Impact of Elementary Literacy on High School Learning Outcomes
Document
Item Description
A Doctoral Capstone Project
Linked Agent
Author: Smith, Tracy Elizabeth
Date Issued
2023
Abstract
Third grade is regarded as a milestone year. From kindergarten to second grade, students learn to read, but from grades three and beyond students read to learn. This longitudinal
mixed methods research study examines the impact of third-grade reading proficiency (as measured by the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment) on later high school learning outcomes. Specifically, the study tracks three cohorts of third-grade students from 2009, 2010, and 2011, examines the eighth-grade instructional reading level (IRL) of these students five years later, then analyzes the types of courses these students enrolled in three years later as students at Parkland High School in 2017, 2018, and 2019, respectively. The focus is on the number of students enrolled in Advanced Placement and Project Lead the Way courses, both college-level courses considered to be among the most rigorous offered by the Parkland School District in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The quantitative analysis determined there was a strong positive correlation between third-grade reading proficiency level and the enrollment of students in these programs. In addition, Parkland elementary teachers participated in the Progress in International Reading and Literacy Study (PIRLS) to provide qualitative data on Parkland’s early literacy program by examining the specific teaching techniques, strategies, and resources Parkland’s elementary teachers use on a daily or weekly basis. The combined datasets provide a more complete picture of Parkland’s early literacy program and its impact on students throughout their academic career at Parkland School
District.
mixed methods research study examines the impact of third-grade reading proficiency (as measured by the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment) on later high school learning outcomes. Specifically, the study tracks three cohorts of third-grade students from 2009, 2010, and 2011, examines the eighth-grade instructional reading level (IRL) of these students five years later, then analyzes the types of courses these students enrolled in three years later as students at Parkland High School in 2017, 2018, and 2019, respectively. The focus is on the number of students enrolled in Advanced Placement and Project Lead the Way courses, both college-level courses considered to be among the most rigorous offered by the Parkland School District in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The quantitative analysis determined there was a strong positive correlation between third-grade reading proficiency level and the enrollment of students in these programs. In addition, Parkland elementary teachers participated in the Progress in International Reading and Literacy Study (PIRLS) to provide qualitative data on Parkland’s early literacy program by examining the specific teaching techniques, strategies, and resources Parkland’s elementary teachers use on a daily or weekly basis. The combined datasets provide a more complete picture of Parkland’s early literacy program and its impact on students throughout their academic career at Parkland School
District.
Resource Type
Subject
State System Era
Member of
Institution
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