Hank Fien

• MS, PhD
• Professor (Full) at Boston University

Models for student reading performance can empower educators and institutions to proactively identify at-risk students, thereby enabling early and tailored instructional interventions. However, there are no suitable publicly available educational datasets for modeling and predicting future reading performance. In this work, we introduce the Enhance...

More than two-thirds of middle school students do not read proficiently. Research has shown that targeted interventions using explicit instruction methods can improve reading outcomes for struggling readers. A central feature of explicit instruction is the systematic implementation of instructional interactions, but it is not clear what specific in...

Policy efforts in mathematics have focused on increasing teachers’ mathematics content knowledge (MCK), with the goal of increasing teacher quality and in turn increasing student mathematics learning. An alternative approach to increasing student mathematics achievement is to investigate curricula that can be effectively used by teachers with a ran...

A trend has emerged across schools in the United States in which phonemic awareness is viewed as much more than a component of beginning reading instruction. This perspective argues that “phonemic proficiency”, evidenced by mastery with advanced tasks such as phoneme elision or substitution, is an important target for assessment and instruction wel...

Dyslexia, the most common learning disability, is associated with poor academic, economic, vocational, and health outcomes. Disproportionately, dyslexia is undiagnosed and untreated in children who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) or who live in poverty. Early identification of and subsequent interventions for children at risk for...

Effective early mathematics instruction is critical to support long‐term mathematics achievement. Given that student response to typical instruction varies, a range of mathematics interventions have been developed to support foundational mathematics development. However, not all students respond to these interventions. To better understand factors...

Dyslexia, the most common learning disability, is associated with poor academic, economic, vocational, and health outcomes. Disproportionately, dyslexia is undiagnosed and untreated in children who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) or who live in poverty. Early identification of and subsequent interventions for children at risk for...

We situate education, and the science of reading (SOR) specifically, in the midst of a broad, evidence‐based revolution involving an array of disciplines focused on improving the health and well‐being of individuals and populations. Low and stagnant levels of reading proficiency, massive reading disparities, and a robust SOR knowledge base suggest...

Previous studies of K-12 dyslexia legislation have described broad trends in legislative content, such as the presence or absence of screening and intervention requirements. This study uses document analysis to provide a finer-grained description of the laws to highlight critical variation in policy that will directly affect (a) the number and type...

This study examined the cost-effectiveness of a 50-lesson mathematics intervention program focused on whole number concepts for at-risk kindergarten students, ROOTS. The study utilized a randomized block design with 1,251 at-risk students within 138 classrooms randomly assigned to one of two active treatment conditions (small groups of either two o...

We examine the effects of a read aloud replication intervention designed to improve the vocabulary, comprehension, and expository and narrative language outcomes of first grade students. Thirty-nine first-grade classrooms from 12 schools were randomly assigned to a treatment (n = 19) or comparison condition (n = 20). Teachers in the treatment condi...

A concerning number of students enter kindergarten facing an intractable variation of mathematics difficulties (MD). This study investigated the impact of an explicit, core kindergarten mathematics program on the mathematical outcomes of kindergartners who demonstrated risk for severe MD at kindergarten entry and examined whether these students imp...

This pilot study examined the promise of a Tier 2 Grade 6 intervention program for students at-risk for difficulties in mathematics. The study utilized a quasi-experimental design. The final sample included 112 students in treatment (Promoting Algebra Readiness) and 86 students in control (standard district practice) conditions. The Promoting Algeb...

States are increasingly recommending that districts and schools use multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) to improve reading outcomes for all students. States have also suggested MTSS is a viable service delivery model in response to new state legislation to screen, identify, and treat students with word-level reading disability (i.e., dyslexia)....

Instructional interactions that occur between teachers and students around foundational mathematics topics are critical for supporting mathematical proficiency among students with mathematics learning disabilities (MLD). This study investigated whether the initial mathematics skill of 880 kindergarten students at risk of MLD predicted the quantity...

Although 41 states have adopted dyslexia related legislation, with 21 including screening for dyslexia in early elementary school, states lack clear consensus regarding screening requirements, screening tools, and how to use scores to inform decisions. Additionally, balancing sensitivity and specificity in the screening process is values-based and...

Students in the United States continue to demonstrate deficits in foundational reading skills. A system where those at most risk are from certain demographic groups turns this into a question of equity and justice. Using data from the University of Oregon’s Assessment Innovation Project we examined the role of race and free/reduced price lunch on F...

