Repeated reading was found to have potentially positive effects on reading comprehension

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Report Summary

Effectiveness

Repeated reading was found to have potentially positive effects on reading comprehension and no discernible effects on alphabetics, reading fluency, and general reading achievement for students with learning disabilities.

Program Description

Repeated reading is an academic practice that aims to increase oral reading fluency. Repeated reading can be used with students who have developed initial word reading skills but demonstrate inadequate reading fluency for their grade level. During repeated reading, a student sits in a quiet location with a teacher and reads a passage aloud at least three times. Typically, the teacher selects a passage of about 50 to 200 words in length. If the student misreads a word or hesitates for longer than 5 seconds, the teacher reads the word aloud, and the student repeats the word correctly. If the student requests help with a word, the teacher reads the word aloud or provides the definition. The student rereads the passage until he or she achieves a satisfactory fluency level.

Research

The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) identified two group design studies of repeated reading within the scope of the Students with Learning Disabilities topic area that meet WWC group design standards. Both studies meet WWC group design standards without reservations. Together, these studies included 78 students with learning disabilities from grades 5–12 in two different locations.
The WWC considers the extent of evidence for repeated reading on students with learning disabilities to be small for four outcome domains—reading comprehension, alphabetics, reading fluency, and general reading achievement. There were no studies that meet standards in the five other domains covered by the WWC reading topic area, so this intervention report does not summarize the effectiveness of repeated reading for those domains.

Intervention Effectiveness Rating

Student Outcome	Improvement Index (percentile gain for average student)	Effectiveness Rating	Extent Of Evidence
Reading comprehension	7		Small
Alphabetics	4		Small
Reading fluency	-1		Small
Reading achievement	-7		Small

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Scope of Research Meeting Standards

Grade:	5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Delivery Method:	Individual
Program Type:	Practice
Studies Reviewed:	Total = 194 (view study citations) Meets Standards = 2 Meets w/ Reservations = 0

  Intervention Report Details

Last Updated:	May 2014
Topic:	Children and Youth with Disabilities
Review Protocol:	Students with Learning Disabilities Evidence Review Protocol

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