Florida Center for Reading Research Open House Projects

Open House

Celebrating Our Partners

2024

Advancing Reading Through Science

FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

Introduction

Through rigorous and robust research, innovation, and engagement, The Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR) advances the science of reading to improve learning and achievement from birth through adulthood. FCRR contributes to the quality, accessibility, use and relevance of reading and reading-related research by leveraging talent, resources, and partnerships. We invite you to explore this flipbook, highlighting a variety of our current projects and their impact on reading education locally and globally.

For over 20 years FCRR has been advancing reading research, impacting children across Florida and beyond. “Through its research and outreach, FCRR has been able to advance the science of reading and to help educators access the best and most up-todate knowledge on the development of reading and reading-related skills as well as effective reading and early literacy pedagogy,” stated FCRR Associate Directors Drs. Christopher Lonigan and Beth Phillips.

“Importantly, our partnerships with educators and policymakers have helped us understand the questions and issues that teachers and administrators see as most central to working with children effectively, and these insights have helped shape our research and dissemination work in meaningful ways.” The projects featured in this flipbook demonstrate FCRR’s commitment to rigorous and robust research, innovation, and engagement and the dedication of our faculty, students, and staff.

As you leaf through this flipbook, you will see examples of the interdisciplinary and translational research, facilitating collaborations at the local, national, and international level, which produced original rigorous and relevant research that addresses pressing educational needs. We hope you enjoy learning how our efforts are shaping the future of reading education.

Thank you for joining us and supporting our mission.

Table of Contents

Florida Department of Education. . . . . . . . . . 4 Learning about Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Learning about Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Learning Disabilities Research Center and Innovation Hub. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 National Center on Improving Literacy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Learning about Instruction . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Learning about Interventions . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Learners & their Environment. . . . . . . . . . . 32 Training the Next Generation of Researchers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 The Village . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 The Regional Educational Laboratory-Southeast. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Florida Department of Education

Florida Literacy Coach Professional Learning Series

Over

1

Goals

To build a capacity of literacy coaches across the state to support teachers in implementing evidence-based literacy practices

2

To develop a program to increase the number of literacy coaches across the state

637

educators have met the requirements to earn their endorsements

68 districts

represented PARTNERS “This took my coaching to a new level. I say it is truly the best professional development I have EVER been involved in for 25 years.”

fcrr.org/literacy-coach

Connect with us at FCRR.org and by following us across social media: @TheFCRR and @FCRRFSU on YouTube FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

Florida K-12 Reading Endorsement Pathway

Goals

1

To build educators’ capacity to implement evidence-based instructional strategies to impact student achievement

2

To develop a pathway to use in districts to increase the number of reading endorsed educators

61 districts

represented Competency 1 Foundations of Reading Instruction Competency 2 Application of Evidence-based Instructional Practices

PARTNERS

Over

288

educators have met the requirements to earn their endorsements

Competency 3 Foundations of Assessment

Competency 4 Foundations & Applications of Differentiated Instruction Competency 5 Demonstration of Accomplishment

fcrr.org/readingendorsement

Connect with us at FCRR.org and by following us across social media: @TheFCRR and @FCRRFSU on YouTube FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

The Journey to Effective Literacy Leadership Professional Learning Series

Over

1

Goals

To build school and district leaders’ capacity to implement evidencebased and evidenceinformed literacy practices in their schools

2

To help create an environment of collaboration among leaders, coaches, teachers, and others that effectively support literacy learning for all students

49 districts

represented

185

School and District Leaders Trained “The collegial conversations were helpful for sharing strategies and solutions.

The series gave us a step-by-step process for improving our literacy team and for problem solving.”

fcrr.org/leaders/ literacy-and-leadership

PARTNERS Connect with us at FCRR.org and by following us across social media: @TheFCRR and @FCRRFSU on YouTube FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

Learning about Language

Language Leaps

fcrr.org/projects/ language-leaps

PARTNERS

FUNDING AGENCY Dr. Beth Phillips Felesa Oliver Karli Willis languageleaps@fcrr.org

CONTACTS

LANGUAGE

Leap into the world of emergent literacy with Language Leaps! Language Leaps is a new supplemental curriculum for 2- and 3-yearold children adapted from the evidence-based Literacy Express prekindergarten curriculum.

After two years of development and piloting, Language Leaps will begin a randomized control trial in the Fall of 2024 with 15-20 classrooms throughout north Florida. Half of the classrooms will implement Language Leaps for 25 weeks throughout the 2024-2025 school year.

Selected teachers will receive a curriculum kit that includes 8 occupation puppets, 55 children’s books, a playroom community map rug and large pictures as well as a coach and professional development to support implementation.

At the end of the 25 weeks, the control classrooms will also receive a curriculum kit and professional development.

LEAPS

Language Leaps follows the model of Literacy Express and is structured around six thematic units addressing oral language, emergent literacy, early math, science, general knowledge and socioemotional development. It can be used in half- or full-day programs with typically developing children and children with special needs. The program provides professional development opportunities for staff, teaching materials, suggested activities, and recommendations for room arrangement, daily schedules and classroom management.

