Fourth grade Hmong students’ reading proficiency.

Abstract

The No Child Left Behind Act mandates that all students be proficient in reading by 2013. Researchers and practitioners alike have noticed that Hmong students do not achieve as well as their monolingual peers and other bilingual students. Linguistic factors alone do not account for this discrepancy, but rather a number of sociocultural factors are likely at work (Au, 1998). The current two-part mixed methods study is designed to explore factors of reading development and proficiency of fourth grade Hmong students in one large, urban school district. Part one of this study explores the reading proficiency of fourth grade Hmong students through a quantitative analysis of standardized reading assessment scores. I determine what percentage of Hmong students are reaching proficiency standards using frequency data and complete one-way analysis of variance to compare Hmong students with other linguistic groups. Part two of this study utilizes case study method to explore the relationship between oral language, reading proficiency and self-perceptions of ten fourth grade Hmong students. I selected five students who were reading at a fourth grade level and five students who were reading below grade level. I complete oral language assessment, reading assessment, interviews and classroom observations. I analyzed the data at the group level (at and below grade level) to determine discrepancies in performance. I also analyzed data at the individual level to create six profiles of reading proficiency. It is important that as teachers and researchers we learn all we can about how to assess and support oral language skills, reading proficiency and uncover the complex identities of Hmong students.