The Effects of an Intensive Summer Literacy Intervention on Reader Development

Abstract

Summer is a critical time for students with or at-risk for reading difficulties. This study examines the added benefit of a one-on-one intensive reading intervention presented during a school-based summer literacy program targeting first through fifth-grade students’ foundational reading skills. The individually administered, UFLI-Intensive intervention used an explicit, systematic, and intensive approach to support students’ reading needs. Pre- and post-test data were available for 62 students attending the summer literacy program. Thirty-seven (n = 37) students had been selected to receive the UFLI-Intensive intervention based on grade-specific oral reading fluency (ORF) cut-scores. We used a regression discontinuity (RD) design to compare reading outcomes of students receiving only the general summer program instruction and those students receiving the UFLI one-on-one intervention. Across all measures assessed, cross-grade results suggested that the intervention showed statistically significant treatment effects on students’ decoding skills. These findings demonstrate that the implementation of an intensive, one-on-one intervention can help address the problem of summer reading loss and improve reading outcomes for students with reading difficulties.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.