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The current study was designed to demonstrate how researchers could use a direct measure of functional reading skills (e.g., rates of silent reading comprehension) to empirically validate the effectiveness of a repeated readings intervention. A multi-element design was used to compare the effects of the treatment with a control condition across three secondary students diagnosed with specific learning disabilities in reading. Results showed that repeated readings increased factual comprehension levels and factual reading comprehension rates. No differences were found across conditions on inferential comprehension levels or rates. Discussion focuses on empirically validating reading interventions using rates of silent reading comprehension and theoretical implications related to enhancing inferential and literal comprehension and fluency.

An alternating treatments design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational program that combined timings (via chess clocks), peer tutoring (i.e., peer-delivered immediate feedback), positive-practice overcorrection, and performance feedback on mathematics fluency (i.e., speed of accurate responding) in four elementary students with mathematics skills deficits. Results showed that both serving as a tutee (i.e., overt computation responding) and as a tutor (i.e., delivering feedback) resulted in increased rates of accurate responding for three of the students. Furthermore, all four students showed additional increases in fluency when performance feedback was added. Results are discussed in terms of combining intervention components designed to increase accuracy and fluency.