Running head: AT-RISK AND STRUGGLING READERS 1

At-Risk and Struggling Readers

Julia Harris

Grand Canyon University – SPD 580

March 1, 2020

Dr. Futch
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At-Risk and Struggling Readers

Summary

Marius is an eight-year-old little boy, who is in the third grade and transferred to

Oakwood Elementary School in the late fall. Marcus is absorbed with dinosaurs, Minecraft, and

science. He fantasizes about being a dinosaur or character from Minecraft that is often causing

him to be off-task. Currently, he is in Mrs. Pfirman's class and is having a hard time with

independent reading coursework. Marcus was given a mid-year universal screening along with

his class. The results show that he has fallen below the grade-level benchmark. "From a

measurement perspective, the best strategy is to assess all students on a grade-level screening

tool with a benchmark that demonstrates utility for predicting the end of the year performance"

(Fuchs & Fuchs, 2006). Strategies that can be used are repeated timed readings, picture cues,

one-on-one reading, and blending words.

Data Collection on Marcus's Performance

Using the information that Mrs. Pfirman collected over the seven weeks, Marcus should

be placed in a Tier 2 intervention group. Tier 2 is targeted interventions when "students are not

making adequate progress in the regular classroom in Tier 1 are provided with increasingly

intensive instruction matched to their needs based on levels of performance and rates of

progress" (RTI Network, n.d.). Students who are performing at the 50 percentile or above (or

reading 77 words per minute) at this time are considered to be Tier 1 and grade level. Marcus is

under that mark with reading at 55 words per minute. He had continued to receive the same

instruction as her peers, but he needs targeted intervention to help him build fluency. One of the

ways to help Marcus build fluency is through sight word fluency or differentiating her

instruction.
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When calculating Marcus's rate of growth, it is important to start by subtracting the

progress from the last week from the first week, which would equal 5. Then you would continue

to do that for the rest of the weeks, which would equal 6. When dividing Marcus's rate of growth,

that is represented as 1.4. "A student's progress is measured by comparing his or her expected

rate of learning (i.e., local or national norms) and the actual rate of learning" (Fuchs & Fuchs,

2006). The teacher can use the measurements from progress monitoring to adjust their teaching

and instructional techniques and strategies to meet the needs of the learners in their classroom.

Recommendations

Since Marcus loves dinosaurs and science, I would recommend, "What Happened to the

Dinosaurs? By Franklyn M. Branley. The book is the perfect introduction to an always

fascinating subject - the disappearance of the dinosaurs. This book covers a million years when

dinosaurs covered the planet. Then, suddenly, they all disappeared. Scientists wonder why. Both

rhyming/repetition books and the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series is appropriate for

Marcus to read. Marcus will need to continue to be progress monitored to see if his progress

improves with Tier 2 instruction and reading books that he has an interest in. Marcus will be

able to build his reading fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary.

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References

Fuchs, D., Fuchs, L. (2006). Introduction to Response to Intervention: What, Why, and How

Valid is it? Retrieved from https://www.uv.uio.no/forskning/om/helg-eng-

forelesning/introduction-to-responsiveness-to-intervention.pdf

RTI Network. (n.d.). What is RTI? Retrieved from

http://www.rtinetwork.org/learn/what/whatisrti