WWC review of this study

The Efficacy of Repeated Reading and Wide Reading Practice for High School Students with Severe Reading Disabilities

Wexler, Jade; Vaughn, Sharon; Roberts, Greg; Denton, Carolyn A. (2010). Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, v25 n1 p2-10. Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ872197

  • Randomized Controlled Trial
     examining 
    62
     Students
    , grades
    9-12

Reviewed: May 2014

No statistically significant positive
findings
Meets WWC standards without reservations
Alphabetics outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

Woodcock-Johnson (WJ): Letter-Word Identification subtest

Repeated Reading vs. business as usual

posttest

Grades 9-12;
62 students

73.02

71.51

No

--
Comprehension outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

Woodcock-Johnson III (WJ-III): Passage Comprehension subtest

Repeated Reading vs. business as usual

posttest

Grades 9-12;
62 students

71.86

71.12

No

--
Reading achievement outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

Test of Silent Reading Efficiency (TOSRE)

Repeated Reading vs. business as usual

posttest

Grades 9-12;
62 students

13.72

14.84

No

--
Reading Fluency outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

Words Read Correctly Per Minute (WCPM) #3

Repeated Reading vs. business as usual

posttest

Grades 9-12;
62 students

83.81

78.86

No

--

Test of Silent Contextual Reading Fluency (TOSCRF)

Repeated Reading vs. business as usual

posttest

Grades 9-12;
62 students

75.60

76.16

No

--

Words Read Correctly Per Minute (WCPM) #2

Repeated Reading vs. business as usual

posttest

Grades 9-12;
62 students

83.00

86.28

No

--

AIMSweb system: Words read correctly per minute (WCPM) #1

Repeated Reading vs. business as usual

posttest

Grades 9-12;
62 students

86.70

91.62

No

--


Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.

Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.


  • 6% English language learners

  • Female: 29%
    Male: 71%
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    South

Setting

The study was conducted in 11 classrooms serving grades 9–12 from schools in a metropolitan area in the southwestern United States.

Study sample

The study included 106 students from 11 special education English and reading classes who were randomly assigned to three conditions. This report only reviews findings for the 62 students in the repeated reading group (33 students) and comparison group (29 students). Students within each class were paired based on median pretest oral reading fluency scores—higher scorers were paired with lower scorers in such a way that practice texts would be appropriate for both students in the pair. Each pair was then randomly assigned to one of the intervention conditions. The overall attrition rate for this sample was 9%, and the differential attrition rate was about 4%. All students in the study had significant reading difficulties, as indicated by failing reading scores on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), and were enrolled in special education English and reading classes. Seventy-seven percent of the 62 students in the repeated reading and comparison groups were learning disabled (the study does not indicate how the students were identified as learning disabled).

Intervention Group

The repeated reading intervention was administered by two graduate research assistants and a full-time school employee for 15 to 20 minutes each day, five times a week, for 10 weeks. Intervention materials were taken from The Six-Minute Solution,7 Read Naturally®, and Quick Reads®. Selections were based on the lower-level reader from each pair.

Comparison Group

Students in the comparison group received the instruction they would normally receive from their classroom teachers.

Outcome descriptions

Seven reading measures were administered before and after the intervention. Reading comprehension was measured by the Passage Comprehension subtest of the WJ III. Alphabetics was measured by the Letter-Word Identification subtest of the WJ III. Reading fluency was measured by administration of the TOSCRF and by three oral reading fluency passages taken from the AIMSweb system. General reading achievement was measured by the TOSRE. For a more detailed description of these outcome measures, see Appendix B.

Support for implementation

The repeated reading instructors were trained in two 3-hour sessions on partner reading, intervention procedures, and monitoring procedures.

In the case of multiple manuscripts that report on one study, the WWC selects one manuscript as the primary citation and lists other manuscripts that describe the study as additional sources.

  • Wexler, J. A. P. (2008). The relative effects of repeated reading, wide reading, and a typical instruction comparison group on the comprehension, fluency, and word reading of adolescents with reading disabilities. Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences, 68(12–A), 5034.

Reviewed: July 2013



Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.

Study sample characteristics were not reported.

Reviewed: March 2013



Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.

Study sample characteristics were not reported.

Reviewed: January 2012



Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.

Study sample characteristics were not reported.
 

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