WWC review of this study

A comparison of responsive interventions on kindergarteners’ early reading achievement.

Little, M. E., Rawlinson, D., Simmons, D. C., Kim, M., Kwok, O., Hagan-Burke, S., . . . Coyne, M. D. (2012). Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 27(4), 189–202. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5826.2012.00366. Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ986226

  • Randomized Controlled Trial
     examining 
    90
     Students
    , grade
    K

Reviewed: February 2023

No statistically significant positive
findings
Meets WWC standards with reservations
Phonology outcomes—Substantively important positive effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP): Sound-Matching

Early Reading Intervention (ERI) vs. Intervention

126 Days

Full sample;
90 students

9.63

8.35

No

--

Dynamic Indicators for Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS): Phoneme Segmentation Fluency

Early Reading Intervention (ERI) vs. Intervention

126 Days

Full sample;
90 students

37.74

32.43

No

--

Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP): Blending Words

Early Reading Intervention (ERI) vs. Intervention

126 Days

Full sample;
90 students

10.75

10.74

No

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

Woodcock Reading Mastery Test - Revised: Word Attack

Early Reading Intervention (ERI) vs. Intervention

126 Days

Full sample;
90 students

108.31

106.39

No

--

Woodcock Reading Mastery Test - Revised: Word Identification

Early Reading Intervention (ERI) vs. Intervention

126 Days

Full sample;
90 students

107.26

105.57

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.


  • 18% English language learners
    • B
    • A
    • C
    • D
    • E
    • F
    • G
    • I
    • H
    • J
    • K
    • L
    • P
    • M
    • N
    • O
    • Q
    • R
    • S
    • V
    • U
    • T
    • W
    • X
    • Z
    • Y
    • a
    • h
    • i
    • b
    • d
    • e
    • f
    • c
    • g
    • j
    • k
    • l
    • m
    • n
    • o
    • p
    • q
    • r
    • s
    • t
    • u
    • x
    • w
    • y

    Florida

Setting

The study was conducted in 8 central Florida elementary schools by 21 reading interventionists who worked with 90 kindergarten students.

Study sample

Table 2 provides information on the demographic characteristics of the students in the sample. The mean age of the children in each group was similar (5.51 in the intervention group and 5.55 in the comparison group). A small portion of each group received special education services (9% of the intervention group, 13 percent of the intervention group). Approximately 16% of students in the intervention group received English language learner services, compared to approximately 22% of students in the comparison group.

Intervention Group

The Early Reading intervention was delivered to students in the intervention group. Students were grouped according to their scores on the screening and pre-test assessments and adjustments were made based on student progress. Students were given Early Reading in-program assessments every four weeks and their instruction was accelerated or modified accordingly. Instructors implemented 126 lessons of the Early Reading Intervention to groups of 5 students. The intervention contained four units: learning letters and sounds; segmenting, blending and integrating sounds; reading words; reading sentences and storybooks. The intervention involved daily 30-minute sessions.

Comparison Group

Reading interventionists worked with students in the comparison group using the typical school-designed beginning reading intervention. The students in the comparison group received 30 minutes of small-group, supplemental instruction per day. The exact type of supplemental instruction varied by school, with some schools using commercial intervention programs and some schools using teacher-constructed and/or district core curriculum materials.

 

Your export should download shortly as a zip archive.

This download will include data files for study and findings review data and a data dictionary.

Connect With the WWC

loading
back to top