This article compares the development of print and braille reading in children who are blind and sighted in relation to Chall's stage model of reading development. Chall's model includes a prereading period, in which concepts are developed; middle stages, in which skills that are necessary for decoding text are developed; and later stages, which…

It is widely believed and lamented that U.S. students perform poorly on international comparisons of academic achievement. For example, Edward Silver reports that U.S. seventh- and eighth-grade students performed poorly on the mathematics section of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS 1995) and that this indicates "a…

To engage in productive learning behaviors, students need to have a realistic understanding of their academic skills. The authors examined the perceived competence of students with different patterns of academic achievement. Four groups of 3rd graders were assessed at 2 time points: (a) children with difficulties in mathematics but not in reading…

This study found that between 2000 and 2002, the percentage of students with visual impairments in the general student population of Texas was close to a previously quoted figure of 0.15%. In addition, the percentage of students with visual impairments who were identified as totally blind was found to be 4%?5% higher than the previous estimate of…

We were asked by Merit Software to conduct a quasi-experimental research study to evaluate the effects of its reading software on middle school students. Because the No Child Left Behind Act emphasizes the importance of evidence-based interventions and has set improving students reading comprehension as a goal, we agreed to take on this project.…

This paper describes characteristics of 10-year-old children (n=422) with normal reading ability, but with some signs of dyslexia. Findings indicated these children obtained different results on five measures associated with dyslexia than did other normal achievers without such signs. Measures were underachievement at word recognition, spelling,…

This article aims to present strategies and discussion about how teachers can adapt the curriculum in order to provide authentic needs-based programmes. Identifying students' strengths and needs gave us clear directions as to what we needed to teach. In this article, the research team discuss how they successfully raised the reading achievement of…

We report on the development and validation of the TEX-IN3, a research tool and protocol designed to assess the quality of the classroom literacy environment. The TEX-IN3 is described in terms of its theoretical base as well as its practical applications. The TEX-IN3 includes three basic components: a text inventory, a text "in-use" observation,…

Grade retention has been controversial for many years, and current calls to end social promotion have lent new urgency to this issue. On the one hand, a policy of retaining in grade those students making slow progress might facilitate instruction by making classrooms more homogeneous academically. On the other hand, grade retention might harm…

The study investigates the mean difference in reading achievement between third-graders in public and independent schools in Sweden. The data come from the Swedish participation in PIRLS 2001 conducted by IEA. Variables from the home questionnaire mainly indicating possession of cultural capital are used as independent variables. A total IRT score…

It is widely accepted that teachers differ in their effectiveness, yet the empirical evidence regarding teacher effectiveness is weak. The existing evidence is mainly drawn from econometric studies that use covariates to attempt to control for selection effects that might bias results. We use data from a four-year experiment in which teachers and…

How can we help all children learn what they need to know to prepare for the future? In every country/region that is participating in the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), a study of the literacy skills of 15-year-old youth, there is a huge gap between the best and worst performing students. This shows the need for…

Promoting the development of early literacy skills might prevent later reading achievement problems. This longitudinal study investigated rates of early literacy growth using Individual Growth and Development Indicators (IGDIs) for 69 preschool children classified as belonging to 1 of 4 groups with or without risk for developing early literacy…

The double-deficit hypothesis of dyslexia posits that reading deficits are more severe in individuals with weaknesses in phonological awareness and rapid naming than in individuals with deficits in only one of these reading composite skills. In this study, the hypothesis was tested in an adult sample as a model of reading achievement. Participants…

The author was startled by the carelessness and selectivity of Robert Slavin's comments, which give his words the ring of a promotional release rather than of intellectual reflection. He agrees that Slavin is accurate in saying that the scores on reading tests at P.S. 65 in the South Bronx improved during a period in which, among a number of other…