Colby Hall

University of Virginia | UVa · CISE

This study examined six reading intervention teachers’ implementation of the SPELL-Links to Reading and Writing intervention with students in Grades 2 and 3. The purpose was to explore the extent to which teachers who received a one-day training session without ongoing coaching support were able to implement the intervention with fidelity. It also...

Purpose: An inferential comprehension intervention addressing reading comprehension difficulties of middle schoolers was tested. Method: Students in Grades 6 to 8 (n = 145; 53.8% female; 71% White; 24% Black) who failed their state literacy test, were randomly assigned to tutorled, computerized, or business-as-usual [BaU] interventions. Results: Th...

Technology to support student learning has become increasingly prevalent in schools and homes during the last few decades. Several recent reviews have examined aspects of technology-based literacy instruction, but they have not focused on the full array of literacy skills that can be addressed during technology-delivered instruction for elementary...

Purpose This study examines the narrative language and reading outcomes of monolingual and bilingual students who received instruction with the Supporting Knowledge in Language and Literacy (SKILL) program, a narrative language intervention. Method The main effects of the SKILL program were evaluated in a randomized controlled trial in which stude...

In theory, teacher knowledge predicts instructional practice, thus impacting student outcomes. When it comes to knowledge to teach elementary-grade reading, most previous surveys have focused on knowledge essential for word reading development; few surveys have provided a picture of educator knowledge to teach both word reading and language compreh...

This study examined the heterogeneity of early literacy profiles of English learners and non-English learners. Utilizing a latent profile analysis, the degree to which distinct learner profiles emerged was examined using code-based and language-based measures administered in the beginning of first grade. Participants included 11,803 English learner...

Teacher self-efficacy to teach reading is positively associated with teacher effort and persistence as well as student performance. To provide effective reading instruction that meets the needs of students with reading difficulties, theoretical and empirical evidence suggests teachers need to believe they have the necessary knowledge and skills to...

The purposes of this study were to (a) describe the extent to which motivational practices are incorporated in foundational reading interventions for students with or at risk for dyslexia in kindergarten through Grade 5 (K–5) and (b) explore whether the presence and type of motivational practices (i.e., supports vs. strategies) within foundational...

Early access to evidence-based reading intervention improves outcomes for students with or at risk for reading difficulties. Additionally, teacher implementation of reading interventions plays a key role in the efficacy of reading interventions. Previous research suggests the influence of intervention implementation fidelity on student language and...

The contribution of self-regulation to academic achievement is supported by robust research evidence. Incorporating practices to enhance self-regulation during small-group reading instruction is associated with improved outcomes for upper-elementary students with learning disabilities in reading. Two evidence-based self-regulation practices are (a)...

This meta‐analysis included experimental or quasi‐experimental intervention studies conducted between 1980 and 2020 that aimed to improve reading outcomes for Grade K‐5 students with or at risk for dyslexia (i.e., students with or at risk for word reading difficulties, defined as scoring at or below norm‐referenced screening or mean baseline perfor...

This study meta‐analyzed the last four decades (1980–2020) of reading intervention research focused on improving reading outcomes for English language (EL) students in Grades K–5 with or at risk for word reading difficulties. Experimental and quasi‐experimental group design and single‐case experimental design (SCED) studies were included; 10 group...

This best-evidence synthesis reviews the past 20 years of rigorous reading intervention research to identify effective programs of instruction for Grade K-3 English Learners (ELs), as well as to determine the average effect of reading instruction on reading outcomes for this population. We identified 10 studies, all of which only included students...

This study piloted a reading comprehension instruction professional development intervention for teachers of upper elementary grade students (Unlocking Understanding), exploring the relative effects of two versions of the intervention that varied the degree of lesson scripting. Results indicated a statistically significant difference between the fu...

This meta-analysis examined the effects on reading comprehension of foundational reading skills and multicomponent reading interventions provided to students with or at risk for reading difficulties or disabilities (students with RDs) in kindergarten through Grade 3. The meta-analysis included studies identified by Wanzek et al. (2016) and Wanzek e...

E nglish learners (ELs) are the fastest growing population of students in the United States. There are over 4.8 million ELs enrolled in K-12 schools (U.S. Department of Education, 2017). The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that by 2030, EL students will compose 40% of the school-age population (U.S. Department of Education, 2003). As the student popul...

