# Presentation: 515288

## From Assessment to Practice: Research-based Approaches to Teaching Adults to ReadPart 2: Fluency and Vocabulary

- From Assessment to Practice: **Research-based Approaches to Teaching Adults to Read****Part 2: Fluency and Vocabulary**

## Presenters:

Dr. John R. Kruidenier
	Kruidenier Education Consulting Consultant to the National Institute for Literacy, Coordinator for the NIFL/NCSALL Adult Literacy Research Working Group
	Horsham, PA 

Dr. Rosalind Davidson
	Educational ConsultantConsultant for the Assessment Strategies and Reading Profiles WebsiteCambridge, Massachusetts 
Susan McShane Reading Initiative Specialist National Center for Family Literacy
	Louisville, Kentucky

**Dr. John R. Kruidenier**
- 	Kruidenier Education Consulting Consultant to the National Institute for Literacy, Coordinator for the NIFL/NCSALL Adult Literacy Research Working Group
- 	Horsham, PA
**Dr. Rosalind Davidson**
- 	Educational ConsultantConsultant for the Assessment Strategies and Reading Profiles WebsiteCambridge, Massachusetts
**Susan McShane **Reading Initiative Specialist National Center for Family Literacy
- 	Louisville, Kentucky

## Purpose

- Follow-up to previous webcast
- Provide practical rationale for use of research-based principles
- Use two additional components of reading to illustrate research-based practices and the direct link between research and practical approaches to teaching adults to read
- Show how the four basic components of reading can provide a solid framework for assessment and instruction

## Review: What is Reading?The Basic Components of Reading

**Alphabetics:** The use of letters in an alphabet to represent spoken words
**Phonemic Awareness:** Knowledge of speech sounds
**Word Analysis (Phonics plus):** Letter-sound knowledge
**Fluency:** Ability to read with speed and ease
**Vocabulary:** Knowledge of word meanings
**Comprehension:** Understanding a text, or “constructing meaning”

## After Scarborouth, H. (2001).

- After Scarborough, H. (2001).

## Review: Growth in Reading

- Beginning Readers
- Comprehension or meaning-based skills are better than print-based skills
- Work on print skills the most (though comprehension important)
- Advanced Readers
- Work on comprehension skills the most (though efficient decoding important)

## Review: Adult Literacy Research Working Group (ALRWG)

- Purpose
**Identify** existing research related to adult literacy reading instruction
**Evaluate** research
- Provide research-based **products** **–** principles and teaching practices
**Disseminate** products and information

## Review: Assessment Principle 1

- Adult education learners’ reading abilities vary a lot, so assessing just one component of reading may not give enough information for instruction
- If all components of reading are assessed, the pattern of scores that results can be used to guide reading instruction

## Review: Sample Profile

|  | Ed | Ruth |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reading Comprehension | 
6 | 
6 |
| Word Analysis
—Decoding | 
2.6 | 
7.5 |
| 
Fluency | 
5 | 
10 |
| 
Oral Vocabulary | 
8 | 
7 |

## Fluency Assessment Research

- Principle 8: Reading fluency is a problem for beginning adult readers, just as it is for all beginning readers. Fluency can also be a problem for intermediate adult readers, and even for many adults at advanced ABE levels.

## Fluency Instruction Research

- Principle 9: Teaching reading fluency to adult beginning readers can lead to increases in reading achievement.
- Principle 10: Fluency can be taught using approaches that include the repeated reading of text.
- Supported by research at the K-12 level.

## Fluency Assessment

- Three components of fluent reading:
- Accuracy, Rate, Prosody
- 1. Reading Accuracy
- Are words read correctly?
- Does the reader pay attention to the punctuation?

