Spanish Reading Interventions

Effectiveness of El camino al éxito

Metzger Elementary School began a Spanish Literacy Program in the Fall of 2003 in which native Spanish speakers were taught to read in Spanish. In the Fall of 2006, the El camino Early Reading Intervention was developed and most students received the 30-minute intervention in addition to their regular reading block.

To assess the effectiveness of El camino, we looked at basic literacy skills of 170 Kindergartners over 9 years. The data include:

The scores of 66 students who were in Spanish Literacy before El camino al éxito

was implemented (from Fall 2003 to Spring 2006).

The scores of 104 students who were in Spanish Literacy and receiving instruction

in El camino al éxito (from Fall 2006 and Spring 2012.)

The test used to assess the basic literacy skills of the students was the Indicadores Dinámicos del Éxito en la Lectura (Idel) developed by the University of Oregon. The assessments are given three times each year and consist of several measures to evaluate which students are at risk for poor language and reading outcomes. We looked at the scores of Kindergarten students who were present at the end of each school year when the test was administered.

The table to the right shows the results of the Idel measure "Fluidez en las Palabras sin Sentido (FPS)" or Nonsense Words, administered at the end of each school year. At the end of the year, the benchmark goal for this measure is 35 sounds read correctly in a minute. The degree of risk for low performance is assigned to each student as follows:

Students who can read 35 or more sounds in a minute are considered at benchmark level or "Low Risk" for developing language and reading problems in the future.
Students who read between 25 and 34 sounds correctly in a minute are below benchmark level and are considered at "Some Risk".
Students who read 24 sounds or less correctly in a minute are below benchmark level and are considered at "At Risk."

The graph to the left shows the percentage of students each year who met the benchmark level (shown in green) or who are at risk for future reading problems (shown in red or blue). The graph shows these percentages for students who never received any intervention (before Fall 2006) and for students who were part of the El camino intervention program (after Fall 2006.)

An examination of the Idel testing data for 170 students over a 9-year period indicates that the El camino curriculum has been highly effective in helping Kindergarten students learning to read in Spanish to reach benchmark levels by the end of the year.

During the 3-year period before El camino was used, 89% of the students were considered "At Risk" or "Some Risk" for language and reading problems in the future.

When students were receiving the El camino intervention, only 4% of 104 students were considered "At Risk" or at "Some Risk" for future language and reading problems.

“Most of our first grade students who have completed El camino al éxito in kindergarten are now reading fluently in Spanish and are transferring their skills to English reading. With high literacy skills in both languages by the end of first grade, our ELL students have their academic paths set up for success. Our students are doing so well, and much of their success is due to this program.”

Aline Baissac, Title 1 Coordinator
Lane County School District, Oregon