Joseph H. Wehby

Students with mild to moderate disabilities, English language learners, and other at-risk groups frequently struggle academically in general education science and social studies classrooms. In this article, the research surrounding preteaching as an academic intervention for content area instruction is reviewed. General suggestions for preteaching science and social studies content to students from upper elementary to high school levels are given based on the theoretical and empirical literature. Subsequently, suggestions for implementing three types of preteaching are described in detail: vocabulary preteaching, preteaching with advance organizers, and preteaching targeting background knowledge. Conclusions are drawn regarding the utility of preteaching and the need for further research investigating preteaching interventions.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a comprehensive reading program using the Scott Foresman Reading program (Foresman, 2000), supplemented with Torgeson and Bryant's (1994) Phonological Awareness Training for Reading (PATR) program in a general education classroom with four kindergarten special education students identified as having emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD). Following the implementation of the Scott Foresman curriculum by classroom teachers, university-trained research assistants implemented the PATR program. A multiple baseline design was used to evaluate the impact of the supplemental program on the reading performance of the participants. Academic measures included assessment of nonsense-word fluency, letter naming, and initial-sound fluency. Moderate, albeit inconsistent, improvements in reading skills were shown for the participating students. Implications for classroom practice and future directions for this line of research will be discussed.

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (E/BD) frequently exhibit academic deficits alongside their behavioral deficits, particularly in the area of reading; however, there are very few studies examining ways to address the reading problems of this population of students at the middle and high school level. This study examined the effect of a repeated reading intervention in conjunction with an empirically valid reading program on the reading fluency of junior high students identified with E/BD. First, the teacher implemented the Corrective Reading curriculum on a classwide basis. Next, a multiple baseline design across student groups was used to evaluate the impact of a repeated reading intervention on various fluency measures. Data showed increased reading fluency following the implementation of the repeated reading intervention. Limitations and future directions are discussed.