The ability to extract visual word forms quickly and efficiently is essential for using reading as a tool for learning. We describe the first longitudinal fMRI study to chart individual changes in cortical sensitivity to written words as reading develops. We conducted four annual measurements of brain function and reading skills in a heterogeneous…

The authors used a multiple-baseline-across-behaviors (i.e., word lists) design to evaluate a computer-based flashcard intervention on automatic sight-word reading in a 4th-grade student with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. Immediately after the intervention was applied to each of three lists of sight words, the student made rapid…

The purpose of this study was to compare student's tested recognition of the Dolch 220 words with their responses to the 220 highest frequency words found by Kucera and Francis in their "Computational Analysis of Present-Day American English." Subjects consisted of 155 second graders and 179 third graders from classrooms in four schools…

This study replicated and validated the Dolch basic sight vocabulary investigation. Dolch's method of compiling his list of 95 nouns was also replicated. Some discrepancies were found between the replication study and Dolch's investigations--a few words were left off the lists, although they apparently met all the criteria for inclusion, and a…

This paper compares a recent revision of the Dolch Basic Sight Vocabulary with four recently published word lists to find words common to at least three of the four word lists which were not on the Dolch list. These lists were consisted of the 500 most frequent words from the American Heritage Intermediate corpus, the 188 high frequency words from…

PCI Education sought scientifically based evidence on the effectiveness of the "PCI Reading Program--Level One" for students with severe disabilities. During the 2007-2008 academic year. Empirical Education conducted a randomized control trial (RCT) in two Florida districts, Brevard and Miami-Dade County Public Schools. For this…

The topic of illiteracy in the United States is discussed by five people in this transcript of "Options on Education." These five, each of whom approaches illiteracy in a different way, are George Weber, Associate Director of the Council for Basic Education; Mike Smith, Director for Essential Skills of the National Institute of…