Well-designed mathematics instruction focused on concepts and problem-solving skills associated with measurement and data analysis can build a foundational understanding for more advanced mathematics. This study investigated the efficacy of the Precision Mathematics Level 1 (PM-L1) intervention, a Tier 2 print- and technology-based mathematics inte...

The provision of high-quality early mathematics instruction and intervention is critical to ensure that all students are on track for academic success. Given this, identifying and utilizing assessments that can enable the detection of nonresponse to mathematics instruction is a critical aspect of early intervention. To this end, the current study e...

This paper aims to provide an overview and some insight into what is known about screening for dyslexia. Section I provides a brief overview of “what is dyslexia” and the importance of screening for dyslexia risk. In Section II of this paper, we discuss the neurological and behavioral aspects relevant to dyslexia as well as the emerging research in...

Opportunities for practice play a critical role in learning complex behaviors. In the context of explicit mathematics instruction, practice facilitates systematic opportunities for students with mathematics difficulties (MD) to learn new mathematics content and apply such knowledge and skills to novel mathematics problems. This study explored wheth...

Considerable evidence indicates that students’ academic motivation and engagement generally decline as they move through middle school and on to high school. This study applied social cognitive theory to explore how self-efficacy and perceived control—two main factors of personal agency—may play a role in mitigating this decline in engagement and f...

Through careful examination of the partnership between the National Center on Improving Literacy, a Department of Education funded technical assistance center, and the University of Oregon’s school psychology graduate program, we will discuss how technical assistance centers provide training opportunities aligned with NASP domains. Exploring the tr...

Mathematics interventions aimed at accelerating the learning of students with mathematics difficulties (MD) should be developed through a design science approach such as the Curriculum Research Framework (CRF). Precision Mathematics is a National Science Foundation-funded DRK–12 Design and Development project focused on building mathematical profic...

This article provides an overview of recent changes to state-level dyslexia legislation. It begins by applying a variant of Kingdon’s multiple streams approach to explain how the dyslexia education “policy window” came to be opened. The article then describes the most likely effects and side effects of the new laws. Likely short-term effects includ...

This study examined the role of initial skill in moderating intervention effects of a 50-lesson mathematics intervention program, ROOTS, for at-risk kindergarten students focused on developing whole-number concepts and skills. The study utilized a randomized block design with at-risk students (n = 592) within classrooms (n = 60) randomly assigned t...

Early number skills are a critical aspect of early mathematics development. However, the constructs that comprise early number skills differ across assessments, and previous studies have proposed various models of early mathematics skills comprised of formal and informal tasks. This study explored the factor structure of a researcher-developed meas...

English learners (ELs) represent a rapidly growing subgroup in US schools. Yet, converging evidence suggests that a concerning number of ELs struggle to reach proficient levels in mathematics. The purpose of this multi-site randomized controlled trial was to examine the treatment effects of a Tier 2 mathematics intervention on the mathematical outc...

Group size and treatment intensity are understudied topics in mathematics intervention research. This study examined whether the treatment intensity and overall intervention effects of an empirically validated Tier 2 mathematics intervention varied between intervention groups with 2:1 and 5:1 student-teacher ratios. Student practice opportunities a...

This study uses a regression discontinuity design to evaluate the impact of seventh grade interventions delivered by 25 schools on the reading and school engagement outcomes of struggling readers. Students in participating schools were assigned to intervention (n = 1,495) or comparison (n = 4,397) conditions, based on their state reading performanc...

This review proposes that socioeconomic status (SES) may predispose individuals to certain patterns of thought, such as mind wandering, that ultimately contribute to the SES academic achievement gap. We base this hypothesis on the importance of working memory and the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system to mind wandering; as well as on evidence th...

A primary aim of mathematics programs is to accelerate the achievement of all students, including students with or at risk for learning disabilities (LD) in mathematics. Yet research suggests that many programs fail to incorporate the instructional design and delivery principles that have been validated to meet the learning needs of students with o...

The purpose of this study was to investigate the incremental validity of a set of domain general cognitive measures added to a traditional screening battery of early numeracy measures. The sample consisted of 458 kindergarten students of whom 285 were designated as severely at-risk for mathematics difficulty. Hierarchical multiple regression result...