Connect with us at FCRR.org and by following us across social media: @TheFCRR and @FCRRFSU on YouTube FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

Project VOICES II

Building off the original Project VOICES, which was conducted from 2015-2018, VOICES II seeks to learn more about teachers’ language and teacher-child interactions within the preschool classroom environment. Using archival data, researchers will focus on three quality facets of linguistic features of teacher talk across five distinct interaction settings, and how they each predict children’s language skill growth.

ies.ed.gov/funding/ grantsearch/details. asp?ID=5786

One of the key strengths of VOICES II is its large and diverse dataset, which is comprised of 86 preschool teachers representing the three main site types of private, public, and Head Start settings and 583 children between the ages of three to five years old.

Coding began in July of 2022 and project staff continue to actively code and transcribe teacher and child audio, as well as classroom video.

FUNDING AGENCY Dr. Beth M. Phillips Principal Investigator bphillips@fcrr.org Dr. Sonia Cabell Co-Principal Investigator scabell@fcrr.org

CONTACTS Connect with us at FCRR.org and by following us across social media: @TheFCRR and @FCRRFSU on YouTube FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

Optimizing Early Phonological Awareness Instruction to Support Reading and Spelling Acquisition Phonological Awareness is an “umbrella term” referring to the ability to hear and manipulate sound units in speech. It is represented in educational curricula and learning standards across the country. Decades of research on the science of reading have established that phonemic awareness – the part of phonological awareness specifically about hearing and manipulating individual speech sounds – is a critical component for literacy learning. Developmental research also indicates that young children exhibit awareness of larger sounds units, like syllables and onsets/rimes, ahead of phonemic awareness. This suggests that teaching larger units before phonemes may be helpful. However, there is insufficient research testing this idea.

og

ic

al

Aw

ar

en

es

s

This project is seeking answers to the questions: What to teach? To whom? When? Researchers will identify preschool and kindergarten children who may benefit from additional phonological awareness instruction, provide select children with phonological awareness instruction using different approaches (15 minutes per day for 6-12 weeks), and assess their phonemic awareness and literacy skills through first grade. The goal is to provide extra literacy support to participating children and gain scientific evidence to inform educational practice and policy.

MANIPULATIONS

Onsets/Rimes Syllables

Analysis

Phonological sensitivity

Synthesis

Phonemes Identity

Ph

on

ol

Phonemic awareness

Words DEVELOPMENT Adapted from Phillips et al. (2008), Piasta & Hudon (2022)

Dr. Shayne Piasta, Program Director The Ohio State University School Districts – Calhoun, Grady, Leon, Liberty, Marion

PARTNERS

Dr. Beth M. Phillips Principal Investigator bmphillips@fsu.edu

FUNDING AGENCY

CONTACTS

Connect with us at FCRR.org and by following us across social media: @TheFCRR and @FCRRFSU on YouTube FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

Learning about Words

Project FLEX

fcrr.org/projects/project-flex

To better understand the skills associated with early word reading, Project FLEX explores how set for variability, the ability to successfully problem solve inconsistent letter/ sound relationships, and word reading develop together. Additionally, we are exploring how well set for variability can be used as an identifier of risk for early word reading difficulties by examining how set for variability performance at the fall of kindergarten contributes to the prediction of word reading at the end of grade 1. The findings from this study will help highlight the skills involved in learning to read and inform our understanding of reading development.

Set for Variability refers to a child’s ability to address the mismatch between the decoded form of a word (the oral language result of applying phonics to words) and their stored word pronunciation. We know through the work of Steacy et al. (2019) that a child’s set for variability is important to both their general reading, and their item-specific word reading skills.

Dr. Laura Steacy Principal Investigator lsteacy@fcrr.org Dr. Ashley Edwards Co-Principal Investigator aedwards@fcrr.org

CONTACTS

FUNDING AGENCY

PARTNERS

Connect with us at FCRR.org and by following us across social media: @TheFCRR and @FCRRFSU on YouTube FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

Project Wordy

Exploring Instructional Supports for Students Learning to Read Complex Words

fcrr.org/projects/ project-wordy

PARTNERS

English contains many “complex words,” a large class of words in which the relationships between orthography, phonology, morphology, and semantics are relatively opaque.

Students have difficulty with complex words because they cannot directly arrive at the correct pronunciation of a word by applying typical sounding out strategies.

Complex words are important because they comprise a large portion of the content-specific information needed to comprehend expository text. Without the skills required to read complex words, students often skip or guess these words which can negatively impact their academic knowledge. Research and theory suggest that instruction that builds students’ morphological knowledge and set-forvariability may be associated with better complex wordreading outcomes.

These “complex words” are at the heart of Project Wordy. The project aims to explore the effect of different approaches for teaching complex words on reading outcomes of students with and without dyslexia. Using a multifaceted research design, we are exploring the mechanisms underpinning complex word-reading acquisition. This work is designed to help teachers better serve children with dyslexia and other learning differences by providing them with advanced word-reading and decoding strategies. These strategies will allow students to move from reading simple, one-syllable words to more complex multisyllabic and multimorphemic words.

FUNDING AGENCY Dr. Laura Steacy Principal Investigator lsteacy@fcrr.org Chelsea Starke Project Manager cstarke@fcrr.org

CONTACTS x.com/projectwordy Connect with us at FCRR.org and by following us across social media: @TheFCRR and @FCRRFSU on YouTube FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

Learning Disabilities Research Center and Innovation Hub

Developmental English Lexicon Project

An Interdisciplinary Research Hub

English spelling is described as quasi-regular, meaning a system in which the relationship between input (i.e., orthography) and output (i.e., phonology) is systematic, but with many inconsistencies (often referred to as exceptions). Quasi-regular orthographies, such as English, place added demands on word reading development in children. As a result, English is particularly difficult for developing readers, which requires them to develop a diverse set of decoding strategies. Even with a diverse set of decoding strategies, some words are more difficult for children to learn to read than others (e.g., suede and yacht). However, currently we do not understand all the factors that contribute to differences in word reading difficulty in children.

