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ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to determine if reading achievement of students from high-poverty US schools differs as a function of participation in summer tutoring versus access to books. Data from 100 at-risk youth who participated in tutoring (n = 45) or received self-selected books (n = 55) indicated significant gains for students in both groups in contextual reading fluency, gains only for the books group in word reading fluency, and no gains for either group in reading comprehension. Results add modestly to the growing evidence that access to books is a cost-efficient means to address summer reading loss.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Sherry Mee Bell
Dr. Sherry Mee Bell is Professor and Department Head of Theory and Practice in Teacher Education at the University of Tennessee. Her scholarship interests include assessment and instruction in reading/dyslexia, education of gifted and twice-exceptional students; attributional style, and teacher education.
Yujeong Park
Dr. Yujeong Park is an Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Her current research interests include a focus on improving the literacy-related outcomes of students with learning disabilities and using student assessment data to promote effective instruction.
Melissa Martin
Dr. Melissa Martin is an Assistant Professor at the University of South Carolina Aiken. Her research interests include writing instruction for students with disabilities and pre-service teacher self-efficacy.
Jamie Smith
Jamie Anne Smith, Ed.S., is a doctoral students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her research interests include teaching students with learning disabilities, and examining academic interventions to improve reading outcomes.
R. Steve McCallum
Dr. McCallum is author or co-author of numerous scholarly works, including peer-reviewed articles in journals such as School Psychology Review, Psychology in the Schools, Journal for Education of the Gifted, and Assessment for Effective Intervention and books such as the Handbook of Reading Assessment. Dr. McCallum is founding co-editor of Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment and co-author of tests such as the Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test (1 st and 2 nd editions), Assessment of Reading Instructional Knowledge-Adults, Universal Talented and Gifted Scales, and Tests of Dyslexia, in standardization.
Kelly Smyth
Dr. Kelly Snyder (Smyth) is a School Psychologist employed by the Hamilton County Educational Service Center. Her primary task is diagnostic assessment to determine eligibility for special education services for students in grades PK-12 under IDEA. As such, her current research interests include using student assessment data to promote effective instruction. In addition, she continues to explore twice-exceptional identification and implications in today's public schools.
Maya Mingo
Maya A. Mingo is a fifth-year doctoral student in School Psychology at the University of Tennessee - Knoxville. Her current research interests include urban youth resilience, large-sized classroom management, and political decision-making.