Evidence based reading instruction and intervention are essential for students with disabilities. The authors recommend that elementary special education teachers emphasize both code-based and meaning-based skills as part of delivering intensive reading interventions, including providing explicit and systematic decoding and vocabulary instruction.…

Although there is widespread agreement about the practices associated with multitiered systems of support (MTSS) frameworks in beginning reading, we often underestimate the systems and infrastructure that schools need to implement and sustain these practices. The real work of developing these systems often happens in the detailed-oriented and…

There is a growing need for the inclusion of direct, explicit vocabulary instruction in the early elementary grades. Young children are entering school with a wide range of early literacy experiences, including vocabulary knowledge. Those students who are limited in their vocabulary knowledge are at a greater risk for later language and reading…

This article provides suggestions for teachers and practitioners on vocabulary activities that can help kindergarteners attain the vocabulary standards proposed by the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The activities and examples included in the paper stem from an efficacy study I recently conducted with Dr. Michael Coyne and colleagues with…

This article outlines the Schoolwide Reading Improvement Model (SRIM), a model characterized by the strategic integration of research-based practices in assessment, instructional design, and beginning reading instruction. A description of each major stage of the SRIM is provided, along with an example of its application in an Oregon school…