In schools, didactic training is a common method for promoting intervention fidelity. Despite its prevalence, however, a number of literature reviews suggest that didactic training alone is not an effective way to promote intervention fidelity. Training seems to be more effective when coupled with daily or weekly performance feedback in applied settings. However, given the level of resources in typical public schools, this amount of performance feedback for all teachers and paraprofessionals may not be feasible. Therefore, there is a need to explore additional means of promoting intervention fidelity. The current study examines the effects of fluency training on intervention fidelity by paraprofessionals in an applied setting. Results suggest that systematic fluency training can improve intervention fidelity, even when the interventions are complex and are being conducted by paraprofessionals with limited formal education. The study's findings also suggest that ongoing monitoring of implementation fidelity is necessary, because maintenance of these effects is idiosyncratic.

Students with learning disabilities are often unable to master reading comprehension and often fail to acquire reading comprehension skills at basic levels as measured on reading achievement assessments. Reading intervention programs Compass Learning and SRA Corrective Reading teach students how to apply strategies to their reading to improve their understanding of written text. The purpose of this quantitative ex-post facto research design was to determine the extent to which the reading intervention programs implemented at the research school improved reading achievement scores for seventh grade students with learning disabilities in reading, and to determine how much scores changed from the pretests to the posttests for two intervention groups. The theoretical framework for this study was the cognitive load theory. Data included Scholastic Reading Inventory scores from a convenience sample of 46 seventh grade students with learning disabilities in reading. The data were analyzed using a one-way ANOVA pretest-posttest design. Data analyses indicated statistically significant differences in the reading achievement scores of the student participants, indicating they had higher reading achievement scores after participating in targeted reading interventions. This research contributes to positive social change by motivating students to be actively engaged in their reading and apply the skills they have learned as a result of participating in targeted reading interventions. This research also prepares students for the competitive job market through identifying viable interventions to help improve their reading comprehension skills.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of the Direct Instruction program Corrective Reading on standardized achievement test scores specifically of reading scaled score gains in grade levels three through six in a selected school system in East Tennessee. The causal-comparative quantitative approach was the foundation for this study. Reading scaled score gains from the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) achievement test Terra Nova given in the years 2001-2002 and 2003-2004 were analyzed by grade level using ANOVA and t tests to determine if the implementation of Corrective Reading had an impact on students' achievement. No statistically significant results (p = .05) were found between the year before implementation and the year after implementation with the exception of one grade level. Furthermore, no significant differences were found at any grade level between students participating in Corrective Reading and students not participating in Corrective Reading on the 2003-2004 TCAP Terra Nova test. In addition, gender, Title I status, Special Education status, and teacher status were analyzed for interaction between groups and Corrective Reading. Only one grade level, by gender, showed a significant difference in scaled score gains. There was a significant difference by Title I status at two grade levels. Special Education students had significant reading scaled score gains at two of the four grade levels with Special Education students who received special accommodations showing significant gains at two grade levels. Students who were taught Corrective Reading by a certified teacher showed significant reading scaled score gains at one grade level, whereas the other grade levels had no significant difference.

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