Practical, effective, evidence-based reading interventions that change students' lives Essentials of Understanding and Assessing Reading Difficulties is a practical, accessible, in-depth guide to reading assessment and intervention. It provides a detailed discussion of the nature and causes of reading difficulties, which will help develop the knowledge and confidence needed to accurately assess why a student is struggling. Readers will learn a framework for organizing testing results from current assessment batteries such as the WJ-IV, KTEA-3, and CTOPP-2. Case studies illustrate each of the concepts covered. A thorough discussion is provided on the assessment of phonics skills, phonological awareness, word recognition, reading fluency, and reading comprehension. Formatted for easy reading as well as quick reference, the text includes bullet points, icons, callout boxes, and other design elements to call attention to important information. Although a substantial amount of research has shown that most reading difficulties can be prevented or corrected, standard reading remediation efforts have proven largely ineffective. School psychologists are routinely called upon to evaluate students with reading difficulties and to make recommendations to address such difficulties. This book provides an overview of the best assessment and intervention techniques, backed by the most current research findings. Bridge the gap between research and practice Accurately assess the reason(s) why a student struggles in reading Improve reading skills using the most highly effective evidence-based techniques Reading may well be the most important thing students are taught during their school careers. It is a skill they will use every day of their lives; one that will dictate, in part, later life success. Struggling students need help now, and Essentials of Understanding and Assessing Reading Difficulties shows how to get these students on track.

DEC Recommended Practices guides the development and implementation of an effective early intervention/early childhood special education program by fully integrating research evidence with the everyday truths faced by people who live and work with children with disabilities.

When Mark Goldberg first visited a school with an advisory system, he was impressed by the way such a system personalizes school for secondary students, provides a shared professional experience for the adults in a school, and improves home-school relations. He decided that if given the opportunity, he would bring an advisory program to a secondary school. Later, when he became founding administrator of a high school, he started an advisory system. This book is based on his experiences. Goldberg explains why an advisory system is important, what it requires, and how to tailor the concept to a particular school to provide an enriched experience for students, staff, and parents. An advisory system stresses the advisor-advisee relationship and ensures that every student is known well by at least one adult in a school. That adult--a teacher, administrator, librarian, or other staff member--becomes the student's advocate and the first person the student seeks out to discuss school problems with or to get advice about where to turn for assistance with more serious issues. Such a relationship enhances the student's school life, from course selection to decisions about the future. This practical book provides a comprehensive look at a unique system for personalizing secondary school so students get the most out of their years in school and are better prepared for life after graduation.

Don’t jump from problem to solution without first investigating root causes. This book helps you more accurately focus on school improvement issues, so you can avoid wasting precious time and resources. It is clearly written, contains lots of real examples, and is presented in a style and format designed for the non-expert. It will help you make decisions which will improve learning for all students.

In this volume prominent scholars, experts in their respective fields and highly skilled in the research they conduct, address educational and reading research from varied perspectives and address what it will take to close the achievement gap—with specific attention to reading. The achievement gap is redefined as a level at which all groups can compete economically in our society and have the literacy tools and habits needed for a good life. Bringing valuable theoretical frameworks and in-depth analytical approaches to interpretation of data, the contributors examine factors that contribute to student achievement inside the school but which are also heavily influenced by out-of-school factors—such as poverty and economics, ethnicity and culture, family and community stratifications, and approaches to measurement of achievement. These out-of-school factors present possibilities for new policies and practice. The overarching theme is that achievement gaps in reading are complex and that multiple perspectives are necessary to address the problem. The breadth and depth of perspectives and content in this volume and its conceptualization of the achievement gap are a significant contribution to the field.