Learning to read is an essential skill for later academic success, positive self-esteem, and gainful employment. Students who display reading difficulties/disabilities at the end of third grade are less likely to succeed in content areas and graduate from high school. Recent data suggests that many students in today's schools do not become skilled…

Students displaying reading difficulties/disabilities at the end of third grade are unlikely to succeed in content areas and graduate from high school. One alternative to meeting the learning needs of students is to provide explicit instructional support in basic literacy skills through computer-based reading programs via after-school programs.…

Computer applications related to reading instruction have become commonplace in schools and link with established components of the reading process, emergent skills, decoding, comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency. This article focuses on computer technology in conjunction with durable methods for building oral reading fluency when readers…

Describes a modified alphabet for beginning readers based on psychologies of reading and visual perception. The Graphophonic Alphabet (GP) is explained, motivations for modifying the alphabet are discussed, and possibilities for teaching phonics and second languages as well as reading with the GP and microcomputers are considered. (16 references)…

Presents an overview of the PLATO Corrections Project (PCP) in Illinois and Minnesota, and describes recent curriculum development efforts in adult reading comprehension and vocabulary development. Data collected on student/instructor usage, attitudes, and achievement demonstrate that the PCP system is feasible, attractive, and effective in…

Describes an approach for designing instructional units based on careful consideration of the reading curriculum and its psychological foundations, and examines factors associated with the use of a small stand-alone computer to provide the primary instructional environment. Twenty-two references are listed. (Author/MER)

Recommends that computer assisted instruction (CAI) be used for teaching reading, language arts, and mathematics to children who have difficulty achieving basic academic skills. Computer programs which have been used with low academic achievers in several parts of the U.S. are discussed. Seven references are listed. (Author/MER)

Uses the Bradley Inventory of Reading Comprehension Software to evaluate surface characteristics (including documentation and instructional design) of microcomputer reading comprehension programs produced by Scott Foresman, Random House, Control Data Corporation, and Basic Learning Systems. All four programs received high scores, but the Scott…

Discusses the content and structure of a computer-based instructional program in reading for disadvantaged adults and describes the design, test materials, procedures, and results of a formative evaluation with 36 pre-GED students in an Illinois Correctional Center. Results support the value of such complete computer-based reading comprehension…