Reading assessment and intervention programs: A longitudinal study of California English language learners in first, third, and sixth grades

Longitudinal research on English learners is limited. This study includes descriptive data on 15 students in a low socioeconomic middle school who were followed from first grade throughout elementary school and into sixth grade. Information on the programs available and the state ratings for the elementary schools and the middle school is included. Data on oral reading fluency and reading comprehension were collected. Data indicate moderately strong correlations between first and sixth grade scores on oral reading fluency (r = .63). Third grade reading comprehension and sixth grade comprehension (r = .49) are only moderately correlated. All comprehension scores are average or lower among the 15 students by sixth grade even if they were on track in first grade to do well in elementary school. Implications and future research should include increased efforts to boost reading comprehension and vocabulary development for English learners in school. Limitations of this study are largely centered on the small sample size and the inability to generalize from the findings.