The hypothesis that reading instruction designed to incorporate students' preferred reading styles resulted in greater achievement gain when compared to controls was tested with 198 third and sixth graders. Results support the hypothesis that incorporating reading styles in reading instruction result in greater achievement gain. (SLD)

Examines the effects of computer assisted instruction (CAI) on the reading achievement of male and female first graders. Results indicated that statistically significant achievement gains were sex specific, with only males exhibiting a significant average increase when exposed to CAI. Implications of the findings are discussed. Contains 55…

Evaluates implementation of the "failure free" reading program. Adequate repetition, appropriate sentence structure, and meaningful story content are incorporated in directed instruction, talking software, and print materials. Improvements were noted in attitudes, curriculum-based performance, and standardized tests. (MMU)

A study compared reading-achievement level of 40 children with deafness who received the Nucleus multichannel cochlear implants between ages 2 and 13 with that of children with deafness without cochlear implants. Nearly one half of children with cochlear implants were reading at or within 8 months of grade level. (Author/CR)

Examines the development of reading skill during the first school year using preschool motivational orientation, coping tendencies, knowledge of alphabet, and phonemic awareness as predictors. Finds that preschool phonemic awareness and task orientation are associated with enhanced word-reading fluency. (DSK)

Chapters of this special issue focus on two studies of the relationship between students' attentive behavior and literacy achievement involving more than 8,000 Australian elementary school students. Findings from an intervention study and a longitudinal cohort study highlight the interdependence among student-level characteristics and influences…

Discusses the formulation of the Australian Literacy Benchmarks for Year 3 and Year 5. Suggests they (1) lay claim to designating a minimum standard; (2) represent "fuzzy" standards; and (3) are a composite based on a number of underlying criteria. Claims teachers' knowledge of student literacy achievement is a richer source of valid…

Presents a case study of the "Coleman family" to examine support for literacy within an economically disadvantaged family, in which the child learned to value literacy and learned how to read very well despite the limited literacy abilities of the mother. Discusses ways teachers might help parents to support literacy growth at home and at school.…

Identified school change in reading achievement on a statewide, high-stakes performance assessment. Meta-analyses of the effects of instructional practices in reading on achievement indicated that reading achievement change was directly associated with the characteristics of the school reading program in higher grades. Effects of instructional…

Shows that literature-based curricula can be successful on a large scale. Uses data from standardized test scores and from extensive teacher surveys to show that these two large districts made commitments to literature-based holistic instruction and supported it with strong professional development programs, resulting in convincing evidence that…

Examines the results of instruction in administering the Informal Reading Inventory (IRI) in three teacher training programs. Focuses on the examination of the scoring of the IRI in simulation exercises by preservice teachers after instruction in the administration and scoring of the IRI. Concludes that the preservice teachers did not accurately…

Studied factors contributing to early Spanish literacy and later English reading for students from kindergarten through grade 7 (complete data for 91 students). Results suggest that early literacy experiences support subsequent literacy development regardless of language and that time spent on the native language is not time lost with respect to…

Comparison of 30 children having reading disabilities and average to above-average nonverbal IQ with control children revealed that the average-IQ children with reading disabilities differed from chronological controls, but not reading age controls, mainly in the area of successive processing. Results support the critical role of successive…

Investigated school and classroom factors related to primary-grade reading achievement in schools with moderate to high numbers of students receiving subsidized lunch. Statistically significant factors included parent-school relationship, systematic assessment, small-group instruction, independent reading, student on-task behavior, strong home…

Finds that the 35 middle-school language-arts teachers studied agreed that Self Selected Reading (SSR) is an important way to improve students' reading attitudes and achievement, but that their schools rarely provided funds for buying student-preferred materials, and that finding time for SSR was difficult because of the pressure to prepare for…