In the fourth grade, 38% of all children have reading skills below the "basic" level, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Many of these students are recommended for special education services because of their reading difficulties. Recent research on reading difficulties in young children demonstrates that early…

Learning to read and write is critical to a child's success in school and adult life. One of the best predictors of whether children will function competently in school and, later, contribute to the increasingly literate society is their progress in reading and writing. For this reason, the 1985 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)…