In the 2015--2016 school year, Mesa Elementary School's student test scores reflected that 58% of students in the third-through-fifth grades were below English Language Arts State Standards, as measured by the California Assessment of Student Performance. In the primary grades, more than 24% of Transitional Kindergarten, kindergarten, first-grade and second-grade students were at risk of reading failure, as measured by the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Skills assessments. Using the Clark and Estes (2008) Knowledge, Motivation and Organizational (KMO) KMO (since this is the first mention, I would spell this acronym out) conceptual framework, which examines the knowledge, motivational, and organizational influences that facilitate or hinder meeting performance goals, this study examines factors that impact Mesa Elementary primary grade teachers in delivering research-based foundational literacy instruction.

Six primary teachers at Mesa Elementary who are responsible for delivering foundational early reading skills instruction volunteered to inform this study by taking part in interviews and allowing classroom observations. This small, non-probability sample was used to determine how teachers interpret their teaching experience and what meaning they attribute to those experiences (Merriam & Tisdell, 20165). The study partially validates both declarative and procedural knowledge of early research-based foundational reading skills instruction among primary grade teachers at Mesa Elementary. In addition, motivational influences of attribution and self-efficacy were also partially validated. Research also validated organizational barriers, including insufficient dedicated time for planning and collaboration, and a lack of organizational rewards and acknowledgment.