ACTION RESEARCH IN OUR WORLD

The Timing of School Entry and Reading

Instruction

Older and Later Always a Disadvantage?

Problem Statement and Conceptual Framework

The timing to begin formal reading instruction is a matter of

great concern to two key stakeholders. The first are

enlightened parents dedicated to ensuring their child’s

developmental readiness for learning. The second are school

districts who determine school age entry guidelines to

maximize students’ educational opportunities to develop

prerequisite reading skills.

Lead In

Today in beginning reading instruction,

the common paradigm and general

consensus

among educators today is that “earlier is

better”

for a child to start school. Otherwise a

child will

miss out on this “one and only” window of

opportunity to learn the essential basics in

order

to master and succeed in mastering the

reading

process.

Research Background

Waldorf schools are an anomaly in today’s educational

environment.

They are one of the few environs besides homeschooling

where formal schooling in teaching reading is typically delayed

and even preferred.

Waldorf Kindergartens are still developmental classes that are

primarily play based. True beginning reading instruction

begins in First grade and

real reading from books is delayed until second grade. And yet

in spite of these factors, children who are typically older at the

onset of First grade and begin their reading instruction 1 or 2

years later than most of their American peers in schools still

learn to read at a proficient level – It’s just later.

This flies in the face and contradicts the current paradigm that

early reading instruction is necessary for all children to learn

to read proficiency or they’ll never catch up.

Research Question

Are students who are atypically older, (due to later birthdates or

who waited to enroll in school at a later age) and attend a school

that teaches formal reading later (in first grade rather than in

Kindergarten) at a disadvantage in achieving reading proficiency

by the age 9 and what percentage do “catch up” to their typical

younger peers by the end of 3rd grade or beginning of 4th ?

Of these students to what degree are home literacy practices a

part of their lives and thus support students to become

proficient in literacy development without beginning "formal

school" earlier?

WHAT THE DATA SAY

However, delayed school entry for other children who begin school as an older child gives them an advantage in academic performance particularly in the early grades up to grade 2 before leveling off in the eighth grade.

Methods – Student Population

Schools

Corvallis Waldorf SchoolZion Lutheran School

__________________ Grade Level: 3rd grade

__________________Number of students:

25-40

__________________Gender: Female and male

Age at First grade entry

(years/ months)Early, Middle, and Late for

5, 6, 7 year olds

5.4 –5.7 5.8- 5.11 6.0- 6.3 6.4 -6.7 6.8-6.11 7.0-7.3 7.4-7.7

Methods -Assessments

Literacy skills assessed • English Orthographic knowledge, spelling

patterns of vowels and digraphs

• High frequency sight words

Grade Level reading passages with embedded Comprehension cloze sentences.

Easy CBM fluency passages  

PROCEDURES

Each child’s birthdate and school entry date from the third grade classes from the schools are located and recorded.

Students in the third grade are assessed with a battery of literacy assessments for the third grade.

Scores and grade levels equivalencies are recorded and compared between grade level state wide norms.

Differences between genders and preschool attendance are included for comparative analysis as listed above.

Survey: literacy behaviors in the home are filled out by the parents and

the students and recorded.

NUMBER OF STUDENTS

 

3RD GRADEF- FEMALEM-MALEPA – PRESCHOOL ATTENDANCENPA NO PRESCHOOL ATTENDANCEHHL –HIGH HOME LITERACYMHL- MEDIUM HOME LITERACYLHL- LOW HOME LITERACY

Individual Student data record sheet

STUDENT DATA   Name: _____________________   Age: Months/Years: ___________   Grade:_____________________   Gender: Male Female   Primary Language is English Yes or No _______________________  Preschool Attendance: Yes or No   Home Literacy Level : Low, Medium, High   ASSESSMENTS Scores and Grade level equivalency   CORE Phonics Survey Test ____________________________________________________   High Frequency Sight words ___________________________________________________

San Diego of Quick Assessment_________________________________________________ Of Reading Ability   Grade Level Passages: Easy CBM________________________________________________   Cloze passages: Comprehension____________________________________________________________                    

Methods -Survey

How often do you read books to your child during the week? once 2 - 3 time 4 - 7 times

Visits to the library - # number of time per month Once twice a month 3 or 4 times a month

Purchasing books or magazines for your child/family infrequent occasionally often

Number of children’s books in home None 1-10 11-25 26 -50 or more

Frequency Son/Daughter reads books at home Rarely few times a week Often 

DATA GRAPHS

WAITING ON DATA……..

RESULTS

Hypothesis: Those students who have families that support literacy with

a high level of literacy activities will achieve the same level of literacy competency as their grade level peers by the end of the third grade.

Factors of gender and preschool attendance will influence achieving grade level norms in reading skills sooner in the second grade.

CONCLUSION

TO BE DETERMINED....