Screening for At-Risk Readers in a Response to Intervention Framework

TLDR

Screening in a response‑to‑intervention framework is the primary means of identifying early students at risk of failure and determining who needs supplemental instruction, making it a critical point in service delivery. The article examines universal screening as a component of response‑to‑intervention to identify students at risk of unsatisfactory reading achievement. The authors first assess classification accuracy and its influencing factors, then review studies since 1998 to summarize candidate reading‑screen measures for identifying students at risk of reading disabilities and highlight research gaps.

Abstract

This article examines universal screening, one component in a response to intervention approach for serving struggling learners. In a response to intervention framework, screening is the principal means for identifying early those students at risk of failure and likely to require supplemental instruction; as such, it represents a critical juncture in the service delivery continuum. Our focus is students at risk for unsatisfactory reading achievement. We first examine classification accuracy and the factors that affect it. Then, relying on studies conducted since 1998 that examine the classification accuracy of reading screens, we summarize research on candidate measures with potential for identifying students at risk for reading disabilities and identify areas in need of more research.