Promoting Reading Accuracy and Fluency Outcomes with Complex Texts: A Grade 3 Intervention Comparison
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| Title: | Promoting Reading Accuracy and Fluency Outcomes with Complex Texts: A Grade 3 Intervention Comparison |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Jake Downs (ORCID |
| Source: | Reading Research Quarterly. 2026 61(2). |
| Availability: | Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 23 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Elementary Education Early Childhood Education Grade 3 Primary Education |
| Descriptors: | Elementary School Students, Grade 3, Reading, Accuracy, Reading Fluency, Intervention, Reading Instruction, Difficulty Level, Vocabulary, Instructional Effectiveness |
| DOI: | 10.1002/rrq.70117 |
| ISSN: | 0034-0553 1936-2722 |
| Abstract: | This study examined whether third-grade readers identified for intervention could achieve better outcomes with challenging, content-rich texts supported by explicit multisyllabic word instruction compared to a more traditional intervention. Using a matched-sample quasi-experimental design, 110 third-grade students scoring below the 40th percentile on reading assessments were assigned to either the Read Like Us intervention (n = 55) or an active control condition using Corrective Reading curriculum (n = 55). The Read Like Us condition featured informational texts from 12 coherent topic areas at Grades 4-5 complexity levels, with systematic pre-teaching of multisyllabic vocabulary using a "peel-off" strategy. The active control used narrative texts with controlled vocabulary following a traditional scope-and-sequence approach. Both interventions lasted 60 instructional sessions. Comprehensive text complexity analyses were conducted using psycholinguistic databases and Coh-Metrix tools. Reading outcomes were assessed using Acadience Grade 3 measures. Despite encountering texts with substantially higher complexity (effect sizes exceeding d = 1.50 on most measures), Read Like Us students achieved significantly greater reading accuracy gains (g = 0.47, p = 0.04) and were 2.79 times more likely to reach the critical 98% accuracy threshold. Notably, students with the lowest initial accuracy showed the greatest gains in the challenging text condition, reversing the typical Matthew effect pattern. ORF outcomes were equivalent between conditions (g = 0.03, p = 0.90). These findings challenge conventional practices of placing striving readers in simplified texts, demonstrating that appropriately scaffolded complex texts can accelerate rather than hinder foundational skill development while also enriching students' exposure to academic language and disciplinary knowledge. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1503901 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| Abstract: | This study examined whether third-grade readers identified for intervention could achieve better outcomes with challenging, content-rich texts supported by explicit multisyllabic word instruction compared to a more traditional intervention. Using a matched-sample quasi-experimental design, 110 third-grade students scoring below the 40th percentile on reading assessments were assigned to either the Read Like Us intervention (n = 55) or an active control condition using Corrective Reading curriculum (n = 55). The Read Like Us condition featured informational texts from 12 coherent topic areas at Grades 4-5 complexity levels, with systematic pre-teaching of multisyllabic vocabulary using a "peel-off" strategy. The active control used narrative texts with controlled vocabulary following a traditional scope-and-sequence approach. Both interventions lasted 60 instructional sessions. Comprehensive text complexity analyses were conducted using psycholinguistic databases and Coh-Metrix tools. Reading outcomes were assessed using Acadience Grade 3 measures. Despite encountering texts with substantially higher complexity (effect sizes exceeding d = 1.50 on most measures), Read Like Us students achieved significantly greater reading accuracy gains (g = 0.47, p = 0.04) and were 2.79 times more likely to reach the critical 98% accuracy threshold. Notably, students with the lowest initial accuracy showed the greatest gains in the challenging text condition, reversing the typical Matthew effect pattern. ORF outcomes were equivalent between conditions (g = 0.03, p = 0.90). These findings challenge conventional practices of placing striving readers in simplified texts, demonstrating that appropriately scaffolded complex texts can accelerate rather than hinder foundational skill development while also enriching students' exposure to academic language and disciplinary knowledge. |
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| ISSN: | 0034-0553 1936-2722 |
| DOI: | 10.1002/rrq.70117 |
