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To insure academic success for students with learning disabilities, it is critical that educators are able to make timely and effective instructional decisions. The focus of this study was to evaluate the relationship and effectiveness of two different progress monitoring tools, a measure of oral reading fluency and the Wilson Reading System's level documentation against measures of reading achievement. Reading achievement was specifically, examined using cluster scores from the Woodcock Johnson Tests of Achievement - Third Edition (WJ-III) Broad and Brief Reading domains. The current study investigated archival data of 51 students, grades four through eight, enrolled in a small, private school for students with learning disabilities during the 2008-2009 school year. Oral reading fluency benchmark and regular progress monitoring scores were collected from students and the progress monitoring scores were converted into an overall rate of improvement. Data from students receiving instruction in the Wilson Reading System were also collected as levels mastered throughout the school year. All students received pre- and post-testing on the WJ-III Reading domain. No significant relationships were found between oral reading fluency rate of improvement and Wilson level. Additionally, only the oral reading fluency spring benchmark significantly predicted end of year WJ-III performance after pre-test scores were taken into account. Supplemental analyses did find that students who completed levels seven and eight in the 2008 - 2009 school year consistently performed better than peers who completed levels two through six at all oral reading fluency benchmark periods. Limitations to the study and implications for future research and practice are discussed. / School Psychology

Organized as a set of three manuscripts, this research draws attention to the academic learning experiences for adolescents with particular attention to adolescents with limited reading proficiency and the use of single case design research as a viable option for discovering solutions to a persisting research-to-practice gap in education. Data analyses included a systematic literature review with findings synthesized into themes using qualitative methods, a multiple probe single case design, a non-parametric statistical analysis, and effect size calculations. The first article is a systematic literature review on the relationship between oral reading fluency and reading comprehension for adolescent with limited reading proficiency (ALRP) in grades 6-12. The results of 22 studies were synthesized into five themes and results suggest that knowledge of an adolescent's ORF provides helpful information about his or her reading profile, but is not sufficient to evaluate instructional needs nor measure progress. The article concludes with a discussion on the envelopment of ORF within the Simple View of Reading specifically for adolescent readers as well as implications for practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and assessment developers. The second article presents the findings from a study on the influence of a word level intervention on multiple reading component skills. Six students in two different intervention classes in Virginia participated. The primary analysis was based on a single case design, specifically a multiple probe across participants and settings design. Visual analyses of baseline and intervention phase data indicated a functional relationship between the word level intervention and multiple reading component skills. Statistical analysis (Tau-U) supported this finding with aggregated small effect sizes (0.14 to 0.54) for word identification, accuracy, and automaticity, and one moderate effect size (.70) for prosody. Secondary analysis showed a significant effect for improved strategy knowledge and skill with a 0.90 effect size, but no statistically significant group effects for silent reading fluency and sentence comprehension. The third manuscript is a broad overview of adolescent literacy instructional recommendations and presents a vision for how all teachers contribute to the development of strategic learners when they support content learning through literacy-rich classroom environments. / Doctor of Philosophy / This research draws attention to the academic learning experiences for adolescents, with particular attention to adolescents with limited reading proficiency. The first article examines the relationship between oral reading fluency and reading comprehension for adolescent with limited reading proficiency (ALRP) in grades 6-12. Results suggest that knowledge of an adolescent's oral reading fluency (ORF) provides helpful information but is not sufficient to evaluate instructional needs nor measure progress. Discussion includes where ORF fits within the Simple View of Reading theory specifically for adolescent readers as well as implications for practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and assessment developers. The second article presents findings from a study on the influence of a reading intervention on multiple reading component skills of adolescents with limited reading proficiency. Six students in two different intervention classes in Virginia participated. Visual analyses of individual baseline and intervention phase data indicated a functional relationship between the reading intervention and multiple reading component skills. Additionally, there was a significant group effect for improved strategy knowledge and skill, but no statistically significant group effects for silent reading fluency nor sentence comprehension. Discussion includes limitations and implications for future research, intervention teacher practice and school improvement leaders. The third article gives a broad overview of adolescent literacy instructional recommendations and presents a vision for how all teachers contribute to the development of strategic learners when they support content learning through literacy-rich classroom environments.