The developmental English Lexicon Project (d-ELP), a Learning Disabilities Innovation Hub funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, seeks to understand factors associated with word reading development in children (grades 1-5) that result in some words being more difficult to read than others. In addition, the d-ELP will explore important differences in word reading development across typically developing students and students with and at-risk for reading disabilities with a particular focus on important historically under-represented populations (including speakers of African American English (AAE) and English Learners (EL) exposed to Spanish in their homes).

To accomplish this, we will obtain estimates of word reading difficulty for the 10,000 most frequent English words with a diverse sample of 2,000 children in grades 1-5 including oversampling of children with and at-risk for reading difficulties.

This project will expand the scientific infrastructure for research on reading development and provide a much-needed, large-scale, dataset of developing readers’ behavior, especially on children from diverse backgrounds and varying reading skill.

It will also purposely sample, for the first time, readers from diverse demographic backgrounds (Black, Spanish-speaking EL, low SES) and reading skills (with over-sampling of individuals with and at-risk for reading disabilities), to allow for analyses of both group- and individual differences in word reading development. The d-ELP data will be a valuable resource for teachers, school leaders, researchers, and educational publishers and policy makers.

PARTNERS

FUNDING AGENCY Dr. Donald Compton Principal Investigator dcompton@fcrr.org Dr. Laura Steacy Principal Investigator lsteacy@fcrr.org Chelsea Starke Project Manager cstarke@fcrr.org

CONTACTS Connect with us at FCRR.org and by following us across social media: @TheFCRR and @FCRRFSU on YouTube FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

Learning Disabilities Learning Translational Science Collective Science Collective Disabilities Translational

Learning Disabilities Translational Science Collective: Building on the Learning Disabilities Translational Science Collective: Florida Learning Disabilities Research Administration (Admin) CoreCenter (LDRC) What is The Purpose Collective?

The Collective Team

The Collective is aThe diverse groupDisabilities of researchers who areCenters (LDRC) The Collective is an international team organized into Learning Research working with educators, families, and other and practical 4 Research Projects supported by Administrative, Data, are designed to policymakers, broaden the scientific partners to better understand learning disabilities in reading and Engagement Cores. The team is racially, linguistically, understanding of learning disabilities and co-occurring and language among young children to better understand and culturally diverse, led by women, and includes conditions. The Learning Disabilities Translational specific learning disabilities in reading and oral language senior scientists, early career scholars, and graduate and Science Collective Collective) among young children.

The Collective(The is one of only twois one of two undergraduate students. federally funded centers. is foucsed Learning Disabilities Research Centers in theItnation fundedon specific 1. Florida State University 7. Yale University learning disabilities in reading and oral language by the National Institutes of Health.

2. MGH Institute of Health 8. Brock University among young children.

Professions What is translational science?

9. University of Kansas

The Admin Core helps us reach that goal by:

3. University of Virginia It is a process for turning results from research studies into 10.

University of 1. overseeing the planning, management, and innovations that can help people. It can help us bridge the 4. University of Waterloo Washington implementation of the Collective “research to practice gap”.

5. Northwestern University 11. Washington University 2. facilitating synergy and collaboration across the in St. Louis 6. Vanderbilt University What does Building upon the Learning

research projects and cores

Disabilities Research Center mean?

3. supporting the effective conduct of research and Since 2006, researchersits at translation the Florida Learning Disabilities into practice Research Center have been studying how best to identify 4. maximizing the and diverse expertise and treat learning disabilities in reading language.

They and voices of researchers, early career scholars, partners, and made many important discoveries that matter for children stakeholders the Collective. with disabilities. Together, members ofacross The Collective will push the work even further by:

1. making new discoveries How does the core provide support to the project(s)?

2. translatingThe them into practical solutions Administrative Core has five specific aims or responsibilities.

3. engaging in underserved and marginalized communities to make sure the discoveries and solutions are useful and impactful for all children.

Guiding Principles

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

●

The Collective works as a team. We leverage everyone’s 1. Facilitate research unique expertise and talents. We look&for ways to deepen translation our collaboration. We elevate diverse voices and we respect diverse perspectives. Most importantly, we keep our focus on the children. These principles help us make sure our work together serves them well. ●

Shared Leadership

●

Broadening Participation

●

Synergy

●

Respect

●

Projects: Discoveries & Solutions

●

●

Project 1 will study the identification and classification tools to 2. Enhancereading disabilities and develop 3. Engage better predict children’s risk for reading disabilities collaboration advisory boards

Project 2 will study how genes and the environment influence how well children respond to reading interventions and develop resources to help educators and families better understand genetic influences on reading.

Project 3 will study barriers and facilitators to and language disabilities in urban 4. Monitor & identifying reading 5. Promote diversity develop resources to help evaluate progressand rural schools and & inclusion educators use evidence-based practices in school.

The Admin Core is also responsible for guiding the project staff through reporting, budgeting, and ongoing pr Translation ● Project 4 will study early reading and language activities (such as publication and translation). Thescreening cores (Admin, Data and Engagement) form the practical data and develop tools to help educators scaffolding for the projects and provide cohesion across them. implement effective classification systems in schools and districts.

