High school reading specialists possess specialized knowledge and have the potential to positively affect adolescent literacy growth. Research on the role of the high school reading specialist can create a better understanding of depth and breadth of that role and provide a comprehensive portrayal of the role. This outline lists literacy problems…

Many state certification recommendations in reading education do not clearly define "certification." This produces a number of questions, among them the following: (1) Do reading teachers who are likely to teach reading at either the secondary or elementary level need a developmental course at both levels? (2) Should there be discrete courses in…

A series of research studies on the consistency of reading specialists' diagnoses of students with reading problems have indicated that clinical agreement has been astonishingly low. To investigate which factors seem to lead to consistency in clinical diagnosis, a study was conducted based on a theory of clinical problem solving called inquiry…

Thirty-eight college students were the subjects of a study designed to examine the efficacy of training graduate reading specialists through a diagnosis simulation program versus the use of a traditional child study approach. The major task of this investigation was to compare, by way of univariate or multivariate analysis, various combinations of…

In response to concerns about the adequacy of the preparation provided for reading specialists in light of the duties spelled out for them in a 1977 Wisconsin statute, a study was undertaken to obtain perceptions of the responsibilities of reading professionals from Wisconsin school administrators and reading specialists. A total of 253…

Teacher educators and college level instructors may use a guided procedure for training classroom teachers and reading specialists to diagnose reading disorders utilizing case studies. The procedure involves distributing a detailed case study outline to students, with all important information that should be included in the case report also…

A survey was conducted of 42 secondary schools in the North-Eastern Education Board area of Northern Ireland concerning remedial reading practices and procedures adopted by remedial reading teachers. The survey consisted of 50 questions divided into seven parts: general background information on the schools; number of pupils receiving remedial…

A study was conducted to determine the impact on remedial reading instruction of recent Massachusetts legislation aimed at providing diagnostic/prescriptive services to identified special needs children in the public schools. Specifically, the study concerned available programs, certification and deployment of specialized personnel, delivery of…

Studies show that while most clinicians agree on seven critical reading activities--instant word recognition, word meanings, oral reading, silent reading comprehension, listening comprehension, and attention/motivation--they reveal little agreement on the diagnoses and suggestions for remediation of reading problems. The computer assisted…

These two papers were presented at a two-part session on using a competency-based approach to secondary reading teacher preparation. The philosophy and rationale of a performance based approach to reading are discussed by Richard W. Burnett. Competency-based courses in secondary reading are contrasted with such courses in elementary reading and…