<p>Sammanfattning</p><p> </p><p>Syfte: Att undersöka två läsmetoders effekter på tolv elever från skolår 2, 3 och 4 avseende fonologisk och ortografisk läsförmåga, läsflyt, läsförståelse och RAN (Rapid Automatic Naming) samt jämföra resultaten med en grupp elever som fått traditionell specialundervisning under samma tid.</p><p> </p><p>Metod: 52 elever genomförde en screening med avseende att mäta läsflyt och läsförståelse. Av dessa valdes 12 elever ut som hade svårigheter i läsflyt och korrekt läsning, fyra elever från varje skolår, 5 pojkar och 7 flickor. Eleverna delades i två lika stora grupper som tränade ordavkodning med två olika metoder i en-en-undervisning, 20 minuter tre gånger per vecka i sex veckor. De 18 eleverna fick utföra ytterligare fem läs- och skrivtest före och efter interventionen.</p><p> </p><p>Resultat: De båda interventionsgrupperna förbättrade sina resultat på flera test mer än gruppen som fick traditionell specialundervisning. Elever som tränat Rydaholmsmetoden fick bättre resultat i alla högläsningstest utom ett. Elever som tränat datorprogrammet Hitta ord fick bättre resultat i nonsensordtestet samt de båda tystläsningstesten.</p><p> </p><p>Diskussion: Resultatet skulle kunna tydas så att Rydaholmsmetoden tränar artikulation, ordmobilisering och läsflyt i högläsning medan datorprogrammet Hitta Ord tränar den ortografiska och fonologiska läsningen mer. Vidare skulle studiens resultat kunna tolkas så att en-en-undervisning är effektivare än traditionell specialundervisning.</p> / <p>Abstract</p><p>Aim: To investigate two reading methods effect on twelve students from school year 2, 3 and 4 in phonologic and orthographic reading, reading fluency and RAN comparing to traditional special education.</p><p> </p><p>Method: 52 students were tested in reading fluency. Twelve students with reading problems were elected, four students from each class, 5 boys and 7 girls. They were divided in two groups and had an intervention in two different word reading program in a one-to-one-torturing for 20 minutes three times a week in six weeks. A group of six students, were chosen as a comparing group. All 18 students were testing the same battery of tests before and after the six weeks.</p><p> </p><p>Result: The result showed that both intervention groups were improved their result more than the group trained with traditional special education. Rydaholms method group improved more in all loud reading tests except Nonsen word reading test while the computer trained group improved more in both cilent reading test and made a small improve in Nonsen word reading test.</p><p> </p><p>Discussion: The result could interpret that Rydaholm method trained articulation, word mobilization and loud reading fluency more while the computer based program trained orthographic and phonological reading more. The result could also interpret that one-to-one-torturing improve reading ability more than traditional special education in this reading abilities.</p><p> </p>

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of singing-integrated reading instruction on the oral reading fluency and motivation of elementary students in an after school program. Participants were third graders (n = 29) who attended the singing-integrated oral reading fluency (SI ORF) intervention twice a week for eight weeks. Components of the intervention included teacher-modeling of fluent oral reading, oral support, repeated reading and singing activities from a variety of children’s literature, and individual free-time. The adapted Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (ERAS; McKenna & Kear, 1990) measured recreational, academic, and composite reading attitudes. The Qualitative Reading Inventory – 5 (QRI-5; Leslie & Caldwell, 2011) measured the following fluency components: Word Recognition in Isolation (WRI), both Correct Automatic and Total Number Correct, Word Recognition in Context (WRC), and reading rate, calculated as Words per Minute (WPM). Pretests and posttests for components of both assessments were compared using paired-samples t – tests. Data analyses of adapted ERAS mean percentage scores revealed a statistically significant decline in recreational reading attitude, no statistically significant difference in academic reading attitude, and a decline that approached significance in participants’ overall reading attitudes. QRI-5 scores revealed a statistically significant increase from pretest to posttest in WRI Correct Automatic, WRI Total Number Correct, WRC, and reading rate scores. The after-school environment offered a viable option for SI ORF instruction and was free from restraints that can accompany high-stakes testing environments in the traditional school setting. Overall, participants were attentive and enthusiastic, particularly enjoying the singing and repeated lyrics components of the intervention.