P50HD052120

P50HD052120

: thecollective@fcrr.org : thecollective@fcrr.org

🌐🌐🌐🌐: website

fcrr.fsu.edu FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

National Center on Improving Literacy

National Center on Improving Literacy Operated by Boston University’s Wheelock College, NCIL is a partnership among literacy experts, university researchers, and technical assistance providers from Florida State University and RMC Research Corporation. It is funded by the United States Department of Education.

NCIL aims to increase access to and use of evidence-based approaches to screen, identify, and teach students with literacyrelated disabilities, including dyslexia. We focus on building individual and organizational capacity to assess students’ literacy-related skills, identify students with disabilities or those at risk, and provide effective literacy instruction.

improvingliteracy.org/ @improvingliteracy @NCILiteracy

FSU operates as Strand 1 of NCIL, which is dedicated to identifying and developing free or low-cost, evidence-based assessment tools for identifying students at risk of not attaining full literacy skills due to disability. Our products include: • Adolescent Assessment of Literacy (AAL), a free online literacy assessment for grades 3-12 (aaliteracy.com) • Kayla and Andre Chronicles, a comic series following siblings with special powers as they learn to overcome their literacy disabilities • Clash of the Heroes, an annual character creation contest in partnership with various state agencies and institutions • Infographics that summarize the latest in literacy research and assessment development

PARTNERS

Parents & Families: Help your child read and write with practical ideas and strategies based on what works.

Schools & Districts: Find evidence-based approaches and effective professional development on screening, identifying, and teaching students with literacy-related difficulties.

State Agencies: Develop and implement state and local structures and procedures to address challenges students with literacy-related difficulties face in learning.

Accessed by by

OVER

200 COUNTRIES

FUNDING AGENCY Yaacov Petscher Deputy Director & Strand 1 Co-Lead ypetscher@fsu.edu Lakeisha Johnson Strand 1 Co-Lead ypetscher@fsu.edu

CONTACTS

Connect with us at FCRR.org and by following us across social media: @TheFCRR and @FCRRFSU on YouTube FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

Learning about Instruction

DEL ARPA

Division of Early Learning American Rescue Plan Act Curriculum Expansion and Implementation Study This project aims to examine the status of early childhood education (ECE) centers throughout Florida. This will be done by analyzing the curriculum implementation of a sample of Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) and School Readiness (SR) childcare providers serving children birth to five years across Florida. The project goals include collecting data related to providers, teachers, professional development, curriculum implementation, and curriculum-related indicators from eligible VPK and SR childcare providers.

Data collected will provide a statewide analysis to better inform initiatives, policies, practices, and procedures. This project was designed to improve VPK and SR programs for children, families, and teachers.

The eligible population participating in this study includes VPK and SR childcare providers committed to participating in the ARPA Spend Plan initiative, a grant to support early learning/ childcare providers to assist them in remaining open during the COVID-19 crisis. Participating providers will receive reimbursement of up to two approved curriculums, permitted they are eligible to participate and complete the project’s requirements. Participating providers must purchase the curriculum between March 29, 2023, and December 15, 2023. If eligible, providers will complete surveys and/ or project interviews regarding curriculum implementation, which may include some teacher and provider demographics questions. Additionally, classrooms in participating providers may be chosen for observation so that researchers can identify specific materials and activities to determine if they align with the responses received.

SAMPLE & SETTING

1000

2500

Providers

30

Participants

ELCs

PRIMARY DATA COLLECTION Provider Level

Classroom Level

Director Survey

Teacher Survey

Director Interviews

Teacher Interviews

Classroom Observations

PROJECT TIMELINE January

February

March

April

May

June

Director Surveys Teacher Surveys Director Interviews Teacher Interviews Classroom Observations

FUNDING AGENCY

PARTNERS

Division of Early Learning (November 1, 2023 - July 31, 2024) $500,000

Division of Early Learning Florida Department of Education

CONTACTS Christopher J. Lonigan, Ph.D. Principal Investigator (850) 644-4959 lonigan@psy.fsu.edu

Beth M. Phillips, Ph.D. Co-Investigator (850) 644-2002 bphillips@fcrr.org

July

Jonathan Klepper, M.S. Project Manager (850) 644-9352 jklepper@fsu.edu

AdaptPD

Developing an Adaptive Professional Development Model for School Professionals’ Implementation of Shared Reading Activities

Dialogic reading (DR) is an evidence-based practice shown to improve children’s oral language skills. One way to support early childhood educators’ (ECE) implementation of DR is to provide high-quality professional development (PD). We aim to develop and evaluate an adaptive PD model to train education professionals to deliver DR strategies when reading with young children. Our tiered PD model is designed such that ECEs begin with a low-burden online video training and progress to more intensive, but potentially more efficacious, training options only if needed.

The PD model consists of 3 training stages that are presented in order of increasing intensity: STAGE 1 Video Modules

STAGE 2 Written Feedback

STAGE 3 Coaching

Veronica Fleury Principal Investigator STE-AdaptPD@fsu.edu

CONTACTS

FUNDING AGENCY

Connect with us at FCRR.org and by following us across social media: @TheFCRR and @FCRRFSU on YouTube FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

CKLA

Efficacy of the Core Knowledge Language Arts Read Aloud Program in Kindergarten through First Grade Classrooms

The purpose of this project was to test the efficacy of the Core Knowledge Language Arts: Knowledge Strand (CKLA) read aloud program in kindergarten through first grade classrooms.

