacy instruction is beneficial for only some children. The Center for Response to Intervention in Early Childhood (CRTIEC) was funded by the National Center for Special Education Research at the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) to conceptualize and develop evidence-based assessment and curricular tools that early education programs could include in their plans for teaching language and literacy skills using a multi-tier system of supports (MTSS) or response to intervention (RTI) approach. CRTIEC also was directed to provide leadership in disseminating information about progress in applying MTSS approaches to instruction in early childhood. The articles in this issue summarize the work of the Center through descriptions of the process of developing and validating tools needed for an MTSS approach and summaries of the research completed by the Center."Citation: Greenwood, C. R., Carta, J. J., Goldstein, H., Kaminski, R. A., McConnell, S. R., & Atwater, J. (2015). The Center for Response to Intervention in Early Childhood: Developing evidence-based tools for a multi-tier approach to preschool language and early literacy instruction. Journal of Early Intervention, 36(4), 246-262.The article in available online: <https://search.proquest.com/docview/1690433103>.

This document explains how educators in North Carolina should use Star Reading results for -- Forecasting student performance on the end-of-year NC EOG assessment; and --Making Read to Achieve decisions about student promotion to 4th grade.The full report is available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R58212>.

From the abstract: "The overall architecture and major components of a measurement system designed and evaluated to support Response to Intervention (RTI) in the areas of language and literacy in early childhood programs are described. Efficient and reliable measurement is essential for implementing any viable RTI system, and implementing such a system in early childhood programs presents several special challenges. This article describes (a) the general approach taken to developing and evaluating this measurement system, including its conceptual and methodological foundations, methods, and results for developing items and scales for second-generation Individual Growth and Development Indicators (IGDIs 2.0), and (b) use of these scales in a larger decision-making framework for differentiating language and literacy instruction to match the needs of preschool children at risk of academic difficulties. The authors conclude with a review of some challenges associated with developing measurement for differentiated instruction in early childhood settings."Citation: McConnell, S. R., Wackerle-Hollman, A. K., Roloff, T. A. B., & Rodriguez, M. (2015). Designing a measurement framework for Response to Intervention in early childhood programs. Journal of Early Intervention, 36(4), 263-280. The research study is available online: <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275243437_Designing_a_Measurement_Framework_for_Response_to_Intervention_in_Early_Childhood_Programs>.

From the abstract: "This study examined the predictive validity of Star Early Literacy (SEL), a computer-adaptive assessment for measuring kindergarten reading skills. Findings revealed that the results of SEL assessments administered during fall, winter, and spring of kindergarten were moderate and statistically significant predictors of year-end reading and reading-related skills, and explained 35% to 38 % of the variance in a latent variable of word reading skills. Similar results were observed with a subsample of 71 participants who received follow-up assessments in first grade. End-of-kindergarten analyses indicated that, when added as predictors with SEL, paper-based measures of letter naming, letter-sound fluency, and word reading fluency improved the amount of explained variance in kindergarten and first grade year-end word reading skills. Classification accuracy analyses found that the SEL literacy classifications aligned with word reading skills measured by paper-based assessments for students with higher SEL scores, but less alignment was found for students with lower SEL scores. Additionally, SEL cut scores demonstrated problematic accuracy, especially in predicting outcomes at the end of first grade. The addition of paper-based assessments tended to improve accuracy over using SEL in isolation. Overall, SEL shows promise as a universal screening tool for kindergarten reading skills, although it may not yet be able to completely replace paper-based assessments of early reading."Citation: Clemens, N. H., Hagan-Burke, S., Luo, W., Cerda, C., Blakely, A., Frosch, J., Gamez, B., & Jones, M. (2015). The predictive validity of a computer-adaptive assessment of kindergarten and first-grade reading skills. School Psychology Review, 44(1), 76-97.The full report is available online: <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275040844_The_Predictive_Validity_of_a_Computer-Adaptive_Assessment_of_Kindergarten_and_First-Grade_Reading_Skills>.

From the abstract: "Are the books preferred and most enjoyed by children harder than other books they read? Are non-fiction books read and understood at the same level of difficulty as fiction books? The Accelerated Reader software offers computerized comprehension quizzes of real books individually chosen by children, giving children (and teachers, librarians, and parents) feedback on performance. Children can also express preferences for books they enjoy. Quizzes taken by 150,220 children in 967 schools are reported. Considering highly preferred books, children were reading very difficult books with a high degree of success. Non-fiction books were not read or understood as carefully as fiction books. Implications for future research and practice are outlined." Citation: Topping, K. J. (2015). Fiction and non-fiction reading and comprehension in preferred books. Reading Psychology, 36(4), 350-387.

