Federal and state legislation has placed a renewed emphasis on accountability and academic outcomes among students who are deaf or hard of hearing. While much attention is given to norm-referenced standardized testing accommodations, there is a need for functional formative assessments for the purpose of monitoring students' academic progress.…

Many schools are beginning to use Response to Intervention (RTI) in the classroom, and educators have found that it has made a difference for many students. The purpose of RTI is to identify those children who are struggling in school and to ensure that each of those children receive just the right instruction or intervention to be successful.…

Fifteen children ages 7 to 9 years who had persistent reading difficulties despite adequate instruction were provided with intensive tutorial interventions. The interventions targeted deficient phonological processing and decoding skills for 8 weeks (2 hours per day) followed by an 8-week, 1-hour-per-day intervention that focused on the…

Research indicates that repeated reading improves students' reading fluency. Although found to be effective, the underlying reading processes impacted by the intervention remains unclear. Two theoretical rationales, automatic word processing and the contextual linguistic effect, explaining repeated reading's effectiveness have been advanced in the…

The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to examine the effects of remedial reading instruction on the basic reading skills of elementary and middle school students with high-incidence disabilities (n = 45) and their comparison condition counterparts (n = 23); and (b) to examine the relative responsiveness of participating students with…

In the current study, 42 secondary students (10th, 11th, and 12th grade students) and 51 elementary students (4th and 5th grade students) read 400 word passages silently and aloud. During aloud reading, words correct per minute (WCPM) were recorded. After reading each passage, students answered 10 multiple-choice comprehension questions. Results…

The relation between Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) and reading comprehension at the end of first grade and second grade was examined in a sample of 1,518 first-grade students from a large urban school district. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analyses were used to determine optimal DIBELS cut scores for…

Spelling is the study of word-specific knowledge, and knowledge about words is important. Today, many fourth through eighth graders can't write with fluency because they don't have automatic access to basic words and spelling patterns. Yet, sadly, many teachers have had little support in this area. Luckily, evidence-based spelling instruction is…

This study examined the validity of Nonsense Word Fluency as an index of beginning reading proficiency for students in kindergarten through second grade. Validity evidence for Nonsense Word Fluency is addressed in the context of research-based instructional practices implemented on a large scale. Technical adequacy data are presented for all…

Over many decades, the efforts of researchers to understand key issues in the reading performance of those children most at risk for developing later reading problems has been relentless. This article presents the author's commentary to three studies: (1) Vanderwood, Linklater, and Healy (2008); (2) Edl, Jones, and Estell (2008); and (3) Baker et…

Learning disabled students with lack of fluency in oral reading may be helped to experience a "feel" for fluency through any of six alternative reading techniques: (1) imitative reading, (2) repeated readings, (3) radio reading, (4) phrase reading, (5) paired reading, and (6) neurological impress method. (CL)

Examines use of humorous literature with children who are reluctant readers. Presents a rationale for using humorous literature to aid in developing word recognition and reading fluency. Follows with descriptions of various types of humor found in children's trade books; suggests ways to motivate children to participate in repeated readings.…

Demonstrates how engaging, effective oral fluency practice can be part of daily reading instruction and how such instruction and practice can help to develop independence and understanding in silent reading. Describes how the approach includes explicit teacher modeling and teacher-guided time for group and independent oral and silent reading…

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 created the Reading First program to help ensure that all students could read at or above grade level by the end of grade 3. The program promotes practices recommended by the National Reading Panel for early reading instruction, highlighting essential components of reading instruction. As required by the…

This article reviews the conceptualization, measurement, and design of brief experimental analysis for oral reading fluency problems. It presents examples from the literature of how brief experimental analysis results have been used to generate effective treatments for a variety of different applications (e.g., parent tutoring, small group,…