Although our grant was focused on math progress monitoring and intervention tools, we came across great reading resources as well.  This page will be used to list what we find.  Our grant and time will not allow us to explore these in depth this year, but we wanted to share the information with others.  Listed below are reading intervention tools that were found to be "best practices" on one of several high-quality websites.

Corrective Reading - FCRR site listed this as an intensive intervention.  What Works ClearingHouse has determined that it has potentially positive effects for alphabetics and fuency.  The Decoding series is currently being used at Lannoye School with students who are 1-1.5 years below grade level.  They have seen great improvements in most students engaged in the program.  It requires 30-45 minutes per day of small group direct instruction.  It is best organized with a teacher who is able to focus solely on the group during this time and not with many groups in a regular classroom.

Wilson Reading System - FCRR site listed this as an intensive intervention.  What Works ClearingHouse has determined that it has potential positive effects for alphabetics but not fluency or comprehension.  It is currently being used at Lannoye School with students 2 or more years behind grade level in reading.  Most students using this prgram made their NWEA MAP RIT gains for the 08-09 school year.  It requires 55-90 minutes per day of small group instruction with very frequent interaction between students and teacher. It was originally designed for students with dyslexia but has been expanded to be used with other students who are also needing an intensive reading program.

Scientific Learning Reading Assistant - FCRR site listed that as an focused intervention with positive effects on fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. Lannoye School has one copy of this software and will pilot it with several students for the 2009-2010 school year as additional practice in fluency development.

Fast ForWord Language and Reading Programs - FCRR site listed the Fast ForWord Language program to have reported effects on improving Oral Language skills which are to improve reading skills.  Because the Language program does not specifically teach decoding skills, students need to use this program as a supplement and not a replacement to reading instruction.  What Works Clearinghouse has determined that it has positive effects for alphabetics and mixed results for comprehension. Pulaski conducted research with Green Bay, Denmark and Seymour school districts when the program was purchased with an Ed Tech Consortium Grant.  The results of the local research was that the program made a significant positive effect on student reading.  Pulaski continues to use the program with students who need to develop skills in auditory processing and working memory.  Within six months of successfully completing the program, students typically begin to improve in reading as their new processing skills allow them to take advantage of the quality reading instruction in the classroom.

Quick Reads - FRCC site states quality research that supports the use of this program for improving fluency and comprehension for students in grades 2-4. What Works Clearinghouse lists this intervention as having no quality studies to review. According to the product site, "QuickReads is a research-based and classroom-validated program that systematically increases fluency, builds vocabulary and background knowledge, and improves comprehension. Through a unique combination of text and consistent instructional routine, QuickReads results in improved reading proficiency for students at all ability levels."  The program is used 10-15 minutes per day in addition to regular reading instruction.  The instruction is directed by the teacher who follows a lesson format.

Read Naturally - FRCC site states that the strategies within the Read Naturally program have been shown by scientific research to be effective for improving students’ reading fluency.