Many students are not prepared to meet the literacy demands of college and career as defined by the Common Core State Standards (2010). Literacy researchers have struggled to define the frequency and type of reading practice necessary to nurture the development of reading ability. The principles of deliberate practice provide a theoretical…

The development of quality educational programs, designed to meet the needs of all students, is a pivotal responsibility of educators and yet a considerable challenge due to the diverse needs in each school. Many consider the Response to Intervention (RtI) model to be one initiative with the greatest potential to improve education for all students…

The general purpose of this study was to determine if the implementation of the Brazosport Model improves student reading achievement as determined by Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS). In particular, this study examined the implementation of the Brazosport Model and its effect on the achievement of English Language Learners (ELLs)…

This dissertation is an analysis of student and teacher conceptualizations of reading and learning in two separate scripted reading intervention environments, as implemented in a combined junior/senior high school in the Midwest. The youngest participants (grades 7-9), with reading levels four to six years below grade level, as defined through…

This qualitative case study explored the use of sheltered instruction observation protocol (SIOP) instructional practices to promote the language development and learning of elementary English language learners (ELLs) in an immersion setting in 1st and 2nd grades. The SIOP model was developed for middle school ELLs, and there is scant information…

Students, who are at risk of academic failure, are reading and achieving below their grade level yet the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act requires that all students perform on or above grade level. Results from the 2003 National Assessment of Education Program (NAEP) showed that 37% of fourth graders across the United States are reading below grade…

Since the inception of the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1975, an increasing percentage of children between the ages of 3-21 have been identified as students with learning disabilities (LD). Reports from the National Center of Learning Disabilities (2000) have suggested that monitoring of student learning is frequently…