Describes a program in a first grade classroom in a rural school district which integrates holistic and direct instructional ideas by using the basal reader as one part of an otherwise holistic literacy program. Presents the major benefits of and some concerns about the program. (RS)

The comprehension of a narrative passage by primary grade children as a function of both listening rate and the reading comprehension level was examined by this study. Ninety-six children divided into three groups according to reading level were used. The listening rate was controlled by means of a word compression ranging from zero (138 words per…

This study applied an early screening approach to determine the risk status of children in 5 urban schools and monitor their patterns of reading growth over 3 years. A majority of students were from culturally diverse and low-SES backgrounds. Two validated instruments were used for determining (a) academic risk (the Dynamic Indicators of Basic…