CKLA is a widely used curriculum focused on literature, science, and history. The curriculum is innovative because it integrates contentarea instruction into English Language Arts instruction. Two studies were conducted to test the efficacy of the program in improving student outcomes. In both studies, researchers randomly assigned schools either to receive CKLA or to continue classroom practices as they normally would. In Study 1, students in the treatment schools received 1 semester of CKLA in kindergarten.

In Study 2, students in the treatment schools received 2 years of CKLA, in kindergarten and first grade. Proximal and standardized measures were assessed in vocabulary, listening comprehension, and content knowledge.

Significant effects on kindergarten students’ vocabulary and content knowledge were found, particularly when measuring the words and knowledge taught in the curriculum. CKLA had positive effects on students, regardless of poverty or English learner status. Finally, students who started with higher initial oral language skills benefitted more from CKLA. Replicated findings provide further evidence that approaches that integrate literacy and content instruction enhance student learning. Additional examination of the efficacy of CKLA is underway with future analyses examining outcomes related to teacher practice and longitudinal impacts of CKLA on students’ reading comprehension.

Harvard University Dr. Sonia Cabell Principal Investigator scabell@fcrr.org

University of Virginia

Marcy Wyatt Program Manager mwyatt@fcrr.org

CONTACTS

Core Knowledge Foundation

FUNDING AGENCY

TNTP

PARTNERS

Connect with us at FCRR.org and by following us across social media: @TheFCRR and @FCRRFSU on YouTube FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

Project MAP-R

Morphological Analysis Pathway to Reading (MAP-R)

MAP-R aims to improve morphological knowledge, academic vocabulary, and reading comprehension of students in 3rd-5th grade. The project provides computer-delivered supplemental instruction.

MAP-R is designed to:

mapr.fcim.org/

Carla Wood carla.wood@cci.fsu.edu Michelle Torres-Chavarro mc13r@fsu.edu Chris Schatschneider schatschneider@psy.fsu.edu

• provide explicit instruction on prefixes, suffixes and word roots/ bases to improve students’ vocabulary and reading comprehension; • reduce the burden on teachers for implementing morphology-focused explicit instruction based on the science of reading; • improve access to language supports for all students by providing instruction that includes on-demand individualized supports; • positively impact students’ word knowledge

Sana Tibi Sana.Tibi@cci.fsu.edu Kristen Guynes kristen.guynes@fsu.edu Feng Feng Ke fke@admin.fsu.edu

CONTACTS

FUNDING AGENCY

PARTNERS Connect with us at FCRR.org and by following us across social media: @TheFCRR and @FCRRFSU on YouTube FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

Learning about Interventions

FIU STELLAR

STELLAR - Interventions for English Language Learners At-Risk for ADHD The purpose of this study it to examine the efficacy of language, behavior, or a combination of language and behavioral interventions for students classified as English language learners (ELLs) who are also atrisk for ADHD. Although there is substantial support for language development and reading interventions to aid young children in the acquisition of language skills, there is a significant lack of research addressing interventions for ELLs with disabilities of any type, particularly for ELLs with behavior disorders such as ADHD. This study addresses this gap by comparing the efficacy of language intervention alone, behavioral intervention alone, and a combined language and behavior intervention on student language and behavior outcomes.

This project is expected to take place from May 2022 to July 2026. Over the next three years, approximately 300 students are expected to participate. Participant criteria include being identified as an ELL level 1 through 4 by their school district, enrolled in kindergarten or 1st grade during the year of participation, having 6 or more symptoms of ADHD that are endorsed by a parent or teacher, having a teacher who is willing to participate and has a parent or a primary caregiver who is willing to participate. This project will involve three intervention conditions: 1) an educational language intervention involving small-group, interactive reading emphasizing dialogic reading as well as expressive and receptive syntax; 2) a behavioral classroom intervention in which a behavioral consultant will support parents and teachers in the implementation of a daily report card (DRC); and 3) a combined intervention in which students receive both the language intervention and the behavioral classroom intervention. Participants will be assessed three times throughout the school year; once before intervention (Pre-test), once in the middle of the school year (Midtest), and once at the end of the school year (Post-test).

Coinciding with assessment, there are four rounds of classroom and fidelity observations.

SAMPLE & SETTING

25

Schools Participants (approximately):

225

75

treatment

control

PRIMARY DATA COLLECTION Student Level

Assessment Data

Classroom Level

18 Weeks of Intervention

Fidelity Observations

Classroom Observations

ANNUAL TIMELINE September–October

November–December

January–February

March–May

Recruitment & Screening

Intervention Weeks 1-4

Intervention Weeks 5-9

Intervention Weeks 10-18

Pre-test Assessment

Wave 1 Observations

Wave 2 Observations

Wave 3 & 4 Observations

Midtest Assessments

Post-test Assessment

PROJECT TIMELINE 2022–2023

2023–2024

2024–2025

Cohort 1 Cohort 2 Cohort 3

PARTNERS

Florida International University Center for Children and Families

FUNDING AGENCY

Institute of Educational Sciences $3,792,323

CONTACTS Nicole Schatz, Ph.D. Principal Investigator nschatz@fiu.edu

Christopher J. Lonigan, Ph.D. Co-Principal Investigator (850) 644-4959 lonigan@psy.fsu.edu

Jonathan Klepper, M.S. Project Manager (850) 644-9352 jklepper@fsu.edu

Karli Borowski Willis, M.Ed. Intervention Coordinator (850) 645-1172 kborowski@fcrr.org

Preschoolers with Autism Getting Engaged with Stories

Interview Recording

Currently, we do not have empirically derived guidelines for teaching emergent literacy skills for young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A “one-size-fits-all” approach will be insufficient, given the heterogeneity of ASD. Our ultimate goal in this 4-year project is to develop an adaptive approach to reading instruction within the natural— and developmentally appropriate—context of shared book reading. Instruction will be responsive and flexible based on the child’s needs. We begin our instruction with an established shared book reading intervention (i.e., Dialogic Reading or Print Referencing).

