Intensive Reading Interventions for Inadequate Responders in Grades K–3: A Synthesis

Abstract

A subset of students fail to respond adequately to reading interventions. This synthesis systematically reviews studies in which students in grades K-3 responded inadequately to a Tier 2 reading intervention and were provided with a Tier 3 intervention. Descriptions of the Tier 3 reading interventions and effects are provided. To meet inclusion criteria, studies were required to (a) provide documented, multi-tiered reading interventions with at least one reading outcome measured; (b) include students in grades K-3 who previously responded inadequately to a Tier 2 intervention; (c) use experimental, quasi-experimental, or multiple-group designs; and (d) be peer reviewed and conducted in English. Twelve studies met inclusion criteria. Results demonstrate that students who responded inadequately to Tier 2 interventions can make significant growth from Tier 3 interventions compared with a control group of peers who were also inadequate responders, but often fail to catch up to their more responsive peers.

WordDriver‐1: evaluating the efficacy of an app‐supported decoding intervention for children with reading impairment

“…It evaluated the efficacy of this intervention using an SSRD of the highest level of evidence: eight participants from three schools (thus incorporating children from different teaching environments); a research design involving two forms of control (a 'no treatment' phase for each participant, and a comparison intervention to control for the effect of individual therapy time); random assignment of participants to intervention regime; and finally, each of the baseline phases involved the same number of sessions (enabling use of statistical analyses to compare changes in performance between baseline measures). The findings are consistent with previous research (Denton et al 2013, Austin et al 2017 showing significant gains following Tier 3 interventions. Additionally, the decoding intervention significantly increased the decoding skills for all participants: this suggests that it may form a useful component within Tier 3 reading interventions, particularly for those students with specific impairments in orthographic learning who may 'need a different approach to reading instruction, perhaps going beyond currently understood "best practices"' (Denton et al 2013: 645).…”

“…, Austin et al . ) showing significant gains following Tier 3 interventions. Additionally, the decoding intervention significantly increased the decoding skills for all participants: this suggests that it may form a useful component within Tier 3 reading interventions, particularly for those students with specific impairments in orthographic learning who may ‘need a different approach to reading instruction, perhaps going beyond currently understood “best practices”’ (Denton et al .…”

“…In Tier 1, evidencesupported instruction is provided to all students. Tier 2 involves an individualized plan and explicit instruction for students who are at risk of reading disorders; while in Tier 3, in-depth assessment and intensive instruction is provided to the students who make less progress than expected with Tier 2 interventions (Denton et al 2013, Austin et al 2017.…”

Elementary Teachers’ Perceptions of a Comprehensive, Integrated, Three-Tiered Model of Prevention

“…Tier 2 might include small group instruction, a supplemental curriculum, or low-intensity supports (e.g., an increased rate of opportunities to respond; Messenger et al, 2017), whereas Tier 3 includes intensive intervention designed to address any issues preventing a student from being successful in school. This could be services such as mental health counseling (Lane et al, 2017), one-to-one academic instruction (Austin et al, 2017), or a functional assessment-based intervention (FABI; Umbreit et al, 2007).…”

Response to intervention : a qualitative case study at an urban elementary school in New Mexico

“…Response to Intervention and Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) are synonymous in the literature (Fuchs & Fuchs, 2017;Balu et al, 2015;Jimerson, Burns, & VanDerHeyden, 2016). Response to Intervention and MTTS are interchangeable terms in describing a framework and process of tiered instruction and assessments to address students' academic and social needs and support the determination of disability (Austin, Vaughn, & McClelland, 2017). Since this study took place in a state that utilizes RTI in its state laws and documentation, RTI was the phrase used predominantly within this thesis.…”