American Samoa, a U.S. territory, has grappled with low reading scores similar to other mainland schools. As a result, different reading interventions were implemented over the years. The problem studied was that despite using Achieve 3000 as a reading intervention for students in the local high school in American Samoa, reading scores had…

The problem that prompted this qualitative case study was a continuous below proficiency level performance of the kindergarten through second-grade students in a U.S. Southern state in reading, despite response to intervention (RTI) being implemented since 2011. The purpose of the study was to explore K-2 teachers' perceptions regarding the…

Reading on grade level by the third grade is such an important skill for children to acquire for success in elementary school and beyond. National literacy rates show that only about one in three American students perform at or above grade level in English Language Arts. The ABCUSD has approximately 4,000 teachers in the system. It is unlikely…

In 2019, declines in reading achievement across Texas motivated changes for teacher recertification, which required 60-hour professional development in the science of teaching reading (STR). The problem this study addressed was the challenges K-Grade 3 reading teachers encountered when implementing the recently adopted Reading Academy content at a…

Quality instruction and teacher effectiveness matter, but there is limited research to inform how to best support teachers in their efforts to boost student reading outcomes (Clark et al., 2016). Existing research suggests that literacy coaching can be effective it is (a) content specific (e.g., coaching on a specific program) and (b) focused on…

Early literacy skills are key indicators of later reading success. Without the development of these prerequisite skills during early childhood, children are at risk for reading difficulties in elementary grades and beyond. By third grade, the gap between expected reading performance and actual reading proficiency is extensive and remains into…

This study evaluated the predictive and concurrent validity of the Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI). Structural equation modeling was applied to test the associations between the TFI and student outcomes. First, a total of 1,691 schools with TFI Tier 1 in 2016-17 and school-wide discipline outcomes in 2015-16 and 2016-17 were targeted, finding a…

Background: Reading instruction begins at the primary level with reading comprehension issues manifesting themselves by the 3rd-grade and becoming more pronounced by fourth-grade. While primary teachers often teach narrative comprehension skills, middle school teachers have the responsibility to teach both narrative and expository comprehension…

Students who struggle to read at an early age are likely to continue struggling for not only the rest of their schooling, but the rest of their lives. Schools need to begin adopting research-based reading programs and measuring their effectiveness formatively throughout the school year. Research suggests that effective reading programs need to…

The purpose of this action research study was to identify the current state of ACT preparedness and implement strategies appropriate to improving reading ACT scores at NPHS. This study was a mixed method study. The purpose for combining quantitative and qualitative data was to capture both perspectives of research. The use of qualitative data,…

The purpose of this study is to ascertain the essential elements of Response to Intervention programs among 150 high performing Title I schools with high rates of poverty as measured by free/reduced lunch participation rates. Response to Intervention (RTI) is a nationally-known instructional model used to assist students who are struggling to…

The Foundations of Reading course and the Direct Instruction reading program Corrective Reading are components of literacy instruction designed to meet the needs of struggling adolescent readers. An evaluation of the program's effectiveness within the district has not been conducted, and the impact on student achievement was unknown. The purpose…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether elementary schools that endorse implementing core components of Response to Intervention (RTI) differ in student outcomes on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) Reading Assessment when compared to schools that do not endorse implementing RTI practices. This study also explored…

This dissertation was designed to examine the degree to which the fidelity of implementation of the Renaissance Learning program impacts teacher instruction, as well as teacher perception of student reading motivation and achievement. The teachers at a western North Carolina elementary school used the Renaissance Learning program for over 15…

Input and output models of policy implementation have failed to address the complexity of implementing policies. Prior studies reveal that policies are never equivalent across contexts. Instead, they are filtered as they travel from the macro-level to the micro-level of policy implementation. This understanding provides a framework for examining…