Public policies targeting individuals based on need often impose disproportionate burden on communities that lack the resources to implement these policies effectively. In an elementary school setting, I examine whether community-level interventions focusing on similar needs and providing resources to build capacity in these communities could…

Repeated reading (RR) is often recommended for promoting reading fluency, but it is unclear whether continuous texts or word lists should be used. This study tested whether the effects of RR depend on the reading material and whether these effects interact with students' prior abilities. N = 304 primary school students were randomly assigned to…

Repeated reading is an intervention with strong evidence for improving students' oral reading fluency. However, little research has examined the use of this intervention outside of traditional school contexts. School closures due to COVID-19 forced schools and teacher preparation programs to create new approaches to evidence-based reading…

State laws that mandate in-grade retention for struggling readers are widespread in the U.S., covering 34% of public-school third graders in 2023-24. This study investigates the impacts of Michigan's third-grade reading law on subsequent test scores and school progress outcomes for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 third-grade cohorts. Using a regression…

Public policies targeting individuals based on need often impose disproportionate burden on communities that lack the resources to implement these policies effectively. In an elementary school setting, I examine whether community-level interventions focusing on similar needs and providing resources to build capacity in these communities could…

To be successful in school and society, students must learn to read proficiently. Two evidenced based reading interventions, repeated reading and listening passage preview, and a combination of the two have shown to be effective in increasing oral reading fluency. However, the current literature is lacking on how preference of the interventions…

Physical exercises (PEs) are one of the most used approaches by researchers to treat restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) and enhance on-task behaviors in students with high-functioning Autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Although PEs is recognized as Evidence-based Practices (EBPs) for students with ASD in the United States of America (USA)…

Following a high-quality early care and pre-K experience, the kindergarten-through-third-grade years set the foundation upon which future learning builds; and strengthening this continuum creates opportunities for later success. Key components of a quality experience in K-3 include school readiness and transitions, kindergarten requirements,…

A Comprehensive early literacy policy establishes support and intensive reading interventions for K-3 students to ensure they read on grade level by the end of 3rd grade. The policy also requires 3rd grade students to demonstrate sufficient reading skills for promotion to 4th grade. For students severely below grade level and who do not qualify…

Incorporating student choice is an effective intervention to improve task engagement that may also promote skill and behavioral generalization. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of a reading fluency intervention that incorporated student choice of topic and instructional passages using a delayed multiple baseline across student design.…

Writing is an essential skill for academic success. Evidence shows students with writing difficulties experience lower overall academic performance (Graham & Perin, 2007). The development of fluent writing is particularly important, as it has been shown to be a strong predictor of global writing quality (Malecki & Jewell, 2003). Limited…

As of 2021, eighteen states plus the District of Columbia have implemented legislation regarding mandatory test-based grade retention focusing on minimum reading proficiency levels (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2019) with many of those policies targeting the third-grade year. While grade retention has been largely viewed negatively…

With the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) known as No Child Left Behind, Every Student Succeeds Act, and other school reforms, rigorous demands are placed upon administrators and educators when students do not make Adequate Yearly Progress. In trying to follow state goals to enhance students' academic…

A single subject multiple probe design across participants was used to examine the effects of distributing trials in shared stories on listening comprehension and skill acquisition with students with significant cognitive disability (SCD). The results suggest a functional relationship between the independent and each of the dependent variables. In…

An Australian longitudinal study of 319 Kindergartners developed, implemented and evaluated an intervention, the Pattern and Structure Mathematics Awareness Program (PASMAP). It comprised of repetitions and growing patterns, structured counting and grouping, grids and shapes, partitioning, additive and multiplicative structures, measurement and…