In the United States, Response to Intervention (RtI) is used to promote the use of evidence-based instruction in educational institutions, with the goal of supporting general and specialized educators and enabling these professionals to work together in a comprehensive, integrated manner. In doing so, RtI provides a protocol for identifying…

In 2010, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the Kindergarten Readiness Act into law, which changed the kindergarten entry age so that children must turn 5 by September instead of December to enroll. The new grade level was put into place to promote school readiness for California's youngest learners. It also established a new grade…

Examines issues related to organizing the teaching of reading in secondary schools, such as the lack of liaison between elementary and secondary schools and the confinement of reading instruction to only English or remedial classes. Suggests that secondary school faculty cooperate in using all available resources to produce literate adults. (AEA)

The practicum report documents the development of a mainstreamed reading program for exceptional children in grades 2-4, and describes its pilot testing with 22 second grade, 21 third grade, and 21 fourth grade students. The specific process and terminal goals of the practicum are presented. The reading program is explained to have included…

This article summarizes studies conducted with Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR), a program designed to enhance reading comprehension and content-area reading for diverse learners. It describes the stages of CSR development and discusses the role of peer-mediated learning in improving the social and academic outcomes of participating students.…

Considers the origin and validity of phonemic awareness and why phonemic awareness is important. Discusses phonemic awareness in a balanced reading program, and teaching phonemic awareness. Suggests activities that promote phonemic awareness by using children's literature. Discusses assessment of student progress. Presents experiences with her…

The Intensive Reading Improvement Program (IRIP) was implemented in Chicago, Illinois elementary schools after standardized test results, first published in 1969, indicated the need for improvement. IRIP had four goals: to increase motivation in both students and teachers; to extend teachers' understanding of a good developmental reading program;…

The Chicago Mastery Learning Reading Program (CMLRP) discussed in this report is a method of instruction based on the mastery learning model developed by University of Chicago professor Benjamin Bloom. The report describes the procedures and results of an evaluation of the program's effects on reading achievement, information related to the…

Evaluation studies conducted in 1978 at three sites yielded encouraging results regarding the ability of the Basic Skills Learning System (BSLS) to achieve the goals of adult basic education and demonstrated that effective curriculum models utilizing well-designed instructional paradigms can offer high quality instruction in the basic skills when…

The documents in this collection relate to the Homeless Education Project conducted in the elementary and secondary schools of the West Contra Costa Unified School District (California). The first document is a chart describing the project and its main goals: (1) an accelerated curriculum in reading and mathematics; (2) effective procedures for…

A joint enterprise by Sanford Public Schools of Sanford, Maine, and five partners established and operated a program of literacy, math, and reasoning/problem-solving skills instruction and support services at five work sites. The business partners were Sprague Electric Company; The Baker Company; Jagger Brothers, Inc.; Greenwood Center; and…

In implementing a districtwide reading project emphasizing staff development for middle school level teachers, the Moore County, North Carolina district conducted a study to determine whether middle school children could exceed their prior reading growth rates over a three-year period. Students from grades four through eight were pretested in the…

This report describes and assesses second-year activities of the University of Toledo (Ohio)/Springfield Local Schools Teacher Corps Project. Planning and implementation procedures related to staff development courses and workshops at elementary, junior, and senior high schools are the focus of this initial assessment. Assessments of the following…

More effective reading, writing, and communication courseware can be promoted through clearer guidelines in courseware development, stronger incentives for courseware developers, and greater motivation for teachers to seek out and use the courseware. In reading and writing, software guidelines must reflect traditional instructional objectives--or…

The product of a comprehensive project aimed at identifying reading, writing, and communication courseware needs, this report first discusses the benefits of computer assisted instruction and obstacles to its implementation in the communications area. It then describes procedures used to gather information and presents a detailed review of the…