Depending on children’s level of engagement during reading sessions, we may continue with the same reading condition, modify instruction, or switch to an alternate shared reading intervention.

Project Goal: To develop an adaptive shared book reading intervention using dialogic reading and print referencing techniques.

Study #1

Study #2

Study #3

Jennifer Berrien Project Coordinator

Study #4

Florida State University Oklahoma State University

Veronica Fleury Principal Investigator

Vanderbilt University

STE-PAGES@fsu.edu

CONTACTS

FUNDING AGENCY

PARTNERS

Connect with us at FCRR.org and by following us across social media: @TheFCRR and @FCRRFSU on YouTube FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

Teaching Together

The Added Value of Tiered School Plus Home Interventions for Young Children at-Risk for Language Difficulties This randomized control trial examines the efficacy of the Teaching Together program for prekindergarten (pre-k) children who are at risk of academic difficulties due to limited oral language skills. This project is unique in its focus on oral language supports in both the classroom and home settings.

In early childhood classrooms serving low-income students, up to 50% of children may exhibit language difficulties, which are associated with long-term challenges for reading and academic success. Evidence demonstrates that early language difficulties can be reduced or ameliorated by providing universal/Tier 1 or targeted/Tier 2 language interventions at school and home.

Dr. Tricia Zucker Principal Investigator Tricia.Zucker@uth.tmc.edu

The 20-week PreK On My Way classroom intervention includes four Tier 1 whole-group and four Tier 2 small-group lessons per week delivered by the classroom teacher. In addition to the classroom supports, the TT family intervention includes: family engagement online modules for teachers

Tier 1 afterschool family events/ workshops

Tier 1 parentteacher conferences to create action plans to support learning at home and school

four Tier 2 remote coaching sessions

The interventions emphasize shared book reading, vocabulary explanations, multiple-turn conversations, and language support strategies.

Dr. Sonia Cabell Co-Principal Investigator scabell@fsu.edu

Our goal is to understand the benefits and costs of increasingly tailored, tiered interventions in school only or at school plus home.

Teaching Together Study Design

Marcy Wyatt Program Manager mwyatt@fcrr.org

CONTACTS

The Children’s Learning Institute at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

FUNDING AGENCY

PARTNERS

Connect with us at FCRR.org and by following us across social media: @TheFCRR and @FCRRFSU on YouTube FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

Learners & their Environment

The Home Literacy Environment and Reading Development of Children with Learning Disabilities Home literacy environment (HLE) refers to children’s exposure to and engagement in reading related activities in the home.

In this study, HLE included: • How often family members read with their child in a typical week • How long the child is read to at each of these times • Number of children’s books in the home • How often the child looked at picture books outside of school • How often the child pretend to read outside of school

We found that learning disability (LD) children had lower HLE the summer before kindergarten than nonLD children. This indicated that prior to formal reading instruction, LD children already had less exposure to reading than their non-LD peers. Additionally, we found that higher HLE predicted higher end-of-kindergarten reading achievement. HLE appears to be important to early reading achievement. Finally, the HLE was equally important to the reading achievement of children with and without LDs.

We used the data of 1,000 children with LDs and 1,000 without LDs from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Cohort of 20102011 (ECLS-K:2010). This is a nationally representative dataset.

Takeaways for parents and teachers: 1. At the start of kindergarten reading instruction, in addition to struggling with reading due to having an LD, LD children have also had less exposure to text than their non-LD peers.

2. High HLE is associated with higher reading achievement at the end of kindergarten, and thus, we encourage parents to frequently read with their children before formal education increases their text exposure.

osf.io/preprints/ psyarxiv/e6th2

3. HLE is equally important to the early reading achievement of children with and without LDs.

Rachelle Johnson Principal Investigator rjohnson@psy.fsu.edu

Dr. Richard Wagner Dr. Sara Hart Co-Principal Investigator sara.hart@uwaterloo.ca rkwagner@psy.fsu.edu

LEAD RESEARCHERS

FUNDING AGENCY

Connect with us at FCRR.org and by following us across social media: @TheFCRR and @FCRRFSU on YouTube FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

Snooze Study

learningbrainlab.com

The transition to high school can be a tough time for teenagers. High school freshman face new academic challenges and are at an increased risk for developing mental health problems. Getting good sleep is crucial for these teens, yet for many reasons (e.g., biological rhythms, work demands, early school start times) high schoolers notoriously do not get enough sleep. The Snooze Study is focused on how sleep and school start times influence academic achievement, mental health, and brain activity in teenagers who are starting high school. In the Snooze Study, we ask teenagers to come into our lab at FSU to complete MRI brain imaging, computer-based testing, and questionnaires about daily routines, moods, and mental health symptoms. We also ask teenagers to wear Fitbits for a week to get data on their activity and sleep. This rich data lets us ask ‘How does sleep and school start times impact the lives and neurobiology of teenagers transitioning to high school?’ Results from this study can inform important policies around school start times and programs to give teenagers starting high school the best shot at success!

