In the proposed project, the investigators will conduct a multisite randomized controlled trial (RCT) to determine the efficacy of Let's Know!2, a small-group, language focused comprehension intervention, on children's lower- and higher-level language skills and comprehension skills in the short- and long-term (Specific Aims 1 and 2). The investigators will also explore whether intervention effects are moderated by dosage, initial language skill, developmental language disorder (DLD) status, word reading skill, nonverbal IQ, and family socioeconomic status (Specific Aim 3). Children who have low language skills and are thus at risk for reading comprehension difficulties will participate in the study. Children will be randomly assigned to receive Let's Know! in small groups at their respective schools or to a business-as-usual control condition. The investigators will measure children's language and comprehension skills at the beginning and end of Grade 1 as well as in Grade 2 and Grade 3. The investigators hypothesize that children who experience Let's Know! will end Grade 1 with higher language skills than children in the control condition and that this will translate into better listening and reading comprehension skills as these children matriculate through elementary school.
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AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.
Treatment unit 1 (fiction) vocabulary knowledge as assessed by the LARRC Unit Vocabulary Curriculum-Aligned Measure (CAM) total correct
Timeframe: approximately 6 weeks after start of intervention, at the end of Unit 1 treatment
Treatment unit 2 (animals) vocabulary knowledge as assessed by the LARRC Unit Vocabulary Curriculum-Aligned Measure (CAM) total correct
Timeframe: approximately 12 weeks after start of intervention, at the end of Unit 2 treatment
Treatment unit 3 (earth materials) vocabulary knowledge as assessed by the LARRC Unit Vocabulary Curriculum-Aligned Measure (CAM) total correct
Timeframe: approximately 18 weeks after start of intervention, at the end of Unit 3 treatment
Treatment unit 4 (folktales) vocabulary knowledge as assessed by the LARRC Unit Vocabulary Curriculum-Aligned Measure (CAM) total correct
Timeframe: approximately 22 weeks after start of intervention, at the end of Unit 4 treatment
Change in vocabulary knowledge as assessed by the LARRC Target Word Knowledge
Timeframe: right before intervention starts, right after intervention ends, one year post intervention, and 2 years post intervention
Change in breadth of vocabulary as assessed by the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test 5th Edition (PPVT-5)
Timeframe: right before intervention starts, right after intervention ends, one year post intervention, and 2 years post intervention
Treatment unit 1 (fiction) comprehension monitoring as assessed by the LARRC Unit 1 Comprehension Monitoring Curriculum-Aligned Measure (CAM)
Timeframe: approximately 6 weeks after start of intervention, at the end of Unit 1 treatment
Treatment unit 2 (animals) comprehension monitoring as assessed by the LARRC Unit 2 Comprehension Monitoring Curriculum-Aligned Measure (CAM)
Timeframe: approximately 12 weeks after start of intervention, at the end of Unit 2 treatment
Treatment unit 3 (earth materials) comprehension monitoring as assessed by the LARRC Unit 3 Comprehension Monitoring Curriculum-Aligned Measure (CAM)
Timeframe: approximately 18 weeks after start of intervention, at the end of Unit 3 treatment
Treatment unit 4 (folktales) comprehension monitoring as assessed by the LARRC Unit 4 Comprehension Monitoring Curriculum-Aligned Measure (CAM)
Timeframe: approximately 22 weeks after start of intervention, at the end of Unit 4 treatment
Change in child's ability to monitoring comprehension, as assessed by the LARRC Comprehension Monitoring Test
Timeframe: right before intervention starts, right after intervention ends, one year post intervention, and 2 years post intervention
Treatment unit 1 (fiction) knowledge of text structures as assessed by the LARRC Unit 1 Text Structure Curriculum-Aligned Measure (CAM)
Timeframe: approximately 6 weeks after start of intervention, at the end of Unit 1 treatment
Treatment unit 2 (animals) knowledge of text structures as assessed by the LARRC Unit 2 Text Structure Curriculum-Aligned Measure (CAM)
Timeframe: approximately 12 weeks after start of intervention, at the end of Unit 2 treatment
Treatment unit 3 (earth materials) knowledge of text structures as assessed by the LARRC Unit 3 Text Structure Curriculum-Aligned Measure (CAM)
Timeframe: approximately 18 weeks after start of intervention, at the end of Unit 3 treatment
Treatment unit 4 (folktales) knowledge of text structures as assessed by the LARRC Unit 1 Text Structure Curriculum-Aligned Measure (CAM)
Timeframe: approximately 22 weeks after start of intervention, at the end of Unit 4 treatment
Change in child's ability to use their knowledge to fill in the gaps in short stories, as assessed by the LARRC Inference Task
Timeframe: right before intervention starts, right after intervention ends, one year post intervention, and 2 years post intervention
Change in story retelling abilities, as assessed by the CUBED Narrative Retell measure
Timeframe: right before intervention starts, right after intervention ends, one year post intervention, and 2 years post intervention
Change in ability to understand stories, as assessed by the Test of Narrative Language
Timeframe: right before intervention starts, right after intervention ends, one year post intervention, and 2 years post intervention
Change in a child's ability to comprehend short passages read aloud to them, as assessed by the LARRC Listening Comprehension Measure
Timeframe: right before intervention starts, right after intervention ends, one year post intervention, and 2 years post intervention
Change in a child's ability to comprehend short passages they read, as assessed by the LARRC Reading Comprehension Measure
Timeframe: right before intervention starts, right after intervention ends, one year post intervention, and 2 years post intervention
Change in reading comprehension, as assessed by the norm-referenced Gates-McGinitie Reading Test
Timeframe: right before intervention starts, right after intervention ends, one year post intervention, and 2 years post intervention