Literacy By Design: Creating a Universally Designed Reading Environment for Students with Significan

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Literacy By Design Creating a Universally
Designed Reading Environment for Students with
Significant Disabilities

• CEC 2006 Annual Convention
• April 7, 2006 Salt Lake City, Utah
• Lu Zeph, Ed.D. Betsy Enright, M.Ed.
• Center for Community Inclusion Disability
  Studies, UCEDD

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Collaborators

• Co-Principal Investigators,
• Bridget Dalton, Ed. D, (CAST)
• Lucille Zeph, Ed. D (Center for Community
  Inclusion Disability Studies, The
  University of Maine)
• Co-Project Directors
• Peggy Coyne,M.Ed. (CAST)
• Betsy Enright, M.Ed. (Center for Community
  Inclusion Disability Studies, The
  University of Maine)
• Project Duration 2003-2006
• Funded by US Department of Education
• Office of Special Education Programs
• OSEP Project Number H0324D020059
• Project Officer Dr. Anne Smith

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Purpose of Project

• To investigate the effects of a universally
  designed approach to literacy on the reading
  achievement and access to the general curriculum
  for students with significant cognitive
  disabilities.

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Importance

• This work moves us towards improving instruction,
  and raising expectations and accountability so
  that students with significant cognitive
  disabilities can master literacy.

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Evidence Based Instruction

• National Reading Panel, 2000
• Phonemic Awareness
• Phonics
• Fluency
• Vocabulary
• Comprehension Strategy
• Teaching in context not isolation

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Goal 1

• Identify the barriers that interfere with
  access, participation, and progress in literacy
  instruction for students with significant
  cognitive disabilities in each of the following
  areas
  
• the curriculum materials and methods,
• teacher practice and preparation,
• parent involvement in literacy activities.

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Goal 2

• Develop exemplars of the UDL-Thinking Reader
  technology that are specifically designed for
  students with cognitive disabilities by
  including
• embedded supports for literacy
  
• embedded supports for teachers in the
  instructional setting
  
• embedded supports for parents to engage in
  literacy activities with their children at home.

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Goal 3

• Develop effective teaching and parenting
  practices for a literacy program that effectively
  incorporates the UDL-Thinking Reader as a key
  component in supporting students with significant
  cognitive disabilities in the Least Restrictive
  Environment.

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Goal 4

• Investigate the effectiveness of this overall
  instructional approach (incorporating the
  UDL-Thinking Reader Exemplars into a school
  literacy program) on the literacy development of
  students with cognitive disabilities.

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Goal 5

• Disseminate the research results
• and the approach

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Research Design

• Instrumentation
• Quantitative
• Standardized instruments and recognized informal
  measures of language and reading skills
• Qualitative
• Observations, interviews (students teachers),
  background information, work samples, etc.

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Research Design

• Unit of Analysis
• Individual students, matched and assigned to one
  of two groups.

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Research DesignParticipating Students
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Data Collection

• Reading subtests of the Woodcock Johnson III
  Tests of Achievement (2001) selected subtests
  (pre-post, norm referenced)
• Concepts About Print (pre-post, criterion
  referenced)
• Letter identification
• Word lists taken from the texts read in class
• Teacher attitude survey (pre - post)
• ELLCO - Early Language Literacy Classroom
  Observation (pre - post)

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Data Collection

• Field notes
• Classroom observations
• Student demographics history
• Students electronic worklogs (typed text,
  recordings of students voices, or both)
• Student work samples
• Audio recordings of repeated readings
• Informal conversations and interviews with
  students
• Teacher interviews (pre - post)
• Parent interviews (pre - post)
• Parent focus groups

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Project Phases

• Phase One (January - September 2003)
• Student recruitment, pre assessments
• Parent and teacher interviews
• Professional development for teachers
• Phase Two (September 2003- June 2004)
• Begin intervention in classrooms
• Data collection - students and classroom
• Continued professional development
• Parent education and focus group
• Mid assessments
• Phase Three (September 2004 - December 2005)
• Continued intervention September - February
• Continued professional development
• Post assessments, post interviews
• Parent focus group
• Data analysis, interpretation, dissemination

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Intervention with Students

• Provided computers, software and reading
  materials
• Provided onsite technical assistance and support
• Students received 20 - 30
• minutes of intervention
• instruction

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Intervention Lets Go Read(River Deep, 1997)

