Research: Things Worth Checking Out

This page contains brief summaries of recent, relevant research and links to connect you to the full article.

 Read on and learn more!

Cognitive Attributes of Adequate and Inadequate Responders to Reading Intervention in Middle School

This article discusses a study conducted on middle school students receiving Tier 2 intervention for reading. The students were evaluated after receiving interventions focusing on comprehension, fluency and decoding, fluency and comprehension. The students who did not  met the criteria specified for responding adequately to intervention were then compared to the group of students who did meet the criteria. The researchers’ main goal was to investigate if there are cognitive differences between students who respond adequately and inadequately to intervention or if there are cognitive differences that seem to go along with the differences in the student level of reading difficulty.

The study addressed three research questions:

1.       What cognitive attributes differentiate inadequate and adequate responders to supplemental reading intervention?

2.      To what extent do the cognitive attributes of inadequate responders differ according to the assessed reading domain?

3.      How well does responder status predict differences in cognitive attributes beyond those reflected by the severity of reading impairment?

All students received supplementary reading intervention for 45-50 minutes per day for the duration of the school year. The results indicate that there students who respond adequately to intervention and those that respond inadequately do differ when compared using several cognitive variables. The research also suggests that within the group of inadequate responders, the students could be further categorized into three groups based on differing skill profiles (based on skills in fluency, decoding and comprehension).

There a few important pieces to take away from this study.  To assess the students after intervention, multiple measures of reading skills were used instead of just one type of assessment; the authors explained that had they chosen to use just one many more students may have been identified as responding adequately when in fact they were still having difficulty with certain aspects of reading. The study also suggest that the most efficient way to assist students with reading difficulties is to use instruction that targets the specific area of their deficits.

Miciak, J., Stuebing, K., Vaughn, S., Roberts, G., Barth, A., & Fletcher, J. (2014). Cognitive attributes of adequate and inadequate responders to reading intervention in middle school. School Psychology Review, 43(4), 407-427.

Read the full article here!

Maltreatment, Academic Difficulty, and Systems-Involved Youth: Current Evidence and Opportunities

Susan Stone

Jamie Zibulsky

This article focuses on research dealing with how children who are involved in the different "systems" of care for children and adolescents (child welfare, foster care, juvenile detention) perform academically. Children who become involved in one of these systems are academically at-risk compared to their peers and also face additional risk because of other factors that are tied to school performance are indicators of a person's well being across their lifespan. Typically, system involved students have lower overall levels of standardized achievement, are at higher risk for retention and dropout of school at rates higher than their peers (Stone & Zibulsky,2015).

This article's focus in on looking at prevention and intervention strategies that cut across these various systems and have been shown to improve system-involved student outcomes. One of the biggest factors in helping these students is the involvement and awareness of school personnel. Stone and Zibulsky highlight that people who work with system-involved students, including school psychologists, administrators and school counselors, need to be aware of the added risks these students face and the systematic factors that may be shaping their experiences, need to be knowledgeable of the specific academic and performance factors that affect this group of students, and need to know about collaborative and intervention approaches that focus on enhancing student outcomes (2015).

This article is an important read for people who will be interacting with and responsible for helping students from all backgrounds and experiences. It provides helpful background information, what current research indicates the common concerns and difficulties are and provides strategies for improving the educational (and potentially life) outcomes for this group of students.

Stone, S., Zibulsky, J. (2015). Maltreatment, academic difficulty, and systems-involved youth: Current evidence and opportunities. Psychology in the Schools, 50(1).

Read the full article here