DETAILS: Location: Chicago, Illinois; Design: Independent, experimental; Sample: 344 students and 19 teachers in 3 elementary schools; Measure: Star Reading; Duration: 1 school year. RESULTS: Teachers in grades one through four at three urban elementary schools were randomly assigned to use Accelerated Reader in their classes or serve in the control group. Students were pre- and posttested with Star Reading. Students in classes using Accelerated Reader experienced significant gains in reading achievement with a large effect size of d = 0.99. When compared to the control group, the Accelerated Reader group outperformed non-Accelerated Reader students at each grade level. As a whole, the Accelerated Reader group experienced significantly higher gains with moderate effect size of d = 0.38. PLEASE NOTE: the full report: Magnolia Consulting. (2010). A final report for the evaluation of Renaissance's Accelerated Reader program. Charlottesville, VA: Author.(Email research@renaissance.com to request a copy of the full report from the Renaissance Research Department.) The citation for the journal article is Shannon, L. C., Styers, M. K., Wilkerson, S. B., & Peery, E. (2015). Computer-assisted learning in elementary reading: A randomized control trial. Computers in the Schools, 32(1), 20-34.

This technical report details the statistical method behind the process of linking Alberta Provincial Achievement Test (PAT) for English Language Arts and Star Reading scaled scores. The full report is available online: <https://docs.renaissance.com/R58174>.

From the abstract: "Early comprehension is an important, but not well-understood, contribution to early literacy and language development. Specifically, research regarding the nature of skills representative of early comprehension, including how they contribute to later reading success, is needed to support best practices to adequately prepare students. This article describes the process involved in the creation and refinement of the newly developed comprehension Individual Growth and Development Indicators (IGDIs 2.0). Two theoretical models of early comprehension are discussed to highlight the inherent complexity of this domain. Results of three studies are presented: Study 1 outlines the initial piloting process, Study 2 represents a larger-scale investigation, and Study 3 describes further field testing and reveals the final IGDI 2.0 comprehension candidate: Which One Doesn't Belong (WODB). Results indicated WODB out-performed the other candidate measures across psychometric and pragmatic criteria. The utility of the WODB task within a Response to Intervention (RTI) framework is also discussed."Citation: Wackerle-Hollman, A. K., Rodriguez, M. I., Bradfield, T. A., Rodriguez, M. C., & McConnell, S. R. (2015). Development of early measures of comprehension: Innovation in Individual Growth and Development Indicators. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 40(2), 81-95. The research study is available online: <https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED605882.pdf>.

This study compared a computer adaptive assessment (Star Math) and a curriculum based measurement (AIMSweb) for progress monitoring in math. Star Math was found to be a significant positive relation to the outcome measure Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) across all three grades (3rd, 4th, and 5th grade). Results suggest that Star Math is sensitive to students' mathematics growth and support the use of Star Math as a progress monitoring tool for mathematics.Citation: Shapiro, E. S., Dennis, M. S., & Fu, Q. (2015). Comparing computer adaptive and curriculum-based measures of math in progress monitoring. School Psychology Quarterly, 30(4), 470-487.

From the abstract: "Response to Intervention (RTI) or Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) is beginning to be implemented in preschool programs to improve outcomes and to reduce the need for special education services. The proportions of children in programs identified as struggling learners through universal screening have important implications for the feasibility of these approaches as well as for the way programs might allocate resources and staff implementing tiered models of intervention. The expected proportions of children who might be identified for higher tiers of instructional support in pre-kindergarten settings are relatively unknown. The proportions of children who would have been identified for higher tiers of instructional language/literacy support when using three different universal screening measures are described. Participants were 659 children participating in the Center for Response to Intervention in Early Childhood (CRTIEC) Tier 1 Study. Results indicated that the proportions of children at Tier 2 and Tier 3 performance levels were higher for children in low-income eligibility programs and varied by program-level characteristics including numbers of English language learners and children with special needs, as well as the universal screening measure used. Implications of these findings suggest the importance of increased focus on early literacy and language in Tier 1 instruction in programs serving high proportions of children at risk as a means of preventing reading failure in future years." Citation: Carta, J. J., Greenwood, C. R., Atwater, J., McConnell, S. R., Goldstein, H., & Kaminski, R. A. (2014). Identifying preschool children for higher tiers of language and early literacy instruction within a response to intervention framework. Journal of Early Intervention, 36(4), 281-291.The research study is available online: <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275243333_Identifying_Preschool_Children_for_Higher_Tiers_of_Language_and_Early_Literacy_Instruction_Within_a_Response_to_Intervention_Framework>.