## Scoring Oral Reading Accuracy 

- Real Errors
- Mispronunciations – count only *first time* the error is made
- Substitutions
- Insertions
- Omissions
- Supplied words

## Scoring Oral Reading Accuracy (continued)

- Not Real Errors
- Self-corrections
- Repetitions
- Errors in word endings: -ing, -ed, -s
- Pronunciation errors in proper nouns

## 2. Reading Rate
Why do we need to measure oral reading rate? It is a measure of word recognition automaticity. It is the first step in an informal assessment of fluency.
How do we measure reading rate?
	words per minute = (number of words in passage ÷ reading time (in seconds)) x 60

- Why do we need to measure oral reading rate?** **It is a measure of word recognition automaticity. It is the first step in an informal assessment of fluency.
- How do we measure reading rate?
- 	words per minute = **(**number of words in passage ÷ reading time (in seconds)**)** x 60

- Fluency Assessment (continued)

## FrankensteinDiagnostic Assessments of Reading, (1992). Riverside: Itasca Oral Reading passage, Level 8

- “It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils. With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might now infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet...”
- 100 wpm; 200 wpm; 250 wpm; 300 wpm

## Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN)

- o	a	s	d	p	a	o	s	p	d
- s	d	a	p	d	o	a	p	s	o
- a	o	s	a	s	d	p	o	d	a
- d	s	p	o	d	s	a	s	o	p
- s	a	d	p	a	p	o	a	p	s

**=/<18.9 seconds not a processing problem; 21.3 borderline disabled; 26.3 disabled**
**Felton, R.H., Naylor, Cecile E., & Wood, F. B. 1990. Neuropsychological profile of adult dyslexics. *****Brain and Language*****, 39, 485-497*****.***

## Fluency Assessment (continued)

- Reading Prosody
- Does the reader chunk words into phrases bringing a rhythm to the text and some evidence of comprehension?

## Prosody ScaleAdapted from the NAEP Oral Reading Study, 2002

**3**	Smooth reading, with pauses occurring at appropriate points and few (if any) repetitions
**2**	Fairly steady reading, but with pauses occurring sometimes within phrases and/or some repetitions
**1**	Uneven/choppy reading, with frequent repetitions and/or lapses in phrasing and/or sounding out of words
**0**	Labored, word-by-word reading, with continual repetitions, frequent stopping, and/or sounding out of words

## What if assessment reveals fluency problems?

**What can you do?**
- First, consider the nature of the problem.
- 	-- Which aspect(s) of fluency will you need 	to address?

## What is Fluency?

**Aspects of Fluent Reading**
- Speed
- Accuracy in word identification
- Phrasing and expression (prosody)

## Fluency

**Why is it important?**
- 	Fluency is required for comprehension**. **Accurate and efficient word identification allows the reader to pay attention to meaning.
- 	Fluent reading is comprehensible because it sounds like speech.
**Who needs it?**
**	**Most adult beginning readers & many others

## What is Fluency?

**Research-Based Recommendation:**
- 		Use ***guided repeated oral reading*** 	techniques to build reading fluency.

## Guided Repeated Oral Reading

**A sampling of approaches:**
- Reading to the teacher or tutor
- Echo reading
- Dyad or choral reading
- Performance reading
- Cross-generational reading

## Another Approach:

- If word identification is part of the fluency problem, phonics instruction and sight-word practice may make a difference.

## Other Issues in Fluency Development

**Appropriate difficulty level of materials**
- − For speed & phrasing
- 			(relatively easy text)
- − For accuracy—decoding in context 			(more difficult text)

## Other Issues in Fluency Development

**Managing guided repeated oral reading in the classroom**
- 	 − Tapes or CDs for independent practice
- 		(if recordings of appropriate level texts can 	be acquired or created)

## Free Fluency Resource

**“****Reading for Today’s Adults”** – on the website of the Marshall, MN adult education program
- _[http://www.marshalladulteducation.org](http://www.marshalladulteducation.org/)_

## Free Fluency Resource

**Reading Skills for Today’s Adults**
- Passages from 1-8 G.E.
- Learner listens to them being read
- Reads and times self
- Listens again and re-reads
- (Also includes--Vocabulary, questions, writing prompts)

## Vocabulary Assessment Research

- Adult literacy students’ vocabulary growth may be dependent on their reading ability.
- Their life experience may give them an advantage at lower reading levels but this advantage disappears at higher reading levels.

