Reading achievement scores for adolescents with disabilities are markedly lower than the scores of adolescents without disabilities. For example, 62% of students with disabilities read "below" the basic level on the NAEP Reading assessment, compared to 19% of their nondisabled peers. This achievement gap has been a continuing challenge…

In this investigation, we examined the effects of a differentiated reading approach on fourth grade students' reading comprehension and attitudes toward reading. Eight Title I schools within one urban district were randomly assigned to treatment (Schoolwide Enrichment Model-Reading [SEM-R]) or control (district reading curriculum) conditions.…

The problem of summer reading loss among low-income children has been amply documented by researchers. Over time, income-based disparities in reading achievement appear to grow more rapidly during the summer months than the academic school year. This paper describes two experiments in which teachers scaffold summer book reading with two different…

READS (Reading Enhances Achievement During Summer) has been implemented in North Carolina schools for the past several years as part of an Investing in Innovation (i3) validation grant that began in fall 2010. This paper focuses on the Year 3 study and compares the Year 3 results to the Year 1 and Year 2 results, and the results of earlier…

Although research on the effectiveness of differentiated and enriched instruction in improving the achievement of diverse students is still emerging, some studies suggest that students in academically diverse classrooms benefited academically from differentiated learning experiences. The primary research question explored in this study was…

Despite the potential of differentiated curricula to enhance learning, limited research exists that documents their impact on Grade 3 students of all ability levels. To determine if there was a difference in achievement between students involved in 16 weeks of predifferentiated, enriched mathematics curricula and students using their district's…

The Des Moines (Iowa) Independent Community School District Chapter I Mathematics Program served 1,110 students in grades 2-8. Chapter I Math students in grades two through six achieved gains on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills from pre to posttesting. Scores on these tests are reported using a metric known as the Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE). The…

The Des Moines (Iowa) Independent Community School District Chapter I Reading Program served 1,850 students in grades 2-9. Chapter I students displayed gains between pre- and posttesting with the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills and Iowa Tests of Educational Development. The total population of Chapter I students who completed both a pre and posttest…

Education Consolidation Improvement Act (ECIA) Chapter 1 programs were conducted in 29 elementary schools in the Wichita (Kansas) Public Schools during the 1983-1984 school year. Major programs were corrective reading, mathematics, and prekindergarten. Smaller programs for children in neglected and delinquent institutions were conducted. A reduced…