Intervention for Dyslexia - The British Dyslexia Association

although the reading age gains look good, in fact, the child with a reading age of 6
years 7 months has minimal reading skills and is still a beginning reader.
5.6 Conclusions
5.6.1 The efficacy of Reading Recovery
There is sufficient evidence of good quality to show that Reading Recovery benefits a
considerable proportion of the children with literacy difficulties whom it serves in the
short term. Evidence of maintenance of the gains in the longer term is mixed. Some
studies show washout, others do not. In particular, the London and Surrey study in
1992–96 had very disappointing long-term outcomes, though this may mean that there
was insufficient continuing support for the children when they returned to their
classrooms full-time. More recent evidence from ECaR appears to show better
maintenance of gains. Comparisons of ratio gains for Reading Recovery and for
phonologically based schemes appear on balance to favour the latter.
Moreover, the analysis of National Curriculum assessment results of children on Reading
Recovery programmes over the period 2003–2007 (see Section 5.5.2) does not, in fact,
support the view that Reading Recovery in England achieves its stated goal for “children
to develop effective reading and writing strategies in order to work within an average
range of classroom performance”. At the end of Key Stage 1, this was clearly not the
case. In Key Stage 1 Reading National Curriculum assessments less than half of Reading
Recovery children achieved a Level 2b or better, and although Level 2b is classed as the
national ‘target’ level, this is nevertheless below that necessary for effective independent
reading. Only 12%–15% of Reading Recovery children completing their programmes
between 2003 and 2007 achieved a Level 2a or above in Key Stage 1 Reading National
Curriculum assessments, the level at which children can tackle unfamiliar words and
have therefore developed a self-sustaining word recognition system. The results on the
British Abilities Scales Word Reading Test do not suggest a different conclusion. It
remains to be seen whether the recent claims by ECaR for an increased emphasis on
phonics teaching in Reading Recovery will be reflected in better achievement for pupils
on Reading Recovery programmes. In order to evaluate this matter properly, however,
and determine what is the best way for children to learn to tackle unfamiliar words and
so develop a self-sustaining word recognition system, an experimental study is required.
Such a study should compare the effectiveness of Reading Recovery as currently
implemented (i.e. with its proclaimed increased emphasis on phonics) and Reading
Recovery which includes daily systematic structured phonics teaching using one – or
comparing all three – of the most popular early phonics programmes.
5.6.2 Reading Recovery as an intervention for children with dyslexia
Literature searches failed to uncover any published research studies or evaluations of
Reading Recovery being used with pupils who had been identified as having dyslexia.
This is not altogether surprising, since Reading Recovery is not designed to be used with
dyslexic children, but it is therefore impossible to judge from research evidence whether
118 Intervention for Dyslexia