Investigating the Effects of an Intensive Reading Intervention Program for Secondary Students With Disabilities

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 33
  In Roundtable Session: When Do I Get to Be an Adult? Transition Planning

Abstract

This session reports evaluation findings from a reading intervention program developed and implemented in three high-need high schools. Special education classroom teachers provided the instruction in two credit-bearing ninth grade classes, one focusing on decoding and the other on comprehension. Teachers received professional development through on-going workshops and coaching, and were observed for fidelity. Students were assessed at the beginning and end of each academic year on standardized reading measures. Across two years of implementation, students (N = 104) demonstrated significant gains in reading, with an effect size of .48 for reading comprehension. While teachers differed in the time and support needed for fidelity, overall results support the feasibility and efficacy of high school reading intervention programs.

Authors

• Sue Sears, California State University - Northridge

• Vanessa Anne Goodwin, California State University - Northridge

• Nancy D. Burstein, California State University - Northridge

• Lindsay Young, Los Angeles Unified School District