About the Intervention
Teaching Early Literacy and Language (TELL) is a tier one, whole-class curriculum designed for preschool children with developmental speech and/or language impairment (DSLI). TELL targets seven skill areas: phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, print conventions, writing, vocabulary, sentence length and complexity, and listening comprehension. The curriculum embeds evidence-based explicit and incidental teaching practices within typical preschool activities, routines, transitions, and lessons. TELL includes 34 weeks of instruction with 14 thematic units (each two weeks) and review weeks every fifth week. Implementation involves both whole group and small group instruction. Teachers receive professional development through an initial 6-hour training session, 10 two-hour group sessions throughout the year (26 hours total), and individualized in-class coaching (weekly in fall, biweekly in spring). The curriculum includes curriculum-based measures (CBMs) administered six times per year to monitor progress and inform differentiated instruction.
Statistical Findings
Positive effect: on letter recognition
Positive effect: on letter sounds
Positive effect: on beginning sounds awareness
Positive effect: on print concepts
Positive effect: on listening comprehension
Positive effect: on receptive vocabulary
Positive effect: on expressive vocabulary
No effect: on CELF-P2 core language
No effect: on CELF-P2 receptive language
No effect: on CELF-P2 expressive language
No effect: on TOPEL definitional vocabulary
No effect: on TOPEL phonological awareness
No effect: on PALS-PreK upper case letter recognition
No effect: on PALS-PreK lower case letter recognition
No effect: on PALS-PreK letter names
No effect: on PALS-PreK beginning sound awareness
More Intervention Details
Focus Areas
Those with DisabilitiesPrograms & Services
Early Childhood Special Education Tier One Program, General EducationDelivery Methods
Face-to-FaceDisability Support
Speech or language impairmentTarget Groups
Student(s), Teachers/Instructional TeamsCitation
Gray, S., Reiser, M. & Wilcox, M. J. (2019). Preschoolers with Developmental Speech and/or Language Impairment: Efficacy of the Teaching Early Literacy and Language (TELL) Curriculum (ED598842). ERIC. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED598842.pdf.
Study Demographics
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Participant Gender
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Other Participant Characteristics
Geographical Setting
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