Definitions of literacy that focus solely on reading words provide too narrow a framework for many students with severe disabilities. Obtaining information from the environment may be accomplished in a variety of modes, such as visual literacy, which is the ability to discern meaning conveyed through images. A component of visual literacy is…

This article first examines recent theoretical and empirical research on reading development and instruction in English-speaking countries. Then, a study is described that examines the effects of a synthetic phonics-emphasis Direct Instruction remedial reading program on the phonological processes of students, with teacher-identified serious…

In this study, the authors examined the effects of two supplemental interventions on the mathematics achievement of low-performing intermediate-grade students. A conceptually based intervention designed to reteach fundamental mathematics was evaluated along with an intervention designed to provide extended time in the context of the core…

The ability to read aloud fluently is a reflection of one's ability to automatically decode words and comprehend text at the same time (Samuels, 2006), a task which may be difficult for many intermediate elementary students with learning disabilities (LD) (Ferrara, 2005). Previous research shows that audio-assisted repeated readings and…

A yearlong experimental study showed positive effects of a professional development project that involved 19 urban elementary schools, 180 teachers, and 3735 students from one of the lowest performing school districts in California. Algebraic reasoning as generalized arithmetic and the study of relations was used as the centerpiece for work with…

The effects of feedback to assist elementary school students classified as either normally achieving (NA) or with a mathematics learning disability (MLD) in acquiring the fact series of 0 to 9 for the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division were examined in Study 1. The acquisition of each fact series was facilitated by…

To date, reports of reading interventions for students at risk for emotional/behavioral disorders (E/BD) that have been published in refereed journals have involved sustained support by university or school-site personnel. This study examined the efficacy and feasibility of a reading intervention that 2 general education teachers implemented in…

During the 2009-2010 school year, Marzano Research Laboratory (MRL) was commissioned by Promethean Ltd. to conduct a second year evaluation study of the effects of Promethean ActivClassroom on student academic achievement. This report describes the findings from the second year study along with aggregate findings from the first and second year…

Compared standardized achievement test performance of 62 second graders receiving instruction in 2 different reading curricula (Open Court and Houghton-Mifflin) to determine whether either curriculum generates different quantitative estimates of reading achievement. Found significant Curriculum X Test interaction, suggesting differences among…

Path analysis shows that a year-long program integrating reading/language arts and science instruction, Concept Oriented Reading Instruction (CORI), had a positive effect on strategy use and text comprehension for students in grades 3 (N=48) and 5 (n=40) when accounting for past achievement and prior knowledge. (SLD)

The purpose of this longitudinal study was to explore the impact of a direct reading instruction program, "Reading Mastery (RM)," on literacy performance of students over a five-year period. Initially, 700 students in grades K-3 were randomly selected from six elementary schools to participate in the study; an additional 100…

The Incredible Years parent and classroom interventions were evaluated for the first time in elementary schools. Culturally diverse, socioeconomically disadvantaged schools were randomly assigned to intervention or control (CON). In intervention schools, all children received a 2-year classroom intervention beginning in kindergarten. In addition,…

Reading Recovery is a short-term intervention program for first-graders who are at risk of failure in reading and writing. More than 1.5 million children have been served in the United States since 1984, and pre- and post-test Observation Survey scores have been collected across the nation for the past 20 years. Yet there is a need to determine…

Studied the teaching and learning of fractions in two matched groups of 10 9-10-year-olds in the Netherlands. In the experimental group, fractions were introduced using the bar and number line as mental models, while the control group used fair sharing and the circle model. The experimental group showed more proficiency in fractions after 1 year.…

Examined preliminary achievement outcomes of the first years of direct instruction reading within six Baltimore elementary schools. Overall, members of the original second grade cohort were nearing grade level by the end of fifth grade in both intervention and control schools. Future research based on well-established program implementation might…