Improving Reading Comprehension for High School Students With Disabilities

Abstract

The authors examine the results for students with disabilities from a 2-year randomized controlled trial with students identified in ninth grade and followed through 10th grade in their allotted condition group. Prior to ninth grade, students with disabilities who met criteria for low reading comprehension (i.e., through failure on the state accountability test) were randomly assigned to one of three treatment conditions-reading without dropout prevention, reading with dropout prevention, dropout prevention without reading-or a business-asusual condition. Students with disabilities in the reading treatments demonstrated significant gains on reading comprehension (Hedges's g = .44) compared to students with disabilities in the business-as-usual and dropout-prevention-without-reading conditions. Results support extensive (2-year) interventions in reading for high school students with disabilities.

Increasing College Entrance Testing Vocabulary for Secondary Students with High-Incidence Disabilities

“…Traditionally, students with disabilities score poorer than their peers without disabilities on vocabulary, as well as reading comprehension, measures (Leko, Alzahrani, Handi, 2019;Vaughn et al, 2015). As recently as 2015, based on findings from the NCES, Average Scale Score for Reading in which reading scale scores range from 0-500, students without disabilities averaged a 269-scaled score while students with disabilities average score was a 226.…”

“…In fact, Kuder (2017) most recently states that a review of the current literature shows that of the five most common types of intervention, (fluency, word study, vocabulary, comprehension, multi-component methods), vocabulary instruction produces the largest effect size (1.62) thus indicating improvement in this isolated skill continues to be critical area for instruction. Vaughn et al (2015) states that as students' age, vocabulary knowledge and reading difficulties become compounded. In a study of 9 th grade students, Lang et al (2009) found that these students require greater support and interventions to improve their deficits in both background knowledge and vocabulary for meaning to occur.…”

“…In a study of 9 th grade students, Lang et al (2009) found that these students require greater support and interventions to improve their deficits in both background knowledge and vocabulary for meaning to occur. Vaughn et al (2015) also completed a meta-analysis of the number of reading interventions available for students with reading disabilities; they found there were twice as many reading interventions available for elementary students than for secondary students. The overwhelming consensus from this information indicates that remediating secondary students with reading deficits, specifically vocabulary acquisition, remains a challenge and warrants continued research (Boon, Fore, & Spencer, 2007;Bryant et al, 2003;Kennedy, Thomas, Meyer, Alves, & Lloyd, 2014).…”

“…There is limited research on high school students with mild/high-incidence disabilities regarding the acquisition of vocabulary that centers on college entrance and career readiness exams (Malcolm & Roll, 2017); specifically, in the content area of reading and using instructional technology in the form of a computer-based graphic organizer. Targeted instruction of academic vocabulary promotes contentarea knowledge (Fisher & Frey, 2014;Vaughn et al, 2015). Graphic organizers, albeit not electronic in nature, have been proven to promote this cause (Ae-Hwa, Vaughn, Wanzek, & Wei, 2004;Ausubel, 1963;Gajria, Jitendra, Sood, & Sacks, 2007;McMackin & Witherell, 2005;Singleton & Filce, 2015).…”

“…Graphic organizers, albeit not electronic in nature, have been proven to promote this cause (Ae-Hwa, Vaughn, Wanzek, & Wei, 2004;Ausubel, 1963;Gajria, Jitendra, Sood, & Sacks, 2007;McMackin & Witherell, 2005;Singleton & Filce, 2015). With the emphasis of rigor in education and, thus, the cognitive demand placed upon students steadily increasing, the challenge placed before students is accumulating (Kim et al, 2017;Lombardi et al, 2017;Malcolm & Roll, 2017;Vaughn et al, 2015). To this end, teaching vocabulary is not only vital, but is a key component in the success of students with disabilities at the secondary level (Vaughn et al, 2015;Malcolm & Roll, 2017;Watson et al, 2012).…”