## Vocabulary Instruction Research

- No emerging principles
- Important trends for ABE:
- Vocabulary can be improved in general functional literacy settings, although teaching vocabulary in a specific setting, such as a family literacy or workplace setting, may be more effective
- Compatible with limited K-12 research: Engaging contexts may be more effective

## Vocabulary Instruction Research

- Teach vocabulary in multiple, engaging contexts that foster repeated exposure to new concepts (such as family or workplace settings)
- Other ideas from K-12 research
- Teach students how to find definitions and other information about words
- Encourage extensive reading and exposure to new words

## Edgar Dale’s Degrees of Knowing Word Meanings1

- 1.  I never saw or heard the word before.
- 2.  I know there is such a word but I don’t know what it means.
- 3.  I’ve heard it and seen it.  I know what it has to do with but I can’t tell you what it means specifically.
- 4.  I know what it means, I’ll recognize it whenever I see it or hear it, I can use it.
**1****Dale, E. (1976.) The living word vocabulary. Elgin, IL: Dome Press.**

## Two Primary “Word Banks”

- Receptive (listening) vocabulary
- 	words we know well enough to understand when seen or heard in context  *Dale’s Stages 2 - 4*
- Productive vocabulary
- 	words we know well enough to use in writing or speaking *Dale’s stage 4*

## Two Primary “Word Banks”

**Productive Vocabulary**
- Speaking, Writing

-   **Receptive Vocabulary**             Listening, Reading

## Types of Vocabulary Assessments 

- Elicited word meanings oral (productive vocabulary)
- Diagnostic Assessments of Reading (DAR)
- Davidson & Bruce Word Meaning Test **
- Multiple choice (oral/written) (limited receptive vocabulary)
- Adult Basic Learning Examination, Levels 2, 3  (ABLE)
- Test of Adult Basic Education, Form 5/6  (TABE)
****Free to download on the ARCS website**

## Types of Vocabulary Assessments (cont’d)

- Multiple choice (oral – pictures) two tests of Receptive Vocabulary
- Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-III)  (PPVT-III)
- Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement III
- Embedded in comprehension passages (limited receptive vocabulary)
- Test of adult Basic education , Form 7/8  (TABE)
- Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS)

## Davidson & Bruce Word Meaning Test  ASRP website

_**Level 6**_
**	**** ****surrender****____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___**
**	****occupation****____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___**
**	****decline****___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**
**	****consume****________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**
**	****dismal****____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**
-           Number Correct ______4 or 5 correct? Go to next level.     3 or fewer correct? Stop or go back to previous level
- http://www.nifl.gov/readingprofiles/PF_WMT_Test.htm

##  Davidson & Bruce Word Meaning TestASRP website

- Level 6:
*	**surrender*Main concept: to give upSample sentence: "The man surrendered after holding everyone hostage."*occupation*Main concepts: job; something you do for a living

## Level 6 (continued):		
declineMain concepts: become less; go lower; refuse; reject; to turn something down; say no to somethingconsumeMain concepts: eat or drink up; digest; use it updismalMain concepts: gloomy; dark; grayish

*decline*Main concepts: become less; go lower; refuse; reject; to turn something down; say no to something*consume*Main concepts: eat or drink up; digest; use it up*dismal*Main concepts: gloomy; dark; grayish

- Davidson & Bruce Word Meaning TestASRP website

## Vocabulary

**Why is it important?**
- 	For beginners, oral vocabulary (knowledge of word meanings) is the basis for meaningful reading.
- 	Readers can’t understand a writer’s message unless they understand most of the words, so they must learn new word meanings to become better readers.
**Who needs it most?**
- 	Non-native speakers (ESOL students)
- 	Many intermediate & higher-level readers

## Vocabulary Development

**Research-Based Tips**
- Pre-teach unfamiliar words in instructional text.
- Ensure multiple exposures to words by teaching useful words learners will encounter in subject-matter texts they are studying or other adult materials.

