English Learners, Equity, and Early Intervention

Purpose of the Study: In California, many English Learners (ELs) struggle to achieve the necessary levels of literacy required for school success. Thus, it is imperative that districts and schools design and implement effective literacy interventions for ELs as well as Native English Speakers (NES) who need additional support. In response to this imperative need, Pastoral Elementary School (PES) implemented a Response to Intervention (RTI) Tier 2 Literacy Intervention program for all students at-risk of failing to achieve literacy for school success. This Tier 2 Literacy Intervention program, which I coordinated and implemented, has been in existence in PES for the past ten years. Procedure: This thesis project summarizes current research in the field that supported the establishment of our R TI program. It describes the system of formative assessments we developed to guide our Tiers 1 and 2 levels of support, and the Tier 2 intervention program. This paper also describes the family support program that is an integral component of our success. Findings: A key finding of this thesis project is the critical imperative of a strong Tier 1 program in Kindergarten and first grade to support students in achieving the literacy benchmark goals by the end of first grade. This finding is supported both by research and by ten years of experience within the tiered intervention program. Conclusions: This thesis project presents research-based recommendations for achieving the goal of meeting end of first grade literacy benchmarks. The emphasis is on formative assessments and tiered early intervention.