Evaluation of the Texas Adolescent Literacy Academies (TALA ...

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Texas Adolescent Literacy Academies (TALA): Interim Evaluation Report #1COPYRIGHT NOTICE Copyright © Notice The materials are copyrighted © and trademarked as the property of the Texas EducationAgency (TEA) and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of TEA, except under the followingconditions:1) Texas public school districts, charter schools, and Education Service Centers may reproduce and use copies ofthe Materials and Related Materials for the districts’ and schools’ educational use without obtaining permissionfrom TEA.2) Residents of the state of Texas may reproduce and use copies of the Materials and Related Materials for individualpersonal use only without obtaining written permission of TEA.3) Any portion reproduced must be reproduced in its entirety and remain unedited, unaltered and unchanged in anyway.4) No monetary charge can be made for the reproduced materials or any document containing them; however, areasonable charge to cover only the cost of reproduction and distribution may be charged.Private entities or persons located in Texas that are not Texas public school districts, Texas Education ServiceCenters, or Texas charter schools or any entity, whether public or private, educational or non-educational, locatedoutside the state of Texas MUST obtain written approval from TEA and will be required to enter into a licenseagreement that may involve the payment of a licensing fee or a royalty.For information contact: Office of Copyrights, Trademarks, License Agreements, and Royalties, Texas EducationAgency, 1701 N. Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78701-1494; phone 512-463-9270 or 512-936-6060; email:copyrights@tea.state.tx.us.ii
Texas Adolescent Literacy Academies (TALA): Interim Evaluation Report #1Executive Summary According to several reading researchers and government agencies, there is a literacy crisis inmiddle schools across the United States (e.g., Kamil, Borman, Dole, Kral, Salinger, & Torgesen,2008; Slavin, Chamberlain, & Daniels, 2007). Over 70 percent of adolescents struggle to readand enter high school reading below grade level (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2003;NASBE, 2006). Approximately two-thirds of eighth grade students read below the proficient levelon the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and one-quarter read below thebasic level (NASBE, 2006). In Texas, TAKS passing rates decrease in middle school. Sincepoor readers are at a greater risk for dropping out of high school (Snow & Biancarosa, 2003),adolescent literacy has become a “hot topic” for research and intervention (Cassidy & Cassidy,2007). Additionally, research indicates that students with average reading ability are unpreparedfor reading in post-secondary education and the workforce (Kamil et al., 2008). The middleschool years offer the last chance to build the foundation of literacy skills for high schoolsuccess (Slavin et al., 2007).Explicit instruction in four key areas has been found to lead to reading improvement: (1)phonics, (2) fluency, (3) vocabulary, and (4) comprehension. In addition, instruction that focuseson only one component of reading is not sufficient to promote literacy in struggling readers.Phonics, fluency, and vocabulary are factors necessary for reading comprehension to occur. Asa result, an emphasis on comprehension strategies alone will not increase reading ability,especially in students who are struggling readers. The inclusion of multiple reading componentswithin the same intervention has been found to be the most effective to improve readingachievement (Scammacca, Vaughn, Edmonds, Reutebuch, & Torgesen, 2007).Response-to-Intervention (RTI) is a multi-tiered instructional model for educational assessmentand intervention delivery. It is based on student progress data, which inform whether increasinglevels of intervention delivery should be provided to students who are not responding to theircurrent program of instruction (Colorado State Department of Education, 2006; Fuchs & Fuchs,1998; Fuchs & Vaughn, 2006; NASDSE, 2006). Many RTI models apply a three-tiered approachthat entails primary (or universal), secondary, and tertiary instruction. Each level is synonymouswith a tier and student movement among them is typically informed by progress monitoring data.Tier 1 should be characterized as high-quality (i.e., research-based) instruction provided to allstudents. Tier 2 instruction is not universal, but utilized for those students who do makeadequate progress in reading after working with core curricula. Students who do not respondsufficiently to Tier 2 intervention enter Tier 3, which typically involves more comprehensiveevaluation and intense services and might apply to about 5 percent of studentsResearch and evaluation on reading initiatives at the federal (e.g., Reading First) and statelevels indicate that there is much to be done in order to close the achievement gap for learnersin reading (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2003; NASBE, 2006). Funding to close theachievement gap in reading has been focused on training and preparation of reading teachers,remediation for students reading below grade level, and an emphasis on early literacystrategies, including the promotion of family literacy. Over the last 12 years, Texas has focusedon improving reading instruction in order to improve overall reading achievement for students atall grade levels. The most recent initiative is the Texas Adolescent Literacy Academies (TALA).1
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