A study of 17 first-graders identified at high risk for a reading disability investigated the effects of community tutors on reading performance. When compared to the performance of matched controls, the children performed better on spelling and segmentation but not on reading. Skills declined at the second-grade follow-up evaluation. (CR)

This study evaluated the transfer of decoding skills from a code-emphasis program that used a controlled text to a literature-based basal reading series consistent with the whole language approach. Participants were 11 elementary students with learning disabilities who received reading instruction in a resource program. Results found students…

This study of 67 intermediate grade students with reading difficulties found that students in a peer-mediated sustained reading condition performed better than peer-mediated repeated reading students and control students receiving typical reading instruction, on fluency but not on comprehension. No effect for the level of text difficulty was…

The effectiveness of the "Laubach Way to Reading" program was examined with four adolescents with learning disabilities who were reading below the fifth-grade level. Students made significant gains on basic reading skills and comprehension. Students' success depended on being provided with supplemental lists of more challenging words…

Evaluation for acceptability and utility of 5 common reading methods and materials by 32 middle school students with learning disabilities found the basal reader approach preferred over the other methods (language experience, direct instruction, multisensory, and neurological impress) which were all rated equally. (Author/DB)

The performance of reading-disabled, math-disabled, slow-learning, under-achieving, and normal-achieving children (total n=143) was compared on verbal and visual-spatial working memory measures under initial, gain, and maintenance testing conditions. Ability group classifications changed under dynamic testing conditions. The study demonstrated the…

Using case study methodology, this article describes the consultation process with an urban first-grade teacher who had many students experiencing difficulties with beginning reading. Core components and phases of the consultation process are described. The consultation process is discussed in terms of teachers' craving for concrete suggestions…

Describes Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies for First-Grade Readers, a type of classwide peer tutoring designed specifically to help general-education teachers prevent, or at least reduce, early reading failure. A description of program components, empirical evidence of its effectiveness, and case studies are presented. (Author/CR)

Presents an overview of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) and a discussion of the general lack of implementation by practitioners. Six case studies illustrate the transition of one teacher from a skeptical opponent of CBM to a strong advocate who incorporates CBM in her instructional program for low-skilled readers. (Author/CR)

A study examined the academic progress of students with (n=25) and without (n=89) learning disabilities placed full-time in general-education classes in grades 3-6. Most students with learning disabilities made considerable gains over the school year, others showed no improvement. Students who were poor readers made no progress. (Author/CR)

Thirty-nine high school students with mild disabilities and poor reading comprehension were trained to use either student-generated or expert-generated cognitive organizers to improve literal and inferential reading comprehension. Following training, both groups exceeded the reading comprehension performance of a control group, and students using…

Forty adolescents with reading/spelling disabilities were assigned on the basis of IQ/achievement discrepancy scores to either a dyslexic or slow learner group. Significantly more females than males were in the slow learner category. Despite having lower IQs, the slow learning group had higher achievement levels, but group differences on…

A team of university and school personnel applied layers of interventions across 2 years to 34 students who fell below their class averages in reading skills in kindergarten and first grade. Although reading failure rates declined, the interventions did not significantly decrease the proportion of children identified for special education.…

A study involving 10 kindergarten teachers found that kindergarten children whose teachers learned to implement phonological and print awareness activities performed better than children in control classes on phonological and literacy measures, with those in classes of teachers with more intensive professional development achieving the highest…

This study investigated the effectiveness of Project RIME, a project designed to support teachers in integrating more explicit instruction for children at-risk for reading failure into their curricula. Although the 11 teachers became more positive and knowledgeable toward using explicit instruction, their orientation toward implicit and…