Correlations between phonological, orthographic, semantic, metacognitive, and working memory measures were studied for 40 learning-disabled students and 40 skilled readers ages 8 to 12. Results suggest that the cognitive processes that contribute to reading deficits are best understood in the context of their combination with other operations.…

Notes that 32 preschool children were trained to a high level in phonemic awareness over a 12-week period, and then in kindergarten, the children were taught 10 real words using either decoding and encoding techniques or a whole word method. Finds that children taught decoding and encoding techniques were superior in reading and writing compared…

Examined why New Zealand elementary students in composite versus single-grade classes showed slightly lower reading performance, comparing the range of students' reading abilities, the nature of teachers' groupings, and other aspects of instruction in pairs of composite and single-grade classes from nine schools. Composite classes did not appear…

Presents results from international assessments of 15-year-olds' capabilities in reading literacy, mathematics literacy, and science literacy, with an emphasis on reading literacy. Sample survey data from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) provide a first step in the measurement of cross-curricular competencies in various…

This article presents a system for improving reading that coordinates: (1) general outcome measures; (2) evidence-based instruction; and(3) schoolwide organization to ensure the most effective instruction for each student. Implementation of the system in seven elementary schools is discussed using case studies to illustrate how these three…

Presents results from a study of four second- and third-grade students with reading disabilities who received reading instruction using "Reading Mastery II" or "Fast Cycle." Provides data on words read per minute and number of errors on reading checkouts. Suggests that the lessons provided the structure needed for students to make consistent…

Tests the validity of the Test of Phoneme Identities (TPI). Finds the TPI to be reliable and comparable to other phoneme awareness measures in predicting decoding ability; and to be more effective than a nursery rhyme and alphabet measures in predicting the number of lessons required for a student to learn to distinguish phonetic cues. (RS)

Describes how early literacy practices were extended to accelerate the literacy progress of at-risk third- through sixth-grade students through a summer school model and an intersession model for year-round schools. Concludes that both models produced impressive gains in reading achievement, with the year-round intersession model producing the…

Notes the goal of the National Commission on Excellence in Elementary Teacher Preparation for Reading Instruction is to describe current reading teacher education and identify program factors that lead to excellent reading instruction and reading achievement. Describes how the commission analyzed features of teacher preparation programs and…

Examines the cognitive-linguistic factors underlying literacy development in monolingual children and children learning English as an additional language (EAL) over a three-year period. Reveals similarities between the two groups of children in the study on reading accuracy, but children learning EAL had lower levels of vocabulary and…

Offers a series of questions to help readers establish a chronology of feelings about reading, based on the facts of their earliest reading history. Argues that by answering these questions the reader will understand what kind of reader they can become. (MG)

Considers the complex and highly interactive features of the instructional setting when evaluating the reading context. Emphasizes that the focus should be on assessing the elements of the context that are most likely to impact specific students' performance in reading and writing. (MG)

A Skills Reinforcement Project for 46 sixth grade students (many of whom were Black and Hispanic) not quite qualifying for the local (Pasadena, California) gifted program provided Saturday classes and a 2-week summer residential program. Significant gains were made in mathematics (but not reading) achievement resulting in increased program…

Two studies evaluated long term effects of the Direct Instruction Follow Through Model with 624 fifth and sixth graders and about 500 high school and older students who had received Follow Through instruction. Achievement and college acceptance results consistently favored the Follow Through groups over control groups with strongest effects in…

Examines the consonant substitution, sequencing, omission, and addition errors of severely reading disabled teenagers in recognizing consonants in orthographically regular nonwords, and compares the results with responses to identical stimuli by normal children of the same age and reading level groups. (Author/DJD)