This introduction to the special series summarizes evidence for the genetic and brain bases for dyslexia and cognitive–behavioral indicators (including ones that can be measured even before the onset of reading instruction) that attest to meaningful differences between children with dyslexia and their non-dyslexic peers. Authors review controversie...

This exploratory study examined the nature of instruction provided in two reading intervention programs designed for elementary-grade students with dyslexia (The Multisensory Teaching Approach and Reading RULES!). In addition to documenting the proportion of time dedicated to particular content components (i.e., letter-name knowledge, phonological...

A recent meta-analysis published in Exceptional Children (Stevens et al., 2021) looked at the effects of Orton-Gillingham (OG) reading interventions on reading outcomes for students who have word reading difficulties. The results of the study have led to questions and lively conversation among practitioners and reading researchers. One of the thing...

The Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) model for instructional delivery is well supported by research evidence and is often identified as a critical element of instruction for students with learning difficulties. However, there are challenges associated with effectively releasing responsibility to students. This may be especially true during i...

Most educators understand that early intervention is important for the prevention and/or remediation of word reading difficulties. But how did we come to know this? Over the past few decades, there have been a series of landmark studies that have demonstrated the importance of assessing risk for reading difficulties early on (e.g., screening at the...

This study examined the amount and types of narrative instruction (i.e., story comprehension, oral storytelling, and story writing instruction) that general education English language arts teachers provide to students in Grades 1 through 4. The research team conducted 121, ~30-minute classroom observations. Educators were asked to teach a lesson fo...

This chapter addresses the research on reading development and instruction for students with reading-related learning disabilities (e.g., word reading difficulties, reading comprehension difficulties) who are also English learners. The first section describes theoretical frameworks for understanding how children acquire and gain proficiency in read...

This paper reviews findings from four research syntheses that report the effects of academic language and/or reading interventions on language and reading outcomes for English learners who have or are at risk for learning difficulties. Studies included in the syntheses varied in research design and addressed multiple areas of reading and language....

Inference skill is one of the most important predictors of reading comprehension. Still, there is little rigorous research investigating the effects of inference instruction on reading comprehension. There is no research investigating the effects of inference instruction on reading comprehension for English learners with reading comprehension diffi...

This meta-analysis synthesizes the last two decades of experimental and quasi-experimental research on reading instruction across academic contexts (e.g., social studies, science, mathematics, English language arts) for English learners (ELs) in grades 4 through 8, to determine (a) the overall effectiveness of reading instruction for upper elementa...

The use of printed words to capture language is one of the most remarkable inventions of humankind, and learning to read them is one of the most remarkable achievements of individuals. In recent decades, how we learn to read and understand printed text has been studied intensely in genetics, education, psychology, and cognitive science, and both th...

Making inferences during reading is a critical standards-based skill and is important for reading comprehension. This article supports the improvement of reading comprehension for students with learning disabilities (LD) in upper elementary grades by reviewing what is currently known about inference instruction for students with LD and providing de...

This study aimed to determine the efficacy of a content knowledge and reading comprehension treatment implemented by 8th-grade social studies teachers over the course of 1 school year. We randomly assigned 8th-grade students with reading difficulties to the intervention treatment condition (n = 45) or the business-as-usual comparison condition (n =...

Skill in generating inferences predicts reading comprehension for students in the elementary and intermediate grades even after taking into account word reading, vocabulary knowledge, and cognitive ability (Cain et al., Journal of Educational Psychology, 96, 671–81, 2004; Kendeou et al., Journal of Research in Reading, 31, 259–72, 2008; Oakhill and...

Promoting Acceleration of Comprehension and Content through Text (PACT) and similar team-based models directly engage and support students in learning situations that require cognitive elaboration as part of the processing of new information. Elaboration is subject to metacognitive control, as well (Karpicke, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Gen...

Mrs. Rodriguez, a special education teacher at Jefferson Middle School, faces the same complaints every year from her students. Today, she is hearing them all over again as she tries to understand why two discouraged eighth graders, both with learning disabilities , are having such a hard time succeeding in their U.S. history class. " I like my U.S...

Mrs. Rodriguez, a special education teacher at Jefferson Middle School, faces the same complaints every year from her students. Today, she is hearing them all over again as she tries to understand why two discouraged eighth graders, both with learning disabilities , are having such a hard time succeeding in their U.S. history class. " I like my U.S...