We present the results of a study of local education agency (LEA)-based interventions to improve the reading outcomes of struggling readers in sixth grade. The sample included 1,076 intervention students and 3,644 comparison students. Regression discontinuity was used to evaluate intervention impact. The study contributes to the field by demonstrat...

A growing body of research suggests that the effects of core mathematics instruction on student mathematics outcomes may not be uniform across different skill levels in mathematics. This study investigated the extent to which observed components of explicit mathematics instruction explained why students’ initial mathematics achievement was previous...

Accumulating research has established explicit mathematics instruction as an evidence-based teaching practice. This study utilized observation data from a multi-year efficacy trial to examine the longitudinal effects of a core kindergarten mathematics program on the use of explicit mathematics instruction among two distinct groups of teachers: one...

The purpose of the present article is to report on a large-scale investigation of six school districts’ implementation of an initiative aimed at reducing dropout rates by improving reading achievement in the middle grades. Data for the Middle School Intervention Project (MSIP) were collected in 25 middle schools across the state of Oregon. We exami...

Progress monitoring has been adopted as an integral part of multi-tiered support systems. Oral reading fluency (ORF) is the most established assessment for progress-monitoring purposes. To generate valid trend lines or slopes, ORF passages must be of equivalent difficulty. Recently, however, evidence indicates that ORF passages are not equivalent,...

Early number skills, comprised of both informal and formal skills, are associated with later mathematics achievement. Thus, the development of foundational early number skills is an important aspect of early mathematics instruction. This study explored relations between early number skills gains and mathematics achievement for students at risk for...

We report on a practitioner implementation of Fusion, a first-grade mathematics intervention. Studies such as this evaluation of a loose implementation under realistic conditions are important to curriculum developers’ understanding of how evidence-based programs and tools work under a variety of implementation scenarios. In this quasi-experimental...

This study used a randomized controlled trial design to investigate the ROOTS curriculum, a 50-lesson kindergarten mathematics intervention. Ten ROOTS-eligible students per classroom (n = 60) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: a ROOTS five-student group, a ROOTS two-student group, and a no-treatment control group. Two primary resear...

This study reports the results of a cluster RCT evaluating the impact of Enhanced Core Reading Instruction on reading achievement of grade 1 at‐risk readers. Forty‐ four elementary schools, blocked by district, were randomly assigned to condition. In both conditions, at‐risk readers received 90 minutes of whole‐group instruction (Tier 1) plus an ad...

The purpose of this closely aligned conceptual replication study was to investigate the efficacy of a Tier 2 kindergarten mathematics intervention. The replication study differed from the initial randomized controlled trial on three important elements: geographical region, timing of the intervention, and instructional context of the counterfactual....

There is a dearth of research on Tier 1 instruction designed to improve the mathematics achievement of English learners. This study examined the impact The authors declare the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Drs. Ben Clarke, Scott K. Baker, and Hank Fien are eli...

When used in a multi-tiered academic approach, education technology has the capacity to differentiate and intensify mathematics and literacy instruction for students with or at risk for disabilities. For instance, technology-based gaming interventions can be used to provide individualized instruction and practice and facilitate generalization of co...

A critical aspect of intervention research is investigating the active ingredients that underlie intensive interventions and their theories of change. This study explored the rate of instructional interactions within treatment groups to determine whether they offered explanatory power of an empirically validated Tier 2 kindergarten mathematics inte...

This study reports the results of a cluster RCT evaluating the impact of Enhanced Core Reading Instruction on reading achievement of grade 1 at-risk readers. Fortyfour elementary schools, blocked by district, were randomly assigned to condition. In both conditions, at-risk readers received 90 minutes of whole-group instruction (Tier 1) plus an addi...

Over the past two decades, a body of research has emerged that suggests that physical activity has beneficial effects on the brain’s structure and function. During the same period, concern has mounted over high rates of childhood obesity. Considering that schools have been called on to both improve academic achievement and childhood obesity rates,...

The purpose of this study was to test the promise of the NumberShire Level 1 Gaming Intervention (NS1) to accelerate math learning for first grade students with or at risk for math difficulties. The NS1 intervention was developed through the Institute of Education Sciences, Small Business Innovation Research Program (Authors et al., 2011) as a digi...

This study examined the efficacy of a kindergarten mathematics intervention program, ROOTS, focused on developing whole number understanding in the areas of counting and cardinality and operations and algebraic thinking for students at-risk in mathematics. The study utilized a randomized block design with students within classrooms randomly assigne...