## Vocabulary Development

- Engage learners in using and working with the words in several ways.
- Teach word-learning strategies like structural analysis, using context clues, and using a dictionary.
- Encourage wide reading of level-appropriate materials in varied subject-matter areas.

## Identifying Words to Teach

- Vocabulary tests are not like diagnostic assessments of phonics skills. They don’t tell you exactly what to teach.
- So, if there’s a need, what do you do?

## Identifying Words to Teach

**One way to think about it:**
- Consider how useful they are—how frequently a reader will encounter them.
- Three “tiers” of words have been identified by Isabel Beck (2002).
- Beck, I., McKeown, M. G., & Kucan, L. (2002). *Bringing words to life: Robust vocabulary instruction.* New York: Guilford Press.

## Three tiers of words

**Tier One:** The most basic words that rarely require instruction (*car, sad, man*)
**Tier Two:** High-frequency words for mature language users (*coincidence, insistent, reluctant*)
**Tier Three:** Low-frequency words, often limited to specific domains (*isotope, entomologist, lathe*)

## Identifying Words to Teach

**Signal words/phrases** – therefore, finally, however, in contrast, in conclusion
**Subject-matter words/phrases**
- 		**Science** – atmosphere, bacteria, 	environment, heredity, hypothesis, resource
- 		**Social studies** – amendment, budget, 	chronological order, consent, boycott, civil 	rights movement, pioneer

## Identifying Words to Teach

**Words that should be pre-taught:**
- 		 – Important for understanding of text
- 		 – Not definable using context clues

## Word-Learning Strategies to Teach 

**Structural analysis** (morphemic analysis):
- 	 – Prefixes (anti, dis, semi, pre, post)
- 	 – Suffixes (ful, less, ment, ly, tion)
- 	 – Roots (aero, bio, graph, therm, psych)
**Dictionary use**
**Context clues**

## Types of Context Clues

**Restatement: **The team could be described as *robust*, very strong and sturdy.
**Synonyms: **The little girl missed her nap, so she was really *cantankerous*. She was grumpy and difficult all afternoon.
**Antonyms & Contrasts: **I’m usually gregarious, but after I lost my job, I kept to myself for several weeks.
**Definition: **An advocate is a person who not only believes strongly about a cause, but also speaks up in support of it.

## Background Knowledge

- It’s more than vocabulary. What about the bigger concepts and bodies of knowledge to which words relate and refer?
- Limited knowledge of the subject matter of a text makes it hard to make inferences and use context clues.

## Conclusion

- Research provides some very practical and useful approaches to teaching adults to read
- To illustrate this, we looked at alphabetics and comprehension during our last webcast and at fluency and vocabulary today
- Reading components provide a framework for assessment and instruction

## Conclusion

- Assess all components to understand strengths and weaknesses
- Address all components during instruction:
- Use assessment results to
- decide which components to focus on
- design plan for instruction, using research-based approaches to instruction
- select reading material at an appropriate level
- Continue to assess in order to adjust plan for instruction as learner’s reading grows and changes

## Assessment Strategies and Reading Profiles Website -- www.nifl.gov/readingprofiles 

Applying Research in Reading Instruction for Adults -- 	http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/publications.html

Research-Based Principles for Adult Basic Education Reading Instruction -- 	http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/publications.html 

- Assessment Strategies and Reading Profiles Website -- _[www.nifl.gov/readingprofiles](http://www.nifl.gov/readingprofiles)__ _
- Applying Research in Reading Instruction for Adults -- 	_[http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/publications.html](http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/publications.html)_
- Research-Based Principles for Adult Basic Education Reading Instruction -- 	_[http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/publications.html](http://www.nifl.gov/nifl/publications.html)__ _

- Resources

## Questions and Answer Session
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- For more information on the National Institute for Literacy, please visit: _[http://www.nifl.gov](http://www.nifl.gov/)__._