Reflecting the large amount of evidence linking children's progress in learning to read to their phonological awareness, this manual presents a program of phonological and phonological linkage activities, a set of reproducible record sheets, and 54 picture sheets used in the program. After an introduction and guide to the program, the manual…

The aptitude treatment interaction hypothesis of Kaufman and Kaufman was investigated by examining the effects of matching teaching strategies with cognitive processing strength to increase disabled readers' (N=57) word recognition skills. Although results indicated a pattern supporting the predicted aptitude-treatment interaction, differences…

This article translates research from the fields of optometry, ophthalmology, neurology, and medicine on the efficacy of tinted lenses for students with reading disabilities into understandable information for lay people. The paper concludes that the treatment does not significantly improve reading, although some reports indicate improvement in a…

Although reading has been studied extensively over the past few decades, its measurement and amelioration continues to be problematic. This paper explores the reasons for this within a psycho-educational perspective and offers several new alternative theoretical positions from which to view prose processing and enhancement. Implications for…

Reactions to H. Lee Swanson's paper "Toward a Metatheory of Learning Disabilities" are outlined, and his arguments are applied to reading disabilities, focusing on the importance of the scientific attitude, the misuse of ecological validity, interpretation of Thomas Kuhn's work, modularity and reading disability, and scientific progress…

This article presents and illustrates four text structure maps to help poor readers in comprehension. These patterns are: (1) the descriptive or thematic map; (2) the sequential episodic map; (3) the comparative and contrastive map; and (4) the problem/solution map. Guidelines are offered for sequencing instruction in the text maps. (DB)

The need for phoneme awareness and methods of fostering phoneme awareness are discussed, along with available assessment measures, research findings, and phonological awareness training programs. Educators are urged to use phoneme awareness techniques for assessment and remediation when appropriate. (CR)

The paper outlines the rationale and development of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) and its empirical support; summarizes two reading models (Chall's stages of reading development and LaBerge and Samuels' model of automaticity); and discusses how CBM, with its use of oral reading rate measures, and the reading models may validate each other.…

This article focuses on the link between changes in teachers' conceptual knowledge and student performance. It shows how teachers used the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills assessment system and describes significant change in teacher practice and student performance on foundational skills in early literacy. (Contains references.)…

The U.S. Secretary of Education describes the Department of Education's READ*WRITE*NOW! Initiative which aims to increase literacy rates by encouraging early and frequent reading as well as summer reading for children and youth, including those with learning disabilities. The need for a closer relationship between research and practice in reading…

Discussion of reading assessment of students with learning disabilities considers theoretical models of reading, curriculum-based assessment, and miscue analysis. A comparison of the reading strategies of two second-grade readers using miscue analysis is detailed. Emphasis is on instructionally relevant student assessment. (Contains seven…

This Practice Guide is the first in a series of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) guides in education that are developed by a panel of experts. The guides are intended to bring the best available evidence and expertise to bear on the types of systemic challenges that cannot currently be addressed by single intervention or programs. This…

Reading journals can help college readers successfully meet the demands of complex and sophisticated texts when students use them as a strategy for making meaning rather than simply extracting information. There are three primary reasons for using reading journals at the college level: (1) writing is a way of discovering when students are free to…

Designed to assist parents, classroom teachers, reading specialists, and special educators, this book describes effective reading programs that promote reading success and achievement for children at all reading levels. The 10 chapters of the book are as follows: (1) "Preventing Reading Failure and Increasing Reading Achievement through Learning…

Noting that some elementary school children may have difficulty learning to read using basal readers, this paper describes the successful implementation of the Big Books for Beginning Readers reading program in a California elementary school. The first section of the paper discusses the problems students were having with reading, including a lack…