The use of data-based decision making (DBDM) in schools to drive educational improvement and success has been strongly promoted by educational experts and policymakers, yet very little is documented about the actual DBDM practices used in schools. This study examines DBDM practices in 25 middle schools through 80 standardized observations of data t...

This study examined the efficacy of a core kindergarten mathematics program, Early Learning in Mathematics, a 120-lesson program with four content strands (a) number operations, (b) geometry, (c) measurement, and (d) vocabulary. The study utilized a randomized block design, with 129 classrooms randomly assigned within schools to treatment or contro...

The production of an effective mathematics curriculum begins with a scientific development, evaluation, and revision framework. The purpose of this study was to conduct an initial investigation of a recently developed Tier 2 mathematics curriculum designed to improve the outcomes of first grade students at risk for mathematics difficulties (MD). Th...

Explicit instruction is a systematic instructional approach that facilitates frequent and meaningful instructional interactions between teachers and students around critical academic content. This study examined the relationship between student mathematics outcomes and the rate and quality of explicit instructional interactions that occur during co...

Multitiered systems of reading instruction and intervention, including response to intervention, are widely used in early reading by schools to provide more intense services to students who need them. Research using randomized controlled trials has compared innovative Tier 2 interventions to business-as-usual Tier 2 approaches and established a num...

This study examined the efficacy of a Tier 2 kindergarten mathematics intervention program, ROOTS, focused on developing whole number understanding for students at risk in mathematics. A total of 29 classrooms were randomly assigned to treatment (ROOTS) or control (standard district practices) conditions. Measures of mathematics achievement were co...

This pilot study examined the efficacy of a Tier 2 first-grade mathe-matics intervention program targeting whole-numher understanding for students at risk in mathematics. The study used a randomized block design. Students {N = 89) were randomly assigned to treatment (Fusion) or control (standard district practice) conditions. Measures of mathematic...

We present a method for data-based decision making at the school level using student achievement data. We demonstrate the potential of a national assessment database [i.e., the University of Oregon DIBELS Data System (DDS)] to provide comparative levels of school-level data on average student achievement gains. Through the DDS as a data source, and...

The purpose of this research brief is to present results from a study investigating the relation between word reading fluency (both initial level and fall–winter gain scores), passage reading fluency, and reading comprehension. Word reading fluency data were collected in the fall and winter; outcome measures were administered in the spring of Grade...

The extent to which teachers implement evidence based practices, such as explicit instruction, is critical for improving student mathematics achievement. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of the kindergarten Early Learning Mathematics (ELM) curriculum on teachers’ use of explicit mathematics instruction in core educational settings...

This article presents findings of an efficacy trial examining the effect of a multitiered instruction and intervention model on first grade at-risk students' reading outcomes. Schools (N = 16) were randomly assigned to the treatment or control condition. In the fall of Grade 1, students were assigned to an instructional tier on the basis of Stanfor...

This article examines the efficacy of a multitiered systemic reading intervention for increasing the intensity and quality of explicit literacy instruction that teachers provide in first-grade classrooms. Schools (j = 16) were randomly assigned to the treatment or comparison condition. In both conditions, teachers (i = 42) provided 90 min of Tier I...

This article describes the essential instructional elements necessary for delivering explicit mathematics instruction to students with mathematics difficulties. Mathematics intervention research indicates that explicit instruction is one of the most effective instructional approaches for teaching students with or at risk for math difficulties. Expl...

This study describes an evaluation of a read aloud intervention to improve comprehension and vocabulary of first-grade students. Twelve teachers were randomly assigned to an intervention or comparison condition. The study lasted 19 weeks, and the intervention focused on the systematic use of narrative and expository texts and dialogic interactions...

The article focuses on the implementation of a framework (School-Wide Reading Model, SWRM) that helps to structure literacy instruction to a population in need of better literacy outcomes. First, a conceptual framework is discussed regarding SWRM. Second, the SWRM framework is explained and tied to the conceptual framework, with a focus on four cor...

Lack of psychometric equivalence of oral reading fluency (ORF) passages used within a grade for screening and progress monitoring has recently become an issue with calls for the use of equating methods to ensure equivalence. To investigate the nature of the nonequivalence and to guide the choice of equating method to correct for nonequivalence, the...

