Mar. 01, 2013
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The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) recently released new intervention reports on Literacy and Children and Youth with Disabilities programs to give educators insight into what works in these critical areas. These two new WWC reports take a closer look at SpellRead™, a small-group literacy program for struggling adolescent readers, and Tools for Getting Along, a curriculum designed to help elementary school teachers establish a positive, cooperative classroom atmosphere for their students with disabilities. Intervention reports summarize current research findings about a specific program, practice or policy in education.
SpellRead™ integrates the auditory and visual aspects of the reading process and emphasizes specific skill mastery through systematic and explicit instruction. The WWC reviewed 14 studies that investigated the effects of SpellRead™ on the reading achievement of adolescent readers. Two of these studies meet WWC evidence standards without reservations. These studies included 137 adolescent readers in grades 5 and 6 in Pennsylvania and Newfoundland, Canada. Based on these two studies, the WWC found that SpellRead™ has potentially positive effects on alphabetics, reading fluency, and comprehension for adolescent readers.
The Tools for Getting Along program is intended to reduce disruptive and aggressive behavior by helping students develop anger management skills. The WWC identified four studies that investigated the effects of Tools for Getting Along on children classified as having an emotional disturbance (or children at risk for classification). None of the studies meet WWC evidence standards. Therefore, the WWC is unable to draw any conclusions based on research about the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of the program. More research is needed to determine if the program works for students with disabilities.
In addition to intervention reports, the WWC produces quick reviews, single study reviews, practice guides, and other materials. To learn more about the WWC, an initiative of the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences, visit whatworks.ed.gov.
