All children learn at their own pace, and many young students face a variety of challenges when learning to read. Those students who experience ongoing reading difficulties should be identified as early as possible and should begin an early reading intervention program that can help to reduce or even prevent permanent reading difficulties.
Research has shown that by Grade 3, students who have learning difficulties are already at risk of failing in school. These students will struggle to catch up with their grade level, have a greater chance of eventually dropping out, and could enter adulthood with limited career opportunities. Further, repeated failures will eventually affect a child’s confidence and motivation, thus compounding the struggles in the classroom. This is why it is imperative to assess students early, identify those struggling to learn to read and begin using an effective online reading intervention program to tackle reading problems before they become entrenched.
Identifying Struggling Readers
By Grade 1, students should receive an all-class assessment and those children with reading difficulties must have direct access to diagnostic assessment services, specialized interventions, and appropriate instruction. Online RTI reading software such as Essential Skills, utilize comprehensive diagnostic assessments to automatically identify missing skills and provide each student with an individualized elementary reading intervention program. At this point in the RTI process, student-teacher communication is critical, and continuity between regular classroom instruction and reading interventions should be seamless. Using online early reading intervention programs, teachers and remedial learning specialists are able to deliver targeted instruction directly to those students facing reading difficulties.
How to Choose an Online Reading Intervention Program
No single RTI reading program will provide identical results for every child. However, the most successful programs do share certain characteristics. When choosing online elementary reading intervention programs, look for software that:
- builds skills gradually and sequentially in a logical progression
- includes activities for different learning styles and ability levels
- delivers integrated assessment to automatically tailor instruction for each student
- provides educators with a wide variety of reports to help monitor student progress
- utilizes a variety of research based teaching methods
The most successful RTI programs are strongly linked with regular classroom instruction, supported by sound research, reflect an understanding of proven RTI teaching techniques, and are geared to meet the specific needs of each student.
With Essential Skills early reading intervention programs, teachers are able to help students as young as Kindergarten age and can address existing reading difficulties before those challenges become a lifetime of struggles. When it comes to choosing the most successful RTI reading programs, Essential Skills ticks all the boxes and is the ideal choice for even the youngest elementary grades.