An ABAB withdrawal design was used to investigate the effects of explicit timing on accurate oral reading rate of sight word phrases of four elementary students demonstrating difficulty with reading. During baseline the students were exposed to flash cards with sight word phrases and asked to read them out loud and were not made aware that they…

An alternative to readability formulas and achievement tests to let high school students read orally and then recount what they read. Vocabulary scores and oral reading rates were demonstrated as the best predictors of test performance with a minimum oral reading rate of 135 words per minute necessary to profit from textbooks. (Author/DB)

A speed reading technique is described for use with reluctant readers. The technique uses timed probes with practically any reading material, to heighten student motivation in addition to increasing fluency. Methods for self-recording progress data and strategies for building fluency are described. (JDD)

Investigated the comparative effects of a structured group counseling program versus a nondirective program on both emotional adjustment and reading achievement in elementary school students (N=24). Results supported the structured program for improvement of reading comprehension level as well as self-concept, trait-anxiety, and state-anxiety.…

Procedures are presented for improving the reading fluency and comprehension of students with mild handicaps, through use of the neurological impress method and repeated readings method with some modifications. Precision teaching techniques are used in conjunction with these methods, to measure performance, monitor improvement, and design…

Reading-disabled children (n=92) were classified as either scotopic or nonscotopic using the Irlen Differential Perceptual Schedule. Use of either colored or clear overlays over reading material resulted in improved reading rate, accuracy, and comprehension when scotopic children read with the preferred colored overlay filter. Nonscotopic children…

A strategy is proposed for primary teachers to use with children who have reading difficulties. It includes developing a profile of each slow reader, testing each slow reader to determine reading level and specific weaknesses, and using certain practical methods to help solve the problem. (two references) (LB)

Discusses the method of repeated readings as an approach to improve the comprehension and decoding skills of disabled secondary and postsecondary school readers. (HOD)

The study examined the effectiveness of the use of nonoptical tinted (Irlen) lenses with 44 children (ages 9-16) with reading disabilities. Evaluation after 6 and 12 months indicated a significant improvement in attitude to school and to basic academic skills. Reading comprehension and accuracy, but not rate, were also significantly improved.…

Studied for its effects on the reading fluency of elementary school students, R. C. Heckleman's Neurological Impress Method has proved an inexpensive but effective method for motivating low achievement readers. Twenty-six subjects from grades 2 to 6 practiced reading in unison with a tutor during four 15-minute sessions a week. During the sessions…

The seventh edition of this book, like previous editions, is designed to give busy reading specialists, teachers, and students in reading education specific, concrete methods for locating and correcting reading difficulties. The book stresses the importance of direct instruction, motivational learning activities, and abundant practice in the act…

This study of 36 backward readers (mean age=111 months) from the Netherlands determined that repeated reading-while-listening of the same text did not lead to better results (except in reading speed) than reading different texts, and asking readers to detect mismatches between written and spoken texts did not improve performance. (Author/JDD)

The paper describes procedures for reducing reading errors and building oral reading fluency by having students read along with audiotapes of passages recorded at rates somewhat faster than the learner's current performance level. Steps involved in this challenging reading method include assessment, daily timings, error correction, and rate…

This booklet is part of a series of seven booklets designed to introduce aspects of effective reading instruction that should be considered when teaching reading to students with disabilities. It focuses on essential skill building and teaching activities related to developing fluent reading. The methods described of teaching reading to students…

The paper outlines the rationale and development of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) and its empirical support; summarizes two reading models (Chall's stages of reading development and LaBerge and Samuels' model of automaticity); and discusses how CBM, with its use of oral reading rate measures, and the reading models may validate each other.…