The purpose of this study was to conduct a psychometric evaluation the "Sound Beginning" phonological awareness progress monitoring tool. This assessment was used to track emergent literacy skills of preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder who were participating in a randomized trial studying early literacy interventions. Research…

Increasingly, prekindergarten programs with literacy outcome goals are seeking to implement evidence-based practices to improve results. Such efforts require instructional intervention strategies to engage children as well as strategies to support teacher implementation. Reported is the iterative development of Literacy 3D, an enhanced support…

Research Findings. A randomized controlled trial evaluated the impact of Motheread/Fatheread Colorado (MFC), an early childhood literacy intervention, on parent reading behaviors and their preschool-aged children's literacy skills. Parents in the experimental condition participated in MFC; control parents did not. Dependent variables included…

Research Findings: This study reports outcomes from a randomized, controlled trial of an emergent literacy intervention for prekindergarten children at-risk for reading failure. Children (N = 2219) in 114 preschools and childcare centers were screened for eligibility in fall. Children who scored at-risk (n = 476) were randomized to fall or spring…

In recent years, schools have started implementing preventive practices such as universal screening. Yet, researchers have not evaluated the extent to which universal screening contributes to academic and behavioral outcomes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the treatment utility of universal screening for behavioral risk. Student…

This report presents the SPARK literacy model, an innovative approach developed by Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, for addressing the literacy needs of low-income and minority schools in Milwaukee. It also presents the results of a two-year randomized control trial evaluation of the SPARK literacy program's impact on reading…

Understanding written language is crucial to academic success in all content areas. Ensuring a strong foundation in the components of written language--that is, the literacy skills of reading, writing, and oral language--is essential if students are to read with understanding and, thus, is a primary goal of early literacy instruction and of the…

This randomized controlled trial in 55 low-performing schools across Florida implemented two literacy interventions--one using a standalone intervention and one using materials embedded in the core reading program. The interventions were delivered daily for 45 minutes for 27 weeks in 2013/14 and 2014/15 in small groups of K-2 students at risk of…

The current study used a dyadic and coconstructive approach to examine how to embed exercises that support executive functioning into early literacy instruction to empower its effects. Using a randomized controlled trial design with 100 children, we examined the effects of dyadic activities in which children scaffolded each other's learning and…

The present study examined how embedded activities to support executive functions helped children to benefit from a computer intervention that targeted preliteracy skills. Three intervention groups were compared on their preliteracy gains in a randomized controlled trial design: an experimental group that worked with software to stimulate early…

Fidelity of implementation is a commonly used term that is not well understood yet frequently assessed in schools today. This paper will discuss the different approaches commonly used in schools (e.g., structural, procedural, etc.) and then present them in relation to student outcomes within a seven-month intervention study with at-risk…

Combining data from a series of three planned consecutive randomized controlled trials, the present study investigates two literacy interventions for preschool children with autism spectrum disorder. For the first cohort, children were randomized to interactive book reading (IBR; treatment) or business as usual (BAU; control); in Cohort 2,…

This study employs a sequential multiple assignment randomized trial (SMART) design to develop an adaptive intervention with personalized print and digital content for kindergarten to Grade 2 children (n = 273). In Stage 1, we ask whether it is better for children to receive an adaptive intervention based on (a) 10 conceptually coherent texts or…

In this study we investigated an editing strategy to develop effective proofreading skills (i.e., mechanics and substantive revisions) within electronic texts through an experimental pre- and posttest group design with random assignment. Fifteen college students with intellectual and developmental disabilities participated in this investigation.…

Recent studies show that texting-based interventions can produce educational benefits in children across a range of ages. We study the effects of a text-based program for kindergarten parents, distinguishing a general program from one that adds differentiation and personalization based on the child's developmental level. Children in the…