Language development for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing using “Step Up to Writing”

Deaf and Hard of Hearing (D/HH) students often do not graduate with their same age peers, continue on to college, have satisfying social and emotional relationships, or achieve gainful employment as adults due to their delays in language and communication skills (Antia, Stinson, & Gaustad, 2002; Siegel, 2002a). The purpose of this study is to determine and align the Kern County Superintendent of School\u27s Deaf Education Program with the research-based elements of a quality D/HH program and to explore the instructional program of Step Up to Writing as a viable curricular tool for improving English and language skills for the D/HH population in the Kern County Superintendent of Schools\u27 Deaf Education Program. The statistical evidence generated by the t -Test: Two Sample Assuming Unequal Variances, supported Step Up to Writing as an option for language skills development and curricular changes within the KCSOS Deaf Education Program. The continued collection of data through a longitudinal study of fourth- through eighth-grade D/HH students in the KCSOS Deaf program will develop certainty of these findings