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The purpose of the present study was to compare the oral reading miscues and reading comprehension in two groups of young adult Spanish-English bilinguals. Based on current language use, we characterized participants as either “active bilinguals” (using Spanish at least 20% of the time) or “inactive bilinguals (using Spanish less than 20% of the time). Information gained in the present study demonstrated that English-dominant young adult bilinguals produced more oral reading miscues in Spanish than in English, regardless of current language use. Results also demonstrated that increased rate of miscues in Spanish did not negatively affect reading comprehension. / text

The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the effectiveness of teacher-directed instruction (i.e., teacher-directed instruction without using an iPad, TDI) and iPad-assisted instruction (IAI) on the word identification and oral reading fluency of elementary school students with reading learning disabilities (RLD), who have reading goals on their individual education plans (IEPs). Four 5th grade students with RLD participated in the study. An alternating treatments design combined with a multiple baseline design across the participants was applied. Visual analysis indicated that a moderate experimental effect from TDI and IAI on word identification and oral reading fluency was present for all four students when the baseline and intervention phases were compared. Specifically, regarding word identification, the percentage of non-overlapping data (PND) and non-overlap of all pairs (NAP) indicated that TDI and IAI are effective reading instructional procedures according to single-case research design standards. The finding was also supported by a Tau-U analysis that suggests both TDI and IAI demonstrated a large effect on improving word identification. Regarding oral reading fluency, however, the results were mixed; Tau-U indicates there was a large and significant effect from TDI and IAI for three of the four students in terms of increasing their oral reading fluency. Although data analysis indicates that TDI and IAI demonstrate moderate evidence in improving word identification and oral reading fluency, there was no clear differentiation found between the two treatments. A social validity questionnaire that examined student perspectives about intervention showed the students' positive views on their intervention experience and revealed their perspectives that intervention was helpful in building their reading skills. The second social validity questionnaire that asked the students about their reading perspectives indicated that the intervention increased their positive attitudes toward their reading (e.g., reading is a source of excitement and interest, reading is fun). / text

This researcher investigated the effects of repeated reading, performance feedback, and systematic error correction on the reading fluency of three secondary English language learners (ELLs) with a specific learning disability (SLD) in reading. A multiple baseline reversal design across subjects was used to explore the effects of repeated reading on two dependent variables: reading fluency (words read correctly per minute; wpm) and number of errors per minute (epm). Data were collected and analyzed during baseline, intervention, and maintenance probes.Throughout the baseline phase participants read a passage aloud and during intervention phases, participants read a passage aloud and received error correction feedback. During baseline, reading was followed by fluency assessments. During intervention, reading was followed by three oral repeated readings of the passage. Maintenance sessions occurred 1, 2, and 3 weeks after the intervention ended.The researcher of this study concluded that repeated reading had a positive effect on the reading abilities of ELLs with a SLD in reading. Participants read more wpm and made fewer epm. Additionally, maintenance scores were slightly varied when compared to the last day of intervention; however, maintenance scores were higher than baseline means.The researcher of this study demonstrated that repeated reading improved the reading abilities of ELLs with a SLD in reading. On maintenance probes 1, 2, and 3 weeks following intervention mean reading fluency and errors per minute remained above baseline levels. Future researchers should investigate the use of repeated reading in ELLs with a SLD in reading at various stages of reading acquisition. Further, future researchers may examine how repeated reading can be integrated into classroom instruction and assessments.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the change in oral reading fluency among a sample of students (N = 44) who were randomly assigned a summer school placement. A second goal was to identify relationships between student background characteristics, student learning engagement, and reading fluency outcomes among those students who participated in summer school. Results indicated that students who were assigned to or participated in summer school did not achieve statistically greater summer learning outcomes than students who did not participate. However, summer school participants showed substantial growth in fluency outcomes during the summer intervention period. Implications for summer programs are discussed.

This mixed methods study of an in-school Focused Reading Program employed a quasi experimental pre-posttest design to examine program effectiveness and Vygotsky's sociocultural theory as the theoretical framework. The quantitative research question inquired whether the program resulted in a significant difference in reading performance for participants receiving the instruction based on pre and post measures. Data analysis for this component involved descriptive and inferential statistics. Pre- and posttest scores for the combined groups of seventh and eighth graders were analyzed for significant differences through an independent t- test. The results revealed there was a statistically significant difference between the pre-posttest scores for seventh graders and the scores for eighth graders. Two qualitative questions inquired of the extent to which the Focused Reading Program was implemented with fidelity and teachers’ and intervention tutors' perceptions of the program’s strengths and challenges. Data analysis for the qualitative component followed procedures for content analysis which included identifying themes based on the frequency of similar words and expressions from interviews and open-ended survey questions. The emerging themes of Program Flexibility, Peer-Learner Focused, and Learning and Behavior revealed the program was implemented with fidelity. Leading program strengths were attendance, program schedule, methods for improving performance of struggling readers, and student engagement. Leading challenges included support services, resources, time for extended activities, and professional development. The study is intended to have a social impact in demonstrating ways to promote reading performance. The results will contribute to literacy research illustrating the effectiveness of an intervention that may remedy reading deficiencies among middle school students

