Students with reading difficulties need specialized, targeted interventions. However, the availability of effective programs varies by school board.
Inquiry survey responses indicated that many schools are delivering intervention at too late an age. Students need to be exposed to a rigorous program as early as possible.
Lexia Core 5 is a research-proven program that provides students with the instruction they need to improve foundational word reading skills.
What is Reading Intervention?
Reading intervention is typically referred to as one-on-one or small group instruction outside of classroom time, specifically for students with learning difficulties. It is a critical component of a well-designed RTI/MTSS framework and can include both direct and indirect instruction.
Inquiry survey respondents reported that spots for evidence-based interventions were limited and some students had to change schools to access them. Others had to go to a provincial demonstration school or pay private tutoring.
Some school boards also limit the availability of reading intervention programs to students who are a certain number of grades or even years behind their grade-level peers. This practice is not based on sound science and will leave many children who need intervention without it. Inquiry survey respondents also noted that some schools make only limited use of evidence-based interventions like Lexia(r) Core 5(r) and Wilson Fundations(r) which provide systematic instruction in foundational reading skills including phonemic awareness, sound-symbol relationships, word study and spelling, sight word reading and fluency.
Identifying a Student’s Needs
Reading is not a natural skill, and many students will require extra instruction to become proficient. Reading intervention programs are designed to provide additional, targeted literacy instruction for students whose skills differ from those of their same-age peers.
These programs typically work to supplement classroom curricula by teaching specific, explicit literacy skills and strategies in small groups, with instructors able to adjust pace for students’ instructional levels. The programs also teach students to apply the techniques they’ve learned in class by reading self-selected books at home, with teachers supporting them with tools for one-on-one instruction.
School boards determine which interventions to use, in what grades to implement them and the eligibility criteria. Inquiry respondents across the province reported that students are not getting the interventions they need early enough. Moreover, many of the board-developed interventions are not effective or evidence-based. This is especially the case for interventions that focus on oral language. For example, students who scored low on a screener are often referred to programs that focus on phonological awareness without effective programming for word-reading difficulties.
Developing a Plan
Educators need to develop an effective reading intervention plan that includes a combination of different strategies that focus on student needs. It is also important that the classroom teacher is involved in providing intervention to their students. It is best to not rely too heavily on paraprofessionals and specialists in this role, as it can take away from the classroom teacher’s instructional time.
Explicit instruction is an effective strategy when teaching students reading comprehension skills. It involves clear, direct guidance to students and breaking complex tasks down into smaller parts. It also focuses on incorporating vocabulary lessons to teach morphological elements such as prefix, suffix and root words.
It’s also important to incorporate guided oral reading into the daily classroom schedule. This can help struggling readers practice their oral reading skills and makes efficient use of school time. It can also help build a positive attitude toward reading by allowing children to associate it with a fun, regular activity.
Implementing the Plan
Once teachers understand a student’s reading needs, they can implement a targeted reading intervention plan. Using assessment data, they can provide explicit, systematic, cumulative instruction and scaffolded practice that helps students develop critical skills.
This includes phonics instruction, which allows students to map sound-symbol relationships accurately so words can be quickly and automatically retrieved from memory at the word level. It also includes strategies for improving oral reading fluency, such as repeated readings of short texts at a student’s fluency level.
Other important components of the reading intervention program include a dependable screening assessment and ongoing progress monitoring to ensure that instruction is effective. Additionally, the program should provide opportunities for teacher and reading specialist training in research-based practices.
For example, Lexia Core 5 Reading provides teachers with real-time assessment data and a proven reading intervention curriculum for students in pre-Kindergarten through Grade 5. This allows for small group, one-on-one instruction to address a student’s individual learning needs.