Bien que les données soient relativement rares, les élèves français semblent particulièrement anxieux en milieu scolaire (OCDE, 2014). Parallèlement, un grand nombre d’entre eux présentent d’importantes lacunes dans la maitrise des savoirs élémentaires, notamment en compréhension de l’écrit (OCDE, 2011), habileté pourtant indispensable à toute forme d’apprentissage comme à l’insertion sociale et professionnelle. Ce double constat fonde le présent travail. En effet, nous nous interrogeons sur le rôle joué par l’anxiété dans la variabilité des acquisitions des élèves en lecture. Si la littérature sur les anxiétés académiques compte d’innombrables travaux relatifs à l’anxiété face aux mathématiques (e.g., Ashcraft & Moore, 2009) ou en contexte évaluatif (e.g., Pekrun & Stephens, 2015), aucun d’entre eux n’envisage l’existence d’anxiétés spécifiques à la lecture ou à l’environnement scolaire, plus largement. Nous avons précisément choisi de nous acquitter de cette tâche et de rendre compte de leurs effets au plan des performances en compréhension écrite et en fluence de lecture. Pour cela, nous avons mené deux études longitudinales impliquant plusieurs centaines d’élèves de CM2 et de 6ème. Dans la première, nous avons eu recours à des modélisations multiniveaux et avons montré que l’anxiété à l’égard du contexte scolaire entretient une relation quadratique avec la compréhension écrite à la fin de l’école primaire. Nous avons, de plus, montré que les croyances d’efficacité personnelle pouvaient partiellement médiatiser cet effet. Dans la seconde, l’usage de modèles multiniveaux de croissance nous a permis de révélé que l’anxiété en lecture conditionne le rythme de progression des performances en fluence des élèves suivis en CM2 et en 6ème. / Although data are quite rare, French pupils seem particularly anxious in school (OCDE, 2014). A significant number of them also show important gaps in elementary abilities – such as written comprehension (OCDE, 2011) – that are yet crucial for any form of learning as much as for social and professional insertion. The present research emerges from both these observations. We interrogate the effect of anxiety on the variability of students’ acquisitions in reading. Numerous research have been lead on academic anxiety related to mathematics (e.g., Ashcraft & Moore, 2009) or evaluation context (e.g., Pekrun & Stephens, 2015). But none have considered the existence of specific anxieties related either to reading or to academic environment. We tackle this task by giving an account of the effects of these two specific academic anxieties on reading comprehension and reading fluency. To do so, we led two longitudinal studies involving several hundreds of 5th and 6th graders. In the first study, we used multilevel models and have shown that anxiety related to academic context has a quadratic relation with reading comprehension at the end of primary school. Moreover, we have shown that self-efficacy beliefs could partially mediate this effect. In the second study, the use of growth curve models underline that anxiety related to reading helps to predict, for the pupils followed up in 5th and 6th grade, the rhythm of progression of their fluency performances.

Elementary teachers in a school district in a western state expressed concerns about the reading achievement of students with disabilities (SWDs). SWDs were not developing decoding, comprehension, and fluency skills to become proficient readers. Without mastering these skills, SWDs will experience diminished academic attainment in their school career. To address this problem, teachers in elementary learning centers (LCs) within the district implemented Reader's Theater (RT), an evidenced-based reading approach that incorporates repeated readings using drama-based activities. The purpose of this qualitative bounded case study was to explore elementary LC teachers' use and implementation of RT to improve reading performance with SWDs. Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences served as the conceptual framework for this study. A purposeful sample of 2 LC teachers who implemented RT with SWDs volunteered to participate in semistructured interviews. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically using open coding. The 2 LC teachers noted that RT was useful to increase SWDs' willingness to read, reading fluency, and student investment by integrating repeated reading opportunities in drama-based activities. Based on the research findings, a 3-day RT professional development workshop was developed to assist elementary LC teachers in the district to teach early reading skills to SWDs. This endeavor may contribute to positive social change by providing LC teachers with knowledge about RT that is useful in improving SWDs' fluency, decoding, and comprehension skills and, ultimately, enhancing their reading achievement.

