The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation spawned a plethora of standardized testing services for all the high stakes testing required by the law. We argue that one-size-fits all assessments disadvantage students who are English Language Learners, in the USA, as well as students with limited economic resources, special needs, and not reading on…

Research Findings: Multiple student cohorts were longitudinally tracked and student participation in a summer program bridging the 1st- and 2nd-grade academic years was recorded to examine selection and efficacy issues related to a summer school implementation in the Pacific Northwest. The estimation of regression discontinuity models uncovered…

A synthesis of the extant research on extensive early reading interventions for students with reading difficulties and disabilities is provided. Findings from 18 studies published between 1995 and 2005 revealed positive outcomes for students participating in extensive interventions. Results indicated higher effects for studies providing…

In this article, the authors discuss aspects of Response to Intervention (RTI) that appear to be promising for the field of reading, and those that they view as problematic. Unlike many earlier models of innovation in special education service delivery, there is some research indicating promise. Most of that research has been conducted with…

This paper provides a description of three-tier intervention models for reading and behavior. Although there is scientific evidence that the implementation of interventions at one or more levels of these models leads to improved reading or behavior performance, there is a paucity of research detailing the integration of three-tiered reading and…

The transition to adult life for students with reading and writing challenges is an area that is not often addressed. The purpose of this article is to relate the informal assessment process to the broader context of high stakes assessment, high school exit exams, diploma options, and transition planning; identify the competencies needed for a…

The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with a conceptual understanding of the key elements in a three tiered Response to Intervention (RTI) model. The three tiered model is discussed in terms of how it would be applied in implementing an intervention program to promote the development of reading. The characteristics of interventions,…

Having low literacy skills could impact everything from reading a newspaper and balancing a checkbook to wise consumer decisions and job advancement. This study estimates adult literacy measures for Cuyahoga County, Ohio and its municipalities. It is also important to have a sense of how many children are at risk for developing literacy problems…