A neurobiological study of the role of sleep and school start time for academic achievement and mental health in youth transitioning to high school.

FUNDING AGENCY Tehila Nugiel Ph.D. learningbrainlab@psy.fsu.edu

CONTACT Connect with us at FCRR.org and by following us across social media: @TheFCRR and @FCRRFSU on YouTube FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

Training the Next Generation of Researchers

FIREFLIES & R2D2

Florida Interdisciplinary Research Fellows in Education Sciences & Preparing the Next Generation of Reading Disabilities and Dyslexia Researchers

FIREFLIES: FCRR is training the next generation of education researchers with the necessary research, leadership, entrepreneurial, and professional skills to increase the quality, accessibility, use, and relevance of education research and to improve reading outcomes for all learners.

Focused on the interdisciplinary study of reading, 18 doctoral fellows are being prepared to succeed as education researchers in a variety of contexts, including institutions of higher education, local and state education agencies, and nonprofit research organizations.

FUNDING AGENCY Catie Goodman Project Manager cjgoodman@fcrr.org fcrr.org/projects/fireflies fcrr.org/projects/r2d2

R2D2: Led by faculty in the School of Teacher Education and the FCRR, the R2D2 doctoral training program is training 10 scholars in Reading or Special Education who will be ready to train effective teachers, conduct rigorous research, and lead the field. With partners in schools and communities throughout the nation, R2D2 scholars are a part of a thriving inclusive and interdisciplinary intellectual community dedicated to advancing the science of reading to improve learning and achievement for all learners.

CONTACTS Connect with us at FCRR.org and by following us across social media: @TheFCRR and @FCRRFSU on YouTube FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

Advancing Reading Through Science

Project TRANSLATE Pursue your PhD at the Florida Center for Reading Research at Florida State University in Tallahassee, FL. *

The purpose of Project TRANSLATE is to prepare the next generation of scholars with expertise in reading education (including reading disabilities) who will secure faculty positions in institutions of higher education to effectively prepare future teachers, conduct research, and provide service, leadership, and translation within the field of reading education.

We are recruiting 5 scholars to begin in Fall 2025.

Deadline for Application: December 1, 2024 For more information, contact: Dr. Sonia Cabell, scabell@fsu.edu Annual funding package (4 year program) •

Stipend of up to $34,000 per year

•

Up to $12,000 per year to cover tuition and student health insurance

•

Up to $3,000 per year Research, Travel, Engagement, and Development Fund

•

Money for a computer

PhD in Curriculum and Instruction in the School of Teacher Education, Reading Education or Special Education major College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences

*

Florida State University (University) is an equal opportunity employer and educational provider committed to a policy of non-discrimination for any member of the University’s community on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veterans’ status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other legally protected group status. This policy applies to faculty, staff, students, visitors, applicants, and contractors in a manner consistent with applicable laws, regulations, ordinances, orders, and University policies, procedures, and processes.

Connect with us at FCRR.org and by following us across social media: @TheFCRR and @FCRRFSU on YouTube

The Village

Advancing Reading Through Science Focus

A RESEARCH-PRACTICE PARTNERSHIP

Begun in 2019, this university partnership focuses on reading achievement, early learning, students with disabilities, and college & career pathways for students in Leon County Schools.

Goals 2023 & Beyond: Build capacity, share practices, sustain outcomes, expand support

2020-2022: Develop actionable research plans based on school and district policy and practice needs.

100%

of schools participating in communities of practice maintained or improved their school grades since 2018.

≈6000 Students Impacted

School Grades School Pineview Elementary School* Oak Ridge Elementary School* Springwood Elementary School* WT Moore Elementary School Woodville School* Nims Middle School* *Title 1 School

2018

F D D B C C

2024

A C C B C B

Our research together supports student achievement because it informs: Targeted, evidence-based professional learning for teachers, coaches and principals.

Aligned family and community engagement activities and events.

Facilitated communities of practice for researchers and partners.

Celebrate our success, but expand our scope locally.

Amplify the results and share our story.

Expansion allows the opportunity to broaden collaborative efforts, invite more stakeholders and use research to address more diverse educational challenges.

By sharing our findings, we increase the impact of our research and partnership at home and around the nation.

Connect with us at FCRR.org and by following us across social media: @TheFCRR and @FCRRFSU on YouTube

The Regional Educational Laboratory-Southeast

Regional Education Laboratory Southeast REL Southeast is one of ten Regional Educational Laboratories that work in partnership with school districts, state departments of education, and others to use data and research to improve academic outcomes for students. Fundamentally, the mission of the RELs is to provide support for a more evidence-reliant education system.

REL Southeast brings together the critical elements for success: a thorough knowledge of the region’s education systems and contexts; a history of responding to the needs of state and local educators within the region; deep understanding of the critical issues to be addressed; and extensive expertise in research, analytical technical support, and dissemination. Our strengths include a strong presence in each state served and long -standing working relationships with state and local educators throughout the region.

REL Southeast is located at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida, and led by Dr. Nicole Patton Terry, Director of the Florida Center for Reading Research. REL Southeast partners with American Institutes for Research, Innovative Behavioral Services, Instructional Research Group, MK Educational Research & Practice, RMC Research Corporation, Research Triangle International, and SERVE Center at UNC Greensboro.

ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/ region/southeast

Dr. Nicole Patton Terry Director npattonterry@fsu.edu Dr. John Hughes Deputy Director jhughes@fcrr.org

General Contact rel-se@fsu.edu

CONTACTS

Mississippi Adolescent Literacy Partnership

PARTNER Laurie Lee Principal Investigator llee@fcrr.org

Kevin Smith Principal Investigator ksmith@fcrr.org

CONTACTS

ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/ region/southeast/ partnerships/100125

The goal of this partnership is to improve the literacy skills of students in grades 4-12. Two projects are associated with the partnership. The first provides training to English, social studies, and science teachers to help them incorporate evidence-based literacy practices into their instruction. The second project provides training to literacy interventionists to help them use evidence-based practices in their instruction to students who need additional support. When students are supported in literacy throughout the school day, their skills and abilities should improve.

South Carolina Partnership to Implement Professional Learning Community: Emergent Literacy (SC PLC EL) The SC PLC EL is a collaboration between key state education agency representatives, seven preschool sites in two SC school districts, and the REL Southeast. The goal of the partnership is to explore the implementation of Professional Learning Community: Emergent Literacy (PLC-EL) and learn about impacts on teacher practice and student outcomes to inform scaling across SC. The PLC-EL is a suite of materials designed to improve teacher use of evidence-based practices to support emergent literacy development in the areas of print knowledge, phonological awareness, vocabulary, and oral language. With the support of a trained facilitator, the PLC-EL materials are designed to guide preschool teachers as they collaborate through discussions, engage in hands-on activities, and reflect on their own implementation of strategies learned during PLC-EL sessions.

The partnership seeks to learn about the conditions, facilitators, and barriers that affect implementation of the PLC-EL. The partnership is engaging in three primary projects: 1. Intensive coaching with a small cohort of demonstration sites to implement PLC-EL to understand and address barriers to implementation, 2. An applied research study to evaluate the implementation and impact of PLC-EL on teacher practice and student outcomes, and 3. Development of a PLC for early childhood administrators (PLC-ECA) that aids ECA as they plan and support implementation of the PLC-EL in their schools.

ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/ region/southeast/ partnerships/100128

PARTNER Sarah Hughes Partnership Lead shughes@rmcres.com Marcia Kosanovich PLC-EL Author & Coaching Project Lead mkosanovich@fcrr.org Sarah Herrera Applied Research Study Project Lead sherrera@fcrr.org Karli Willis PLC-EL Author & PLC-ECA Project Lead

CONTACTS

Toolkit for Differentiating Reading Instruction for Grades K-3

This Toolkit is designed for grades K-3 teachers who provide classroom reading instruction and the reading specialists and educational leaders who support them. It is designed to promote change in teacher practice and student outcomes by supporting teachers in how to differentiate tier 1 instruction to help improve reading instruction for ALL students.

The content of the Toolkit is based on the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) practice guide, Assisting Students Struggling with Reading: Response to Intervention (RtI) and Multi-Tier Intervention in the Primary Grades from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) at the U.S. Department of Education. The Toolkit materials include three teacher professional development modules, classroom videos, self-reflection checklists, support for facilitation of the modules, and resources for leadership and sustainability.

This Toolkit is not yet released as it is being prepared for an efficacy study.

PARTNERS Marcia Kosanovich Principal Investigator mkosanovich@fcrr.org

Kevin Smith Toolkit Development Team ksmith@fcrr.org

Laurie Lee Toolkit Development Team llee@fcrr.org

CONTACTS

Sharon Koon Senior Research Associate skoon@fcrr.org

Diversifying the Teacher Pipeline with Historically Black Colleges and Universities Latara O. Lampkin Senior Research Associate losbornelampkin@fcrr.org Yi-Chieh Newton Associate in Research ywu@fcrr.org

CONTACTS

The Diversifying the Teacher Pipeline with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Partnership is focused on increasing knowledge and the implementation and dissemination of evidence-based practices to inform preservice and in-service initiatives to enhance and diversify the educator pipeline and workforce. With partners from HBCUs, state agencies, and local educational agencies the partnership promotes collaboration and coordination among entities to engage in technical support and research activities that will inform initiatives being conducted at the institutional level at HBCUs, as well as at state and district levels.

Jackson State University Tougaloo College Mississippi Department of Education (Office of Teaching and Leading, Division of Educator Talent Acquisition, Division of Educator Preparation) Vicksburg-Warren School District, National Institutes for Historically-Underserved Students, Florida A & M University Other Affiliated Mississippi PostSecondary Success at HBCUs Research Consortium Partners (Alcorn State University, Hinds Community College-Utica Campus, Mississippi Valley State University, Rust College), Innovative Behavioral Services, Inc.

PARTNERS

ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/ region/southeast/ partnerships/100122

Florida Panhandle K-5 Literacy Partnership

ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/ region/southeast/ partnerships/100123 The REL Southeast Florida Panhandle K-5 Literacy Partnership is a collaborative group of literacy educators from 14 small and rural school districts across the region and the organization that supports them, the larger central school district within the region, and the Florida Department of Education. The partnership is focused on increasing knowledge and implementation of evidence-based practices in literacy at elementary schools across the area.

PARTNER Laurie Lee Principal Investigator llee@fcrr.org

Kevin Smith Principal Investigator ksmith@fcrr.org

CONTACTS