• Island Adventure
• An Ocean Adventure

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Intervention WiggleWorksScholastic (1996)
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CASTs Universal Design for LearningPicture Book
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CASTs Universal Design for LearningPicture Book
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CASTs Universal Design for LearningPicture Book
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CASTs Universal Design for LearningPicture Book
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Schools - Massachusetts
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Schools - Massachusetts
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Schools - Maine
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Schools - Maine
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• Maine Classrooms

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Maine Classroom Environment

• Immersion in print and high quality literacy
  experiences
• Diversity of learning opportunities and
  materials
• Multiple variations of targeted literacy
  activities and materials
• Curriculum and materials reflect five key
  components of balanced literacy
• Technology was used as a component of holistic
  literacy program

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Maine Students What We Learned Students Case
Studies
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History

• Demographic information
• Chronological Age 5years 9mths
• Grade placement 03-04K
• Disability
• Multiple Disability Down Syndrome
• Congenital heart defect
• Mild hearing loss in each ear
• Verbal - with speech and language delays
• Educational history Beginning K 2003-2004
• Early intervention, therapeutic and general
  preschools settingsdevelopmental therapy service
  at some, some PT in preschool

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Literacy Learning - Pre Assessment

• Some letters (missing many lowercase)
• Text directionality not established
• One to one word matching not established
• Limited book handling skills
• Sight words not identified

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Social Learning

• Social learning
• Increased expectations (Teacher and Peer)
• Increased turn taking skills
• Cueing from other students
• Increased focus to tasks
• Increased time on task
• Development of leadership skills
• Seeing himself as part of the learning community

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Literacy Learning

• Dramatically increased engagement/enjoyment of
  books
• Became an emergent reader
• Reading simple books
• Spelling writing at 1st grade level
• Solid sight vocabulary
• Correct book handling skills
• Journal writing w/ support initial self editing
• Computer skills
• Turn on, launch, and execute literacy software
  independently

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Literacy Learning

• Continued..
• Choosing big book reading during free time
• Talking about stories with parents at home
• Writing about experiences
• Authoring his own books
• Reading aloud from his journal
• Sharing his journal and stories at circle time

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What We Learned

• Experienced most growth with LBD approach and
  literacy rich environment
• Pairing with typical peers provided opportunities
• Became a peer leader in use of literacy software
• Giving him more opportunities sooner and having
  even higher expectations
• Consistent rise sub test raw scores with
  exception of sound awareness

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Parents View Changes in their childs literacy
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Parents View Changes in their childs literacy

• Oh! He has flourished so much lately. Whenever
  we get in the car he has to read a book. He
  always has to have a pointer too. Mom , do you
  have a pencil? And hell point to the words over
  the river and through the woods. And hell say
  who the book is by.sounding out the words.
• Hell say , Mom I want to go p-l-a-y or you
  knowits time for b-e-d! He spells everything
  to us. Its amazing to have him spelling out
  the words with things he wants to do.
• When I was on the phone the other day, he said,
  Mom can I t-o-c talk? That just killed me!
  I want to t-o-c. I love that!

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History

• Demographic information
• Chronological Age 5 years 4 months
• DOB 2/15/98
• Grade placement 03-04 K
• Disability
• Down Syndrome
• Some visual impairment (wears glasses)
• Verbal with speech and language delays

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Literacy Learning - Pre Assessment

• No letter recognition
• No text directionality
• No word for word matching
• Very limited book handling skills
• No measured sight words

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Social Learning - Year 1

• Expectations increased (Teacher and Peers)
• Developed friendships and increased peer
  interactions
• Increased attention and focus on learning tasks
• Became a part of the learning community

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Literacy Learning

• Observed Literacy Behaviors
• Computer skills
• Turn on, launch, and execute literacy software
  with minimal support.
• Word for word matching
• Text directionality
• Book handling skills
• Choice of Big Book reading during free time
• Engaging with books
• Year 1 growth
• Concepts about Print, Letter ID
• Vocabulary, paragraph comprehension

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Parents View Changes in their childs literacy
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Parents Changes in their Childrens Literacy

• I see a very advanced behavior from last year. I
  see her choosing books. I see her.she has a
  large array of books, but then shell only want
  to read a certain book, and youll give her a big
  selection, and shell still wants to read the
  same group of books, and usually theyre sing
  songy books that she can sing to you or read to
  you.
• She wants to read.
• Oh, yeah. Im thrilled with how she thinks of
  herself. She now thinks of herself as a reader.
  Before shed go through books, but she wouldnt
  read them. Now she has to read me the book before
  I can read it to her. She goes to every single
  page. She goes right to the right spot where you
  begin to read. She goes right to the bottom. She
  checks the end of each page. She loves to sit
  there with the book that was made for her.

