The teaching of reading intervention is qualitatively different from the initial teaching of reading. By definition, the initial reading instruction didn’t “take” to a sufficient degree, so things need to be done differently this time to improve the chances of success. According to reading research, these odds are not good betting odds. Only one in six high school students who are below grade level in reading will ever reach grade level.

Much has been written about the features of recovery readers. Suffice to say, knowing your developmental characteristics is just as important as knowing your specific reading deficiencies. Effective reading intervention instruction depends on addressing both components.

But knowing specific reading deficiencies is crucial. The use of prescriptive diagnostic assessments that will produce the data necessary to inform instruction is the only non-negotiable prerequisite. Teachers need to know exactly where their students are in order to get them where they want them to be. Once administered, the reading intervention teacher is faced with the “snowflake phenomenon.” No two recovery readers are exactly alike. One does not have phonemic awareness; one does not know phonetics; one does not know how to mix; one lacks fluency; one is deficient in vocabulary; one has poor reading comprehension; and one has poor reading retention.

By necessity, an effective reading intervention program must be based on differentiated instruction. A standard program that starts all students at the same level or has all students use the same workbooks or receive the same direct instruction will address some needs of some students, but not all needs of all students. Anything less than the latter is nothing short of professional negligence. Would a medical patient who schedules a doctor’s appointment to treat a variety of illnesses be satisfied with receiving the same course of treatment as all patients, ignoring some problems and being treated for problems that do not require treatment? Even the staunchest advocates of the current health care system would find this type of medical practice unacceptable.

With regard to the placement of students in reading intervention, several factors must be considered. The main one of them must be the reductionist consideration. First, if the student is placed in a special intervention class, which class is replaced? Pulling a kid out of a literature class is a lot like “robbing Peter to pay Paul.” Poor readers require compensatory instruction, not just different instruction. Second, multiple measures are needed to ensure that a student needs reading intervention and has a reasonable chance of success in the reading intervention class. Standardized tests can provide an initial classification; however, the student’s history in the cumulative records and diagnostic assessments detailed above must be analyzed to refine the classification. Behavioral considerations are legitimate concerns; many students who read poorly tend to compensate with inattentive, absent-minded behavior. These students need an intervention with a behavior specialist who will also teach them about their reading deficiencies. These students don’t need another platform in a typical reading intervention class to prevent their peers from learning.

The biggest variable that will determine the success of a reading intervention class is the teacher. A well-trained teacher with superior management skills, sufficient reading training, and a commitment to formative and diagnostic assessments to inform differentiated instruction are the keys to success. The teacher should be the “best and brightest” on campus, not the new teacher fresh out of the teacher credentialing program. Reading intervention is the most difficult subject to teach and requires a special teacher. The students for whom our educational system has failed the most deserve no less.

So what to teach? The task is overwhelming. Remedial reading is not just skill instruction or extra reading practice. Effective reading intervention involves both content and process. Reading is both the what and the how. The short answer is that the students themselves determine the what through their diagnostic assessments. The teacher decides the how through differentiated instruction. Beyond this cryptic, yet accurate answer, certain components will certainly require attention in a reading intervention class for students of any age. The following is an instructional template that will provide a proper balance between what and how with a brief description of the instructional component and a percentage of the class that will need the component:

• Small group fluency practice (emphasizing repeated readings within the group’s zone of proximal development (15%)
• Phonemic Awareness Practice in Small Groups (10%)
• Small Group Phonics Practice (10%)
• Individual sight word and syllable practice (10%)
• Guided reading, using self-questioning comprehension strategies (15%)
• Direct Instruction and Whole Group Vocabulary Development (10%)
• Small Group Spelling Practice (10%)
• Small Group Matching Practice (10%)
• Independent reading at the individual student’s instructional reading level (10%) and for homework

All of the components described above are necessary to ensure a successful reading intervention program for students of all ages. All of these instructional components with supporting resources can be found in these two comprehensive curricula:

1. Find multiple-choice assessments on two CDs, blending and syllable activities, phonemic and phonemic awareness workshops, comprehension worksheets, multi-level fluency passages on eight CDs, 390 flashcards, posters, games, and more to differentiate reading instruction in the comprehensive Teaching of reading strategies

2. For individual sound spelling worksheets that correspond to the comprehensive spelling assessment, spelling rules with raps and memorable songs on CD, spelling tests, Greek and Latin vocabulary worksheets, syllable practice, spelling games spelling, vocabulary games and more for spelling differentiation and vocabulary instruction, check out Teaching Spelling and Vocabulary.