The purpose of this study was to determine if an individualized reading program, Accelerated Reader combined with the core reading program, Reading Mastery would produce a greater increase in oral reading fluency and grade level performance, than relying solely on the core reading program to accomplish this. Furthermore, this study sought to determine whether students with learning disabilities who were provided reading instruction through the Reading Mastery program and the Accelerated Reader program would demonstrate comparable growth in oral reading fluency and grade level performance on selected reading assessments (DIBELS and STAR Reading). This study looked at the differences in student performance between those who had been using Accelerated Reader since August 2014 versus those who began in January 2015. In this longitudinal study, 85 first grade students in a rural, southeastern state were assessed with the DIBELS (oral reading fluency) and STAR Reading (grade level equivalency) assessment during the fall, winter, and spring screenings. Two-way repeated measures analysis of variance determined if there was a statistically significant difference between the fall and spring screenings of the STAR Reading assessment and the winter and spring screenings of the DIBELS assessment. Additionally, it determined if the oral reading fluency and grade level performance was statistically significantly different for students depending on whether they received special education services. The findings of this study revealed that when the Accelerated Reader program, is used with the Reading Mastery program, students statistically increase their oral reading fluency and grade level performance scores when instructed for 17 weeks and 34 weeks. However, the scores of the students who received 34 weeks improved more than the scores of students who only received it for 17 weeks. Additionally, scores of the students who did not receive special education services improved more than the scores of students who received special education services. Although the students who received special education services did not make the same increase in reading fluency and grade level performance, statistically significant within-person gains were still made for this student population, which increased their reading fluency and grade level performance.

An important reading skill that is often overlooked by educators is reading fluency. There is a paucity of studies that have investigated computer programs that address this and other critical reading skills. Reading Assistant™ is a form of computer-assisted instruction that uses speech recognition technology and research supported strategies to target reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of Reading Assistant™ on the oral reading fluency and comprehension skills of second through third grade students considered at-risk for reading failure. A total of eight participants were involved in this study across a 6- to 8-week intervention period. In order to evaluate the impact of Reading Assistant™, a multiple baseline across participants design was used. Multiple sources of data were collected to determine the overall effectiveness of the Reading Assistant™ computer program. Data for reading fluency was collected using AIMSweb reading curriculum based measurement (CBM) probes while data for reading comprehension was collected using AIMSweb maze CBM probes. The effect of the Reading Assistant™ computer program was also evaluated by determining the rate of improvement (ROI) as well as by calculating the percentage of non-overlapping data points (PND). The results of this study suggest that Reading Assistant™ may have been somewhat effective for improving the oral reading fluency and reading comprehension skills, but only for some of the participants. The effect size data do not provide a convincing demonstration that Reading Assistant™ had a substantial impact on the majority of struggling readers involved in this study. Further research is needed to establish the effectiveness of Reading Assistant™ as an intervention for reading fluency.

This study evaluated how measures of oral reading fluency (ORF) and silent reading fluency (SRF) compare as predictors of reading comprehension and how these predictors vary as a function of proficiency level for fourth- and fifth-grade students. Additionally, the study sought to examine the relationship between measures of oral reading fluency, silent reading fluency, reading comprehension, and the Transitional Colorado Assessment Program (TCAP) with these students. Participants were 175 fourth- and fifth-grade students from two randomly selected schools in Colorado. A correlational predictive design was used. Results indicated that measures of ORF and SRF were predictors of reading comprehension and that the relationship of measures of ORF and SRF with comprehension changes over time. Regression analysis results indicated that 45.0% of the variance in reading comprehension was accounted for by the ORF measure for the sample population, as compared to 53.0% of the variance accounted for by SRF measures. Thus, measures of SRF might be a better predictor for maturing readers to determine reading proficiency, monitor student progress, and guide instructional practices. A structural equation model (SEM) analyzed the relationship of the measure of SRF with reading comprehension as moderated by proficiency level. Analysis for the SRF measure by reading proficiency was conducted at the whole group level. The model accounted for 59.0% of the moderation. Results indicated that reading proficiency level and the SRF measure were both associated with reading comprehension. Reading proficiency level is a significant moderator of the relationship between measures of reading comprehension and SRF. A SEM mediation model was used to analyze the relationship of measures of ORF, SRF, reading comprehension, and TCAP. The direct effects of the ORF and SRF measures on TCAP were both predictive with 66.0% of the variance accounted for with SRF measure and 66.5% of the variance accounted for with ORF measure. Results indicated that as grade level increases, the relationship between measures of ORF, SRF, and reading comprehension changes. Additionally, SRF measures can be a viable alternative to ORF measures for upper elementary students as a predictor of reading comprehension and on the TCAP high-stake assessment.

Students are often referred for special education evaluations following teacher generated referrals. These referrals indicate observable poor academic progress, although often there is no indication of the cause of the poor performance as well as no indication of remediation attempts prior to a special education referral. Students who demonstrate reading difficulties struggle in nearly all areas due to the dependence on reading that permeates all academic classes. Poor reading abilities are a prominent concern in schools and one of the primary reasons for special education referrals (NAEP, 2007). The purpose of this study was to determine whether effectively implementing a reading fluency intervention prior to referring a student for a special education evaluation led to fewer overall special education referrals as well as more accurate special education referrals. Results of this study indicated that the implementation of a reading intervention did significantly decrease the number of overall special education referrals that were made. The students who were referred for special education following participation in the intervention program were also more likely to qualify for special education services compared to students who had not participated in the intervention program. Additional student characteristics that were explored included sex, work habits, attendance rates and socioeconomic status (SES). Results indicated that work habits and sex did not significantly affect the rate of teacher referral for special education evaluations. Poor attendance did have a significant relationship on special education referral rates, indicating that students with poor attendance were more likely to be considered in need of special education support. SES was found to have a significant relationship to special education referrals over the length of the study as well as during the pre-intervention period, but did not have a significant impact on special education referrals during the intervention period.