Susan P. Homan

Effects of Repeated Readings and Nonrepetitive Strategies on Students' Fluency and Comprehension

Abstract This study examines the effects of repeated reading and assisted nonrepetitive strategies such as echo reading, cloze reading, and unison reading on reading rate, error rate, and comprehension. There are many repeated-reading studies with results demonstrating unproved fluency; however, the current study investigated the transfer effects of the previously mentioned procedures on both comprehension and fluency with sixth-grade Chapter I students. Results indicated equivalent benefits for repetitive and nonrepetitive methods, with significant comprehension improvement in a 7-week period.

Teaching Reading Fluency to Struggling Readers: Method, Materials, and Evidence

Reading fluency has been identified as a key component in reading and in learning to read. Moreover, a significantly large number of students who experience difficulty in reading manifest difficulties in reading fluency that appear to contribute to their overall struggles in reading. In this article we explore the nature of effective instruction in fluency. We examine proven methods for teaching fluency as well as instructional routines that combine various methods into synergistic lessons. We also take issue with more mechanical approaches to fluency instruction that emphasize reading rate as the major goal of such instruction. Instead, we attempt to make the case for more authentic approaches to fluency instruction, approaches that employ texts meant to be practiced and performed.

Using an Interactive Singing Software Program: A Comparative Study of Struggling Middle School Readers

Software that teaches users to sing in tune and in rhythm while providing real-time pitch tracking was used in a study of struggling middle school readers. The software, Carry-a-Tune (CAT) was originally developed to improve singing; however, since it involves a repeated reading format, we used it to determine its effect on comprehension and reading achievement. Twenty-four students in grades 7 and 8 utilized the software program for 30 minutes, three times a week for 9 weeks. A matched control group of 24 students had a different reading experience during the same time period. The mean pretest instructional reading level for both groups was fourth grade. The mean instructional level scores for the treatment group improved significantly (7 months during the 9-week study). The matched control group students did not experience gains. Sustainability data from assessment 4 months after the studys conclusion indicated treatment students gained another 6 months. This placed them solidly in mid-fifth grade for instructional reading level. The control students, again, evidenced no significant gains.

A Validity and Reliability Update on the Informal Reading Inventory with Suggestions for Improvement

The informal reading inventory is a diagnostic instrument used by learning disability specialists, reading teachers, and classroom teachers to identify an appropriate reading grade level placement for students, and to identify strengths and weaknesses in word recognition and comprehension. In recent years, a number of studies have examined its validity and reliability. This article gives a comprehensive review of this research. Based on the findings of this review, suggestions of ways the teacher can improve the validity and reliability of existing informal reading inventories are provided, along with suggestions for evaluating reliability and validity of newly published IRIs.

Readability level of standardized test items and student performance: The forgotten validity variable

Abstract Test validity issues considered by test developers and school districts rarely include individual item readability levels. In this study, items from a major standardized test were examined for individual item readability level and item difficulty. The Homan‐Hewitt Readability Formula was applied to items across three grade levels. Results of correlations of readability level and item difficulty at all three levels support the belief that the higher the item readability, the more students miss that item. A possible conclusion is that students miss items due to reading problems, not because of a lack of content knowledge. These data appear to support measuring individual item readability on standardized tests.

Early intervention in literacy: An in‐class model for teachers

Abstract Early literacy interventions have been critiqued for their propensity to remove “reading problems” from classroom teachers’ responsibility. In the current study, classroom teachers were trained so that they could provide specialized early intervention lessons to at‐risk students in their own classes. The results of the project compare favorably with a “pull‐out” model of early literacy intervention. In contrast to pull‐out approaches, this “push‐in” model of early literacy intervention may have pervasive effects on classroom teachers’ entire teaching repertoires.

Connecting classrooms and early interventions

Abstract The Accelerated Literacy Learning (A.L.L.) program, an early intervention program for at‐risk learners, has been effective for a majority of the children involved. Not all children, however, have benefited from this one‐on‐one program. Case study research was conducted to illuminate various rates of progress between students who began the school year with similar academic profiles but returned to different classroom environments after their daily lessons. Findings suggest that the relationship between an early intervention program and program support provided by classroom teachers is a complex issue. A supportive classroom teacher can enhance a students literacy learning, while a non‐supportive classroom teacher can impede the success a student experiences.

Does Teacher Oral Reading of Test Items Affect the Performance of Students of Varying Reading Ability

AbstractWith the national move toward competency testing, publishers and educators have become increasingly concerned about test validity, item construction, and item readability. While a major effort is usually made by test developers to control the readability level of the test items, there is currently no validated measure of individual item readability.It is commonly assumed that oral reading of test items by the teacher would ameliorate the readability problem for poor readers. Over 4,000 fifth-grade students were involved in this study aimed at determining the effect of teacher oral reading of test items to good and poor readers. The findings suggested that having teachers read test items aloud during the administration of standardized examinations yielded, overall, higher scores than having students read the items for themselves. However, this intervention did not benefit poor readers more than good readers. Both of these groups reflected similar gains under the influence of this intervention.

An lnvestigation of varying reading .level placement on reading achievement of chapter l students

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of reading placement (instructional level vs. above instructional level) on reading achievement of at‐risk sixth grade students with reading problems. Achievement differences for students who were slow learners vs. disabled readers were also examined. The sample consisted of 304 sixth graders in a special Chapter I reading program. Data were subjected to a two‐factor multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) procedure. Results indicated that scores of students placed one‐half to one year above instructional level were not significantly different from scores of students placed at instructional reading level.