Education Commons^™

Reading On The Ropes: A Pilot Study Of An Accelerated Remediation Program With Alternative High School Students, Joanne V. Coggins, Laura C. Briggs

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

High school students must read to learn curriculum, yet few interventions are proven to substantially help close literacy gaps for older students with reading deficits. Students with large literacy deficits particularly benefit from explicit, systematic instruction of interventions emphasizing the structure of language (i.e., phonology, orthography, syntax, morphology, semantics, pragmatics), aspects of cognition (i.e., problem solving, attention, reasoning, and inferencing), and organization of spoken and written language.

A 14-week pilot study of Readable English, a reading intervention using these structured literacy elements, provided embedded interactive orthography to scaffold online grade level content for students at two alternative high schools ( …

Effective Reading Comprehension Strategies For Individuals With Learning Disabilities: A Research Synthesis, Gordon B. Worcester Ii

LC Journal of Special Education

This paper will explore and synthesize the body of current research on effective reading comprehension instruction and strategies. Beginning with a survey of several variables that affect working memory and executive processes, this paper will discuss how the mind’s ability to interpret text and derive meaning is a critical component for reading comprehension. The article will also explore how the elements of the working memory affect student with learning disabilities (LD). Furthermore, the working memory’s executive process is essential for the “simultaneous process of extracting and construction meaning” from text (Garcia-Madruga et al., 2013, p. 155). In addition, this paper …

Non-Responders: Current Findings In Reading Instruction As Related To Students Unresponsive To Early Intervention, Susan E. Sperduto

LC Journal of Special Education

Questions still remain about whether or not current research – based reading instruction is effective for all students. There is a population of students that continue to struggle to learn how to read despite the use of research – based instruction. This population of students has been termed “non – responders” or “treatment resisters.” The emphasis on research – based reading instruction has promoted an increase of reading levels among students in the United States; however, the limited amount of research on the needs of students who are non – responder has yielded mixed reviews. The following paper will address …

Effective Reading Instruction Strategies For Students With Significant Cognitive Disabilities, April Scruggs

LC Journal of Special Education

Recent legislation and focus on research-based instruction has lead to a more unified drive to teaching students with significant cognitive disabilities how to read because we know now that most of these students can learn how to read through intensive instruction using a variety of different strategies to teach the essential components of reading (Browder et al., 2006). As reported by Browder et al. (2006, p. 393), the National Reading Panel (NRP, 2000), “identified five essential components of reading instruction: (a) phonemic awareness, (b) phonics, (c) fluency, (d) vocabulary, and (e) comprehension.” The purpose of this paper is to identify …

A Strategic Approach To Adolescent Literacy: A Diagnosis And Prescription For Students With Reading Deficits, Allison Norris

LC Journal of Special Education

The purpose of this paper is to explore the reasons that older students have not reached an age-appropriate level of reading and to collectively assemble and briefly summarize a small inventory of techniques that are adolescent specific and have been proven to close the gap between the struggling reader and their non-struggling peers. The paper concludes with a summary of the attributes of a proactive stance towards reading instruction and how our attitudes towards older students and reading instruction must be flexible. Allowances must be made for those adolescent students who have not mastered the basic reading fundamentals. Utilization of …

Specialized Reading Programs: An Analysis Of The Components Of Effective Reading, Damien Murtagh

LC Journal of Special Education

This paper will identify characteristics of effective reading construction, analyze a number of specialized reading programs-focusing on their ability to include these instructional characteristics-and discuss the implications of these instructional components when designing reading instruction.

Missing Pieces And Voices: Steps For Teachers To Engage In Science Of Reading Policy And Practice, Kathleen S. Howe, Teddy D. Roop

Michigan Reading Journal

The current wave of dyslexia legislation backed by the science of reading is the latest literacy policy added to a decades-long list. Teachers, whose voices were largely excluded, are key stakeholders in any literacy policy initiative and are well-suited to inform policymakers about the complexities of teaching readers who struggle, including those diagnosed with dyslexia. This article previews the implications of legislation that narrowly focuses on “science” and disregards unique individual reader profiles. This article encourages teachers to get involved with policy that impacts their practices and provides suggestions to ensure their voices are included in this and future initiatives.