Effects of Bilingual Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition on students making the transition from Spanish to English reading

In this study we evaluated the effects of a cooperative learning program, Bilingual Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition (BCIRC), on the Spanish and English reading, writing, and language achievement of 222 limited English proficient second and third graders in Spanish bilingual programs. We expected BCIRC to improve student achievement during the transition from Spanish to English by giving students daily opportunities to use language to find meanings and solve problems and by enabling teachers to apply well-established principles of cooperative learning to increase student motivation and achievement. A comparison of standardized test scores in matched BCIRC (N = 3) and comparison (N = 4) schools generally supported these expectations. On the Spanish Texas Assessment of Academic Skills, second graders scored significantly better than comparison students in writing and marginally better (p < .06) in reading. On the English Norm-Referenced Assessment Program for Texas, third graders scored significantly better than comparison students in reading but not in language. Third graders who were in BCIRC for 2 years scored much better than control students on both scales. Also, BCIRC third graders met criteria for exit from bilingual education at a significantly higher rate than did comparison students.