The "Right" Thing to do with Struggling Readers

Let me first begin by saying that I think we have made a TON of progress this year when it comes to intervention and helping our most struggling readers.  We have plans, flexible schedules, resources, the DRA2, AIMS web, meetings and more meetings!!!!  Yet, most of us are still wondering, are we doing the right thing?  What is the "right" thing to do in intervention?

Richard Allington (the "King of Intervention"),  suggests that one of  the "right" things is to devote 2/3 of your intervention time for students to actually read (practice the game). He also suggests that "students need an adequate supply of texts that they find interesting and that they can read accurately, fluently and with good understanding.  Lots of books is not enough, but it is the beginnning step - an absolutely necessary beginnning."  In fact, the National Reading Panel did a similar study on the impact of comprehension achievement when students read books that are at their independent reading level.  They found a "huge effect size (ES = 1.64) on reading comprehension for ease of access students had to interesting texts.  Just to understand the enormity of that, it may be useful to know that it is four times as large as the effect that the NRP found for systematic phonics instruction on word reading, and roughly ten times the size of the effect phonics lessons had on reading comprehension." 

Ensuring that students have interesting books that they can read accurately, fluently and with good understanding is essential!  Luckily, we have Dana and Madeline who are excellent and finding that "just right book"  to help.    So, if you are wondering if you are doing the "right" thing, and your students are spending the bulk of their intervention time actually reading with texts that they can read accurately, fluently and with good understading, than know you are headed in the right direction!