Comparing Longitudinal Models of Reading Achievement for Students With and Without Learning Disabilities

• In Event: Poster Session 5
  In Poster Session: Literacy Research Issues in the 21st Century

Abstract

Accurate estimation of developmental trajectories informs instruction and intervention. We compared the fit of linear, quadratic, and piecewise mixed-effects models of reading development among students with learning disabilities relative to their typically developing peers. We drew an analytic sample of 2,000 students from the nationally representative Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Cohort of 1998, using reading achievement scores from kindergarten through eighth grade. The piecewise mixed-effects models provided the best functional form of the students’ reading trajectories as indicated by model fit indices. Results showed slightly different trajectories between students with and without learning disabilities as well as an increasing gap over time, highlighting the need for additional research on appropriate methods for modeling reading trajectories.

Authors

• Amanda L. Sullivan, University of Minnesota

• Nidhi Kohli, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

• Elyse M Farnsworth, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

• Leila Jones, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

• Shanna Sadeh, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

• Alaa Houri, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities