Reading Recovery WWC intervention report

The WWC, a branch of the United States Department of Education (USDE) assesses research on beginning reading curricula and instructional strategies for students from first year of schooling through to third grade.

WWC has reviewed a plethora of studies and among all programmes reviewed three studies randomized controlled trials that meet WWC evidence standards without reservations. (Pinnell, DeFord, & Lyons, 1988; Pinnell, Lyons, DeFord, Bryk, & Seltzer, 1994; and Schwartz, 2005).

Reading Recovery received the highest rating in general reading achievement, and positive or potentially positive ratings across all domains of early reading achievement examined in the review.

The 2007 WWC Beginning Reading intervention report provided effectiveness ratings for Reading Recovery that showed positive effects with strong evidence of a positive effect with no overriding contrary evidence for alphabetics and general reading achievement.

For fluency and comprehension, it showed potentially positive effects, with no overriding contrary evidence (What Works Clearinghouse, 2007).

The extent of evidence for alphabetics, fluency and comprehension was small, but for general reading effectiveness was medium to large.

The updated WWC Beginning Reading intervention report (What Works  Clearinghouse, 2008), showed positive effects for Reading Recovery for both alphabetics and general reading achievement, and potentially positive for fluency and comprehension. In July 2013 an update reported by the US Department of ED confirmed these findings.

For Snapshot: https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/EvidenceSnapshot/420

For Full Report: Reading Recovery (PDF) of full report. (2013, July 16).