The ability to read is highly valued in American society and important for social and economic advancement. One of the best strategies to prevent reading difficulties is to build basic literacy skills, thereby ensuring that all children are readers early in their educational careers. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between third-grade students' oral reading rate and scores on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. The present study examined the relationship between the independent variables of Curriculum-Based Measurement Reading (R-CBM), ethnicity and socioeconomic status and the dependent variable of performance on the reading portion of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) in 215 third-grade students. The data presented in this study were collected by the Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR) as part of a larger assessment battery across three school districts and nine elementary schools in Florida. Student demographic variables as well as performance on three different types of oral reading probes (generic, content, and FCAT passages) were investigated in relation to each student's performance on the reading portion of the FCAT. Results of the current study were similar to investigations in other states; the correlations among the R-CBM probes and between all R-CBM probes and FCAT scores were high and statistically significant. These results indicate that student performance on any or all R-CBM probe types can be used to predict FCAT score. Ethnicity and SES were not significant predictors of FCAT score above R-CBM score. Implications for educators and specifically school psychologists are discussed including opportunities for school psychologists to train educational personnel in the use of R-CBM. As evidenced by the current study, R-CBM may help identify students who are at-risk for reading failure and FCAT failure so that intensive interventions can be implemented early and student progress frequently monitored.

Sammanfattning   Syfte: Att undersöka två läsmetoders effekter på tolv elever från skolår 2, 3 och 4 avseende fonologisk och ortografisk läsförmåga, läsflyt, läsförståelse och RAN (Rapid Automatic Naming) samt jämföra resultaten med en grupp elever som fått traditionell specialundervisning under samma tid.   Metod: 52 elever genomförde en screening med avseende att mäta läsflyt och läsförståelse. Av dessa valdes 12 elever ut som hade svårigheter i läsflyt och korrekt läsning, fyra elever från varje skolår, 5 pojkar och 7 flickor. Eleverna delades i två lika stora grupper som tränade ordavkodning med två olika metoder i en-en-undervisning, 20 minuter tre gånger per vecka i sex veckor. De 18 eleverna fick utföra ytterligare fem läs- och skrivtest före och efter interventionen.   Resultat: De båda interventionsgrupperna förbättrade sina resultat på flera test mer än gruppen som fick traditionell specialundervisning. Elever som tränat Rydaholmsmetoden fick bättre resultat i alla högläsningstest utom ett. Elever som tränat datorprogrammet Hitta ord fick bättre resultat i nonsensordtestet samt de båda tystläsningstesten.   Diskussion: Resultatet skulle kunna tydas så att Rydaholmsmetoden tränar artikulation, ordmobilisering och läsflyt i högläsning medan datorprogrammet Hitta Ord tränar den ortografiska och fonologiska läsningen mer. Vidare skulle studiens resultat kunna tolkas så att en-en-undervisning är effektivare än traditionell specialundervisning. / Abstract Aim: To investigate two reading methods effect on twelve students from school year 2, 3 and 4 in phonologic and orthographic reading, reading fluency and RAN comparing to traditional special education.   Method: 52 students were tested in reading fluency. Twelve students with reading problems were elected, four students from each class, 5 boys and 7 girls. They were divided in two groups and had an intervention in two different word reading program in a one-to-one-torturing for 20 minutes three times a week in six weeks. A group of six students, were chosen as a comparing group. All 18 students were testing the same battery of tests before and after the six weeks.   Result: The result showed that both intervention groups were improved their result more than the group trained with traditional special education. Rydaholms method group improved more in all loud reading tests except Nonsen word reading test while the computer trained group improved more in both cilent reading test and made a small improve in Nonsen word reading test.   Discussion: The result could interpret that Rydaholm method trained articulation, word mobilization and loud reading fluency more while the computer based program trained orthographic and phonological reading more. The result could also interpret that one-to-one-torturing improve reading ability more than traditional special education in this reading abilities.