Using an adapted alternating treatments design, this study compared the effects of two intervention conditions on the reading fluency, comprehension, and comprehension rate of six high-school students reading below grade level. Students were repeatedly exposed to repeated reading (RR), repeated reading and vocabulary previewing (RR + VP), and no intervention control conditions. Dependent variables were assessed at the end of experimental sessions by using practiced passages. Both interventions had positive effects on reading performance as compared to the control condition. Results indicated that the RR + VP condition led to the greatest improvements in reading fluency for all participants. The RR + VP condition led to the highest reading comprehension levels for three participants, and the RR + VP and RR conditions resulted in similar comprehension levels for the other three participants. For five participants, reading comprehension rate was greatest under the RR + VP condition. Discussion focuses on future directions for research on reading interventions for high-school students. C 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

This study was designed to investigate the validity of four different aloud reading comprehension assessment measures: Maze, comprehension questions, Maze accurate response rate (MARR), and reading comprehension rate (RCR). The criterion measures used in this study were the Woodcock -Johnson III Tests of Achievement (WJ-III ACH) Broad Reading Cluster Score and words correct per minute (WCPM). Pearson Product Correlations and linear regression were used to investigate possible relationships between Maze comprehension level (accuracy), comprehension question level (accuracy), MARR, RCR, WCPM, and the Broad Reading Cluster Score of the WJ-III ACH. Participants were sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students from a middle school located in the Southeastern United States. Significant correlations were found between each of the reading comprehension assessment variables (WCPM, MARR, RCR, Maze comprehension level, and comprehension question level) and the WJ-III ACH Broad Reading Cluster Score. MARR and RCR represented the strongest correlations when compared to the other variables. Results from a linear regression analysis indicated that RCR was the best predictor of the criterion variable (WJ-III). Implications for future research and applied practice are discussed. C 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Response-to-Intervention Model of Service Delivery

Many reading comprehension measures require the student to read silently. When students read silently, important information (e.g., consistent reading errors) may not be identified. It may also be difficult to detect a student who is choosing not to read the passage. For this reason, investigating whether there is a significant difference in comprehension under silent and aloud reading conditions is important to determine under what conditions reading comprehension should be measured accurately. This study was designed to investigate possible differences between silent and aloud reading comprehension scores on Maze assessment probes. Pearson product correlations were used to investigate possible relationships between Maze comprehension scores (silent and aloud), WCPM, and the Broad Reading Cluster Score of the Woodcock -Johnson III Tests of Achievement (WJ-III ACH). Participants were 89 first-and second-grade students from an elementary school located in the Southeastern United States. Each student was exposed to four assessment conditions, which included WCPM, three tests from the WJ-III ACH, and Maze reading comprehension passages. Significant correlations were found for WCPM, aloud and silent Maze, and the WJ-III ACH Broad Reading Cluster Score. No significant difference was found between aloud and silent reading comprehension, which suggests that reading comprehension can be measured accurately under either reading condition. C

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