Evaluation of Reading Recovery: Description and Review of Research

Description of the Intervention

Reading Recovery is a program that was created by Marie Clay in New Zealand (Moore & Wade, 1998). She designed a program to help early readers who were having difficulty so they might progress to a reading level similar to their classmates (Lose, 2000). The program was later brought to the United States and implemented in Ohio. It has gained popularity in many other states since that time.

Many authors state that Reading Recovery is an intensive one-on-one program of instructional reading activities, tailored to the specific needs of each student (Glynn & Crooks, 1992, Hobsbaum & Peters, 1996, Roehrig, Pressley, & Sloup, 2001, Moore & Wade, 1998). Students are generally in the 1st grade when they participate in a Reading Recovery program, but the techniques may be used with other students as well. Students work with a specially trained teacher for half an hour each day for between 10 and 20 weeks. Moore and Wade note that most students spend an average of 14 weeks in the program. Students remain in the program until they have reached a reading literacy level comparable to their peers (Moore & Wade).

Hobsbaum and Peters (1996) note there are seven elements of the Reading Recovery program. As the student starts a session, he or she re-reads a few books that have been read during the previous lesson (Hobsbaum & Peters). This can include a book that was introduced during the last lesson. The student continues the lesson by practicing letters and words (Hobsbaum & Peters). The student then write a short story which the teacher later cuts into single words and asks the student to reassemble into a full story (Hobsbaum & Peters). At the end of the lesson, Hobsbaum and Peters state that the t...

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Roehrig, A.D., Pressley, M. & Sloup, M. (2001). Reading strategy instruction in regular primary-level classrooms by teachers trained in reading recovery. Reading and Writing Quarterly, 17, 323-348.

Schmitt, M.C. (2001). The development of children’s strategic processing in reading recovery. Reading Psychology, 22, 129-151.

Wasik, B.A. & Slavin, R.E. (1993). Preventing early reading failure with one-to-one tutoring: A review of five programs. Reading Research Quarterly, 28, 179-200.