Abstract
The implementation of Texas's redesigned State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) introduced extended constructed response (ECR) items that required students to demonstrate reading comprehension through written responses. At the study site, fourth-grade students consistently demonstrated stronger reading comprehension than writing performance, revealing a gap in their ability to communicate understanding using evidence-based written responses. The purpose of this Improvement Science Dissertation in Practice was to evaluate the implementation and impact of a systems-based instructional intervention designed to improve fourth-grade students' performance on constructed response writing tasks through increased instructional coherence and explicit writing instruction. This embedded mixed-methods case study was conducted at a Title I elementary school in Texas and included 132 fourth-grade students and three fourth-grade reading language arts teachers. The intervention was implemented through three iterative Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles within a Networked Improvement Community (NIC). Data sources included student writing assessments, benchmark and STAAR ECR scores, classroom observations, teacher interviews, and implementation artifacts. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative data were analyzed through thematic coding to examine instructional implementation and participant experiences. Findings indicated significant improvements in student writing performance across the implementation period. Student benchmark writing scores increased over time, and comparisons between third-grade baseline STAAR ECR scores and fourth-grade outcomes demonstrated measurable gains in writing proficiency. Qualitative findings revealed that reductions in instructional variation, consistent use of structured writing frameworks, collaborative teacher inquiry, and aligned instructional practices contributed to improved student outcomes. Although organizational and perceptual factors were not significant predictors of student achievement, proximal writing benchmark performance was strongly associated with end-of-year STAAR ECR performance. The findings suggest that improving constructed response writing requires coherent instructional systems rather than isolated instructional strategies. Embedding explicit writing instruction, collaborative continuous improvement processes, and data-informed decision making within Tier 1 literacy instruction can strengthen writing outcomes and support sustainable instructional improvement in elementary schools.
Date of publication
2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Language
english
Persistent identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/10950/5111
Recommended Citation
Smith, Sasha R., "EVALUATION AND IMPACT OF 4TH GRADE WRITING INSTRUCTION AND INTERVENTION" (2026). Education Theses and Dissertations. Paper 46.
http://hdl.handle.net/10950/5111