An Analysis of a Public School Prekindergarten Bilingual Montessori Program

This study analyzed a public school prekindergarten Montessori bilingual program, investigating second grade reading achievement scores on Spanish and English norm-referenced tests and comparing students who had participated in the Montessori program with those who had participated in a prekindergarten traditional bilingual program. Participants were second graders enrolled in a large urban Texas school district who had been involved in one of the two programs. All students were of Hispanic origin and from low socioeconomic status families. Students completed the reading section of the Aprenda (Spanish) and Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS; English), which the school district administered annually to measure student progress. The Aprenda Spanish test is a written test that examines word reading, reading comprehension, language, and listening. The ITBS measures reading achievement gains. Data on 100 students indicated that children who had participated in the prekindergarten Montessori bilingual program significantly outscored the other children on the Spanish reading subtest of the Aprenda achievement test. Children who had participated in the prekindergarten Montessori program and who had continued through second grade in a transitional bilingual program significantly outscored those in the other group. The results suggest that school districts should look closely at program placement for limited English proficient students (Contains 36 references.) (SM)