Evidence-based Reading Instruction

The US Department of Education has a new emphasis on using proven instructional techniques in the classroom. Learning to read is an area that has been well studied. The International Reading Association has developed a position paper that can help parents understand the research in reading. The brochure, What is Evidence-based Reading Instruction?, explains what research says about how to identify literacy instruction methods that are likely to lead to high student achievement.

A successful instructional method should be based on research that is:

• Objective - Based on data that would be interpreted the same way by different people;
• Valid - Based on tasks that students need to achieve in order to be successful readers;
• Reliable - Based on data that can be repeated by different researchers and in different settings;
• Systematic - Based on data that was collected from well planned and designed studies; and
• Refereed - Based on data that have been approved for publication by other researchers who understand the field.

Contact the International Reading Association for more information.

International Reading Association, 800 Barksdale Road, PO Box 8139, Newark, Delaware 19714-8139, 302.731.1600 (voice), 302.731.1057 (fax), www.reading.org (web), pubinfo@reading.org (e-mail).