This session describes aspects of an efficacy trial comparing teaching outcomes after implementing the Instructional Conversation (IC) pedagogical model in relation to students’ English proficiency. After professional development (PD) teachers impact on ELLs is reported in the evaluation of a five-year study guided by cultural-historical theory. Our findings here describe and explain success of teachers provided with an intensive IC professional development including coaching, renewal conferences, and on-line support. We describe impacts on one cohort of teachers who participated in a clustered randomized trial in the elementary grades across 9 school districts.

Data on student outcomes are reported along with evidence from teacher logs, and video evidence from teachers.

The main research question is if this pedagogy improves student learning for English learners after controlling for level 2 and other covariates in an HLM context. A second question is the extent to which the experimental group benefitted as a function of  fidelity of implementation measures  in the context of gender and grade level differences 3^rd& 5^th grade.

In analyses of  instructional practices new classroom pedagogies focused on teaching through small-group dialogue with ELL and other students is currently being examined in the field, allowing highly individualized instruction for each student, and one that has proven successful with English Language Learners (ELLs). Relative to competing programs, the IC stands as the most advanced in research-and-development at the elementary level. It is achored in both sociocultural and cognitive-developmental theory. Instructional Conversation is supported by four decades of multi-method research, and a preponderance of positive evidence with major US ELL populations.

Over a decade ago, an early version of IC was tested and later reviewed by the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC). Those  studies met evidence standards, however, both with limitations. For example, Saunders (1999) delivered the IC intervention as a key component of an elementary language-arts program. He found differences between control and experimental groups in terms of English language development and reading achievement. The quasi-experimental nature of this study, however, limited inferences that could be made from study results. Later (Saunders & Goldenberg, 1999a) a quasi-experimental study showed statistically significant effects of IC on achievement but was also problematic due to both limited delivery of the IC intervention, as well as the type of outcome measures used. In a comparison report by the WWC of all published studies in literacy and language development of ELLs, the IC approach however still  ranked highest in English Language development. In addition, these rankings far surpassed the average rank of any competitive program (Institute for Educational Sciences, 2007). The study described herein has both implemented and tested a full enactment of the IC model, testing for efficacy of the IC model toward improving the affective, cognitive, and English language development of English Language Learners (ELLs).

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