READING COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES

Today’s students and teachers are under increasing pressure to show early progress and success in reading. Not all of this can be attributed to a desire to increase standardized test scores, as some may fear; it also has to do with a concern that kids will be “left behind” if they are not reading independently by at least third grade. This situation often leads to intervention as a strategy for boosting the skills of slow or reluctant readers. But is intervention a one-dimensional tool? In recent years, the practice of intervention—where a trained reading specialist provides small-group or personalized instruction to students considered to be behind the curve—has been elevated to must-have status. In 2010, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan even listed early literacy intervention (done before students reach third or fourth grade) as a key high school dropout prevention strategy. Many students require early intervention as they find their way to literacy. This support often includ