The present review builds on earlier research that evaluated the curricular features of core math programs to improve the performances of students with or at risk for mathematics difficulties. In this review, three elementary math programs, at Grades 2 and 4, were evaluated for the presence of eight instructional principles. Math intervention studi...

The purpose of this article is to provide a commentary on the current state of several measurement issues pertaining to curriculum-based measures of reading (R-CBM1). We begin by providing an overview of the utility of R-CBM, followed by a presentation of five specific measurements considerations: (a) the reliability of R-CBM oral reading fluency (...

This chapter focuses on three key principles of General Outcome Measurement and data-based decision making that have guided and provided energy for much of the work in early literacy: targeting assessment on indicators of basic skills; focusing on student outcomes; and combining assessment with targeted interventions in a data-based decision making...

Findings from experimental intervention research support the notion of making core mathematics instruction more systematic and explicit for students with or at risk for mathematics disabilities. Core mathematics programs that utilize an explicit and systematic instructional approach provide in-depth coverage of the most critical content areas of ma...

This study examined the impact of Oregon Reading First on student reading outcomes. Outcomes in schools that began Reading First implementation in 2003-2004 (Cohort A) were compared to outcomes in schools that began Reading First implementation in 2005-2006 (Cohort B). The primary hypothesis, that experienced Cohort A schools would outperform less-...

Abstract. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effect of smallgroup instruction on the vocabulary and comprehension of first-grade students identified with low language and low vocabulary skills. Overall, 102 first-grade students scoring below the 50th percentile on relational vocabulary were blocked by classroom, matched according...

This article reviews the research on and provides a framework for integrating assessment and early reading instruction in a unified tiered approach that includes English language learners (ELLs). The authors begin with a review of the research for implementing the guiding principles of the tiered framework with ELLs, including (a) screening and pro...

This study examined the efficacy of a core kindergarten mathematics program, ELM, a 120-lesson comprehensive curriculum providing instruction in (a) number operations, (b) geometry, (c) measurement, and (d) vocabulary. ELM is designed to address the learning needs of all students, including at-risk students in the general education or Tier I classr...

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate one way that schools can engage in system-level, formative evaluation. We will provide initial, normative estimates of school-level means and variability for 2nd grade Oral Reading Fluency (ORF). Results will be presented at the school level, using a percentile band plot. We will illustrate how a school co...

A theory-based approach was used to investigate the relations among Nonsense Word Fluency (NWF) initial skill status in the fall of first grade, NWF growth across the school year, and end-of-year oral reading fluency and reading comprehension (RC) skill. Hypotheses were anchored to Perfetti's verbal effi-ciency theory and the role of automaticity i...

Schools implement Response to Intervention (Rtl) for two major purposes. The first is to provide a coordinated system of high-quality instruction and intervention for all students in the school (Burns & Vanderheyden, 2006; Haager, Klinger, & Vaughn, 2007; National Association of State Directors of Special Education, 2006). This system can be envisi...

Schools implement Response to Intervention (Rtl) for two major purposes. The first is to provide a coordinated system of high-quality instruction and intervention for all students in the school (Burns & Vanderheyden, 2006; Haager, Klinger, & Vaughn, 2007; National Association of State Directors of Special Education, 2006). This system can be envisi...

This study examined the school and student predictors of early reading outcomes for kindergarten students enrolled in schools that participated in a beginning reading reform program. The study employed a nested design with students nested within schools and applied hierarchical linear modeling analyses to account for the organizational structure of...

This study examined the validity of Nonsense Word Fluency as an index of beginning reading proficiency for students in kindergarten through second grade. Validity evidence for Nonsense Word Fluency is addressed in the context of research-based instructional practices implemented on a large scale. Technical adequacy data are presented for all studen...

The purpose of this study was to examine oral reading fluency (ORF) in the context of a large-scale federal reading initiative conducted in low performing, high poverty schools. The objectives were to (a) investigate the relation between ORF and comprehensive reading tests, (b) examine whether slope of performance over time on ORF predicted perform...

In this study, the authors examined the effects of two supplemental interventions on the mathematics achievement of low-performing intermediate-grade students. A conceptually based intervention designed to reteach fundamental mathematics was evaluated along with an intervention designed to provide extended time in the context of the core curriculum...

Student mobility is a common phenomenon that disproportionately affects students in high-poverty schools. Research shows that students who move repeatedly are likely to fall behind in reading and other academic areas. This article reviews proactive strategies that high-poverty districts and schools are using to reduce the harmful effects of student...