Program Description

"The William & Mary Center for Gifted Education Language Arts units have been aligned to national standards within each grade level as well as two to three grades above the grade level. In addition to addressing the regular language arts standards, the William & Mary language arts curricula also focus on analyzing and interpreting literature, issue-based research skills, vocabulary development and analysis, and persuasive writing."

Cost

Package price is based on grade level(s), number of teachers, students, and/or groups. Use the calculation feature on purchasing website to determine pricing.

Intended Population

• Core
• Intervention

Grade

• Elementary School
• Middle School
• High School

Intended Group Size

• Small group

ELL/DLL

• Unspecified

Multisensory Applications

• No

Computer-Based Delivery

• None

Scripted

• Instructor Scripted

Comprehensive or Skill Specific

• Comprehensive

Placement Tests

• No

Accelerated Learning

• Yes

Assessment to Monitor Skills Mastery

• Yes

Error Correction Built In

• Unspecified

Fidelity Measures Provided by Publisher

• Yes

Research Summary

A literature review revealed several peer-reviewed articles and a doctoral dissertation. Overall, effects of the William and Mary Language Arts curriculum ranged from neutral to positive and statistically significant. Across all peer-reviewed studies, the experimental groups receiving the William and Mary program made positive and significant gains on some reading and critical thinking measures, while in others, performed similarly to their comparison group in others post-intervention. One doctoral dissertation reviewed reported no statistically significant outcomes for the experimental group receiving the intervention when compared to the control group. Generally, across studies reviewed, more positive than neutral effects were observed, and no negative effects were reported.

Study Citations

Calvert, E., Olszeswki-Kubilius, P., Cross, T. L., & Cross, J. R. (2023). Project OCCAMS: A Five-Year, Collaborative Intervention of an Online Intensive, Accelerated, Two-Year Language Arts Program Designed to Address Systemic Disparities Among High Ability Middle School Students. Gifted Child Today, 46(3), 159-167. https://doi.org/10.1177/10762175231168804

Duesbery, L., & Justice, P. (2015). Effects of an Elementary Language Arts Unit on Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing. Journal of Education and Practice, 6(1), 148-155.

Feng, A. X., VanTassel‐Baska, J., Quek, C., Bai, W., & O'Neill, B. (2004). A longitudinal assessment of gifted students’ learning using the integrated curriculum model (ICM): Impacts and perceptions of the William and Mary language arts and science curriculum. Roeper Review, 27(2), 78-83.

Freebairn, K. G. (2021). A Comparison of Language Arts Curricula: Academic Impacts of Gifted Services Rendered. Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses A&I. (2501296879). http://libproxy.unl.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/comparison-language-arts-curricula-academic/docview/2501296879/se-2

Van Tassel-Baska, J., Johnson, D. T., Hughes, C. E., & Boyce, L. N. (1996). A Study of Language Arts Curriculum Effectiveness with Gifted Learners. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 19(4), 461-480. https://doi.org/10.1177/016235329601900405

VanTassel-Baska, J., Bracken, B., Feng, A., & Brown, E. (2009). A longitudinal study of enhancing critical thinking and reading comprehension in Title I classrooms. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 33(1), 7-37.

VanTassel-Baska, J., Zuo, L., Avery, L. D., & Little, C. A. (2002). A curriculum study of gifted-student learning in the language arts. Gifted Child Quarterly, 46(1), 30-44.

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)

• Evidence-based practice