Christine McCormick

A Preliminary Investigation of the Effects of Reading Fluency Interventions on Comprehension

Abstract Brief experimental analyses were conducted using two dependent variables to evaluate the effectiveness of reading interventions. Specifically reading rate (words read correctly per minute) and mean reading comprehension levels for six students with reading difficulties were obtained using six different reading intervention/intervention combinations. These interventions included contingent reinforcement, listening passage preview, repeated reading, listening passage preview with contingent reinforcement, repeated reading with contingent reinforcement, and repeated reading with listening passage preview. Results suggested that no one intervention was best for all students. In addition, it was found that interventions that increased reading rate for half of the students also increased reading comprehension for the same students. Discussion focuses on student-treatment interactions, measuring student reading performance, matching treatments to students, and directions for future research.

Kindergarten predictors of first-grade reading achievement: a regular classroom sample.

Routinely collected measures for 38 children in the kindergarten program in a middle-class school in a small midwestern city were analyzed as predictors of first-grade reading achievement on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills and of first-grade performance on the Cognitive Abilities Test. Correlations among all variables are given. Stepwise multiple regression analyses predicting the first-grade variables showed that consonant-sound-identification was the best predictor of first-grade reading achievement and that the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test—Revised was the best predictor of cognitive ability. A second multiple regression analysis examined the contribution of each kindergarten variable to first-grade reading and cognitive scores. Analysis indicated that these children entered kindergarten with highly developed early reading skills which facilitated success with systematic reading instruction.

Early Start: A Literacy-Rich Prekindergarten Program for Children Academically at Risk.

Early Start is a center-based program for 4-year-old prekindergarten children at risk of academic failure because of their home or community environment This state-funded program successfully incorporated literacy activities into a supportive environment which informally encouraged practice with early reading and writing. The article describes the development of the program, the projects dally activities from the perspective of emergent literacy, and evaluative findings regarding literacy development. Researchers conducted direct child assessment and classroom observations to document the childrens capabilities and participation in literacy activities during the course of the school year.