Impact Evaluation of Training in Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Reading in Early Elementary School

This study will provide much needed evidence on strategies to support US students' development of foundational reading skills, essential to later learning. A third of US students fail to develop foundational reading skills by 4th grade that are necessary to succeed academically. In addition, the achievement gap is growing as demonstrated by The Nation’s Report Card. To address, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) promotes the use of evidence-based literacy interventions. And, the Department of Education (ED) has made supporting educators with the knowledge, skills, professional development, or materials necessary to improve reading instruction a key priority. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) similarly encourages high quality instruction along with better identification of students needing extra support to prevent or mitigate student reading issues. This study will provide much needed evidence by evaluating two professional development strategies for bolstering core reading instruction and supplemental supports, guided by data, within a MTSS-R framework. MTSS-R is a widely used framework for providing high-quality reading instruction for all students, identifying students needing supplemental or more intensive supports, and providing these additional supports for those who need it.

The latest form for Impact Evaluation of Training in Multi-Tiered Systems of Support for Reading in Early Elementary School expires 2023-12-31 and can be found here.