The efficacy of supplemental instruction in decoding skills for Hispanic and non-Hispanic students in early elementary school

This article discusses a study that experimentally evaluated the effects of supplemental instruction in reading for students in kindergarten through G rade 3. Using the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS ) and a measure of oral reading fluency, 256 students in kindergarten throu gh second grade (158 Hispanic, 98 non-Hispanic) were screened. Students wer e then randomly assigned to receive or not receive supplemental reading ins truction focused on phonological awareness and decoding skills. Reading ski ll was assessed in the fall of the first year of participation and again in the spring of Years 1 and 2 (Times 2 and 3). Children who received the sup plemental reading instruction performed significantly better on measures of word attack skills at Time 2 and on measures of word attack. word identifi cation, oral reading fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension at Time 3. There were no differences in the effectiveness of instruction as a func tion of Hispanic students' level of English proficiency or as a function of student gender or grade.