| The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires that all public school students, including English language learners, achieve proficiency in reading, math, and science by 2014 as measured on state assessments. English language learners enrolled in public schools for the first time receive a 1-year deferment from these state assessments in subjects such as English language arts. Limited qualitative studies have been conducted to assess the instructional practices that contribute to the reading proficiency of English language learners at the elementary level. Therefore, the purpose of this study was reflected in the central research question that asked how specific instructional practices contributed to the reading proficiency of English language learners in Grades 3 and 5 at 2 elementary schools in an urban school district. The conceptual framework was based on Krashen's theory of second language acquisition and Senge's theory of learning organizations. This qualitative study used case study design. Multiple sources of evidence were used for data collection, including interviews, observations, and documents. Data analysis at the first level used the specific analytic techniques of coding and category construction to examine the data for patterns, themes, and relationships. At the second level, the general analytic technique of theory development was used to confirm the theoretical proposition. Results indicated that the sheltered instruction observation protocol program (SIOP) model, flexible grouping, and Rosetta Stone, a computer program, were most effective in improving the reading proficiency of these students. The implication for positive social change is that educators may gain a better understanding of how to improve instructional reading programs for English language learners resulting in improved reading scores that meet NCLB requirements. |
