More than two-thirds of middle school students do not read proficiently. Research has shown that targeted interventions using explicit instruction methods can improve reading outcomes for struggling readers. A central feature of explicit instruction is the systematic implementation of instructional interactions, but it is not clear what specific…

Recent standardized state tests have revealed a consistent decline in reading scores across grade levels, forcing conversation about intervention in place to combat this. Developed using Vygotsky's theory of Zone of proximal development, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's Read 180 reading intervention program promises to close reading gaps of up to two…

Middle school students are faced with many challenges. Puberty, social issues, and changes in the way that they learn can cause middle school to be a difficult time. An alarming number of students enter middle school with a reading deficiency--significantly below their grade level expectation. Students who are exceptional learners or are reluctant…

Intervention research in education is sometimes criticized for the use of experimenter developed assessments, especially when these are over aligned with treatment. At the same time, intervention researchers sometimes prefer locally developed assessments because they appear to be more sensitive to treatment effects even when the test is not…

High school graduates should be able to read to complete everyday tasks. Without this ability, their quality of life could decline from the lack, a negative mindset, or both. Therefore, educational stakeholders aiding students with reading struggles must find the most effective solutions for these students. Students achieving below-average on…

The study to be discussed in the proposed session was an extensive, multi-site research project that sought to answer the following essential question: What does it mean for students to be prepared to read at a college level in career technical education (CTE) courses? The impetus for this study was a need to fully understand what it means to be…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to compare and evaluate two types of vocabulary interventions using grade 9 physics vocabulary terms using two lists of 10 words. A quasi-experimental crossover research design was used to compare the two interventions, presented during two separate sessions, 1) active, multimedia that includes the…

Despite the general effectiveness of multimedia instruction, students do not always benefit from it. This study examined whether students' learning from multimedia can be improved by teaching them relevant learning strategies. On the basis of current theories and research on multimedia learning, the authors developed a strategy training for…

This National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) report has been produced for the Education Endowment Foundation and its evaluation of the Chatterbooks reading scheme. Chatterbooks is an extracurricular reading initiative, developed by the Reading Agency, that aims to increase a child's motivation to read by providing tools and resources…

A substantial proportion of children underachieve in reading (Brooks & Tough, 2006; Doubek & Cooper, 2007; Tymms & Merrill, 2007). This paper builds on the existing evidence base for the link between reading and rhythm, presenting findings of an investigation into a rhythm-based music intervention. Following participation in the…

This NFER report has been produced for the Education Endowment Foundation and its evaluation of a speaking and listening intervention combining two programmes: the Vocabulary Enrichment Intervention Programme (VEIP) and the narrative Intervention Programme (NIP). The intervention was used with pupils who needed extra support to improve their…

Catch Up® Literacy is a structured one-to-one literacy intervention for pupils between the ages of 6 and 14 who are struggling to learn to read. It teaches pupils to blend phonemes (combine letter sounds into words), segment phonemes (separate words into letter sounds), and memorise particular words so they can be understood without needing to use…

At one high school, the goal for nonproficient reading students was to score at or above the 50th percentile to meet adequate yearly progress objectives. In 2010, the performance levels of nonproficient reading students tested with the state reading test in Grades 9 and 10 declined from the 47th to the 46th percentile. The purpose of this research…

This study investigated the relationship between improvement in students' timing/rhythmicity and reading achievement. Two hundred eighty high school-age participants completed pre- and post-test measures from the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement-III (Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather, 2001). Students in the experimental group participated in a…

This action research developed as a response to the researcher's experience with struggling and alliterate readers across all content areas in secondary schools. The researcher witnessed the negative impact of a depressed economy and depressed reading proficiency pervasive among students based on classroom experience and standardized testing. The…