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History

• Demographic Information
• Chronological Age 8 years 1 month
• DOB 06/23/95
• Grade Placement 03-04 Gr. 1
• Disability
• Diagnosis of nonspecific seizure disorder
• Overall delayed development, speech, cognitive,
  motor and sensory
• Non- verbal - used vocalizations and gestures
• Uses signing and exchanges Mayer Johnson pictures
  and pointing to communicate requests

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Literacy Learning - Pre Assessment

• No measured letter identification
• No measured book handling skills
• No measured sight words
• No measured word for word matching
• No systematic use of computer

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Literacy Learning

• Formal assessments yielded little data
• Marked increase in engagement and interest in
  books
• Observable book handling skills
• Page turning (Computer and print)
• Orientation
• Page order
• Letter recognition
• D and not D
• M and not M
• Letter sound recognition
• Can identify which sound is the target sound from
  distracter sounds.
• Word name and picture matching
• Can identify target word and icon from spoken
  word name.

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Literacy Learning

• Demonstrated comprehension- making correct
  choices, laughing at appropriate times,
  responding to book directions, turning page after
  text had been read, responding to questions by
  pointing to pictures in story.
• Book reading as a chosen activity
• Spontaneously chose print and digital books when
  given the opportunity to (Clifford books, Andy
  Ant, Hannah Likes Hats)
• Increased focus/ attention span
• Developed computer skills
• Navigated menus, turned pages, selected
  activities and exited program independently and
  with verbal prompting.

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What We Learned

• Access to the technology based literacy
  instruction became the basis for engagement in
  learning
• Proper positioning and appropriate assistive
  technology was critical to her ability to engage
  in learning
• Additional instructional accommodations increased
  success
• Importance of continued problem solving to ensure
  educational access regardless of the complexity
  of the student
• Assume competence

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Parents Changes in their Childrens Literacy

• These are the books shes been reading,
  programmed into the springboard (communication
  device).. She picks this book, Hello Clifford.
  She presses the button. It says, Hello
  Clifford. She opens it up, presses the button,
  and it says, Hello Clifford. She knows to turn
  the page. She looks at the picture. She presses
  the button, I am Clifford. She waits for it,
  turns the page until the end of the book, presses
  the end and then wants to read it again.
• But I dont think she would have done it last
  year. I mean it was just this year because of the
  reading program. I had her participate in it like
  the other kids, and that really prompted us to
  read. Weve always read to her, but this really
  prompted us to read more to her and sit and have
  her attend to just reading a picture book, were
  reading Julie Jones and theres very few
  pictures, and shes fine with that. I dont even
  think the last time I read to her, she didnt
  care to look at the pictures. She was just happy
  having us there reading to her.

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Parents Changes in their Childrens Literacy

• She definitely holds books. She loves books, and
  has recently started to use her voice output
  device to read us short little phonic books.
• Strengths in reading.she has a love for it.
  There really isnt a day that goes by that she
  doesnt pick up a book. She has books in her room
  in the morning. You can hear her in there
  flipping pages.
• We read chapter books to her now and then She
  attends to that. She has books in several
  locations in the house, and she often is looking
  at a book.
• You know. Its real interesting. She likes to do
  it, and shell study pictures, you know, shell
  look at a book. She doesnt just turn pages and
  just, she might turn a page and shell look at
  it. You can tell shes absorbing some sort of
  information. What it isyou dont know.

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More Questions???

• Can students with significant cognitive
  disabilities who receive early and continuous
  balanced literacy instruction continue to acquire
  literacy at a rate similar to that of their
  typical peers?
• Is there a limit to the level of literacy
  achievement for students with significant
  cognitive disabilities?
• Is the level of potential achievement a function
  of their ability to learn or our ability to
  teach?

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Where Do We Go From Here?

• Investigate further teacher attitudes and beliefs
  regarding potential to acquire literacy, on
  opportunity for literacy acquisition
• Explore more and varied scaffolds of support to
  allow access to general education curriculum and
  to be successful learners
• Ensure that pre-service preparation programs for
  all educators provide a knowledge base that
  includes best practices in both literacy
  instruction and adapting high quality literacy
  instruction for students with cognitive
  disabilities
• Raise expectations and accountability for those
  with significant cognitive disabilities in both
  literacy and technology proficiency
• Bring children with significant cognitive
  disabilities into the recommended set of early
  literacy expectations for all children
• Provide educators with professional development
  opportunities related to the concepts of
  universal design and use of technology for
  instructional purposes, including literacy
  instruction