Intervention Essentials

Reading Recovery Lesson in ActionNothing is more important than learning to read and write!

Good classroom instruction is one of the first steps in helping children become readers and writers. Yet, some children need help beyond the classroom, and one-to-one intervention is crucial.

LCNA interventions offer an additional level of support for classroom instruction by providing more comprehensive assessments, individualized instruction, and immediate intervention. The goal of each intervention is to close the literacy gap, taking the students who struggle most into the average of the class–or higher!

The Interventions:

  • Reading Recovery: For the lowest-achieving English-speaking first-graders to help them catch up to their peers.
  • Descubriendo la Lectura: For Spanish-speaking first-grade students who have extreme difficulty learning to read and write in a bilingual classroom.
  • Intervention préventive en lecture-écriture: For French-speaking first-grade students who have extreme difficulty learning to read and write in a bilingual classroom.
  • Literacy Lessons: For struggling readers in grades 2 and above, with a focus on English learners and special education.

Each Intervention is:

  1. Assets-based: We start with what the child knows and build on their strengths.
  2. Individualized: We carefully observe the child’s reading habits and design lessons for their specific needs.
  3. One-to-One: The child receives the teacher’s full attention for maximum impact.
  4. Short-term: A full lesson series is 12 to 20 weeks. Most children see enormous growth in this short amount of time!
  5. Research-based: LCNA interventions are backed by 40+ years of research, with both qualitative and quantitative studies documenting effectiveness.

Intervention Basics

To intervene early (first grade) before students’ literacy difficulties become lifelong obstacles.

To develop effective reading and writing strategies in order to make faster than average progress and work successfully and independently in classrooms.

For students whose literacy instruction is delivered in Spanish (Descubriendo la Lectura) in the United States; also available in French in Canada (L’intervention préventive en lecture- écriture).

30 minutes daily for 12 to 20 weeks for first graders having the most literacy difficulties (supplementing good classroom instruction).

Initial training for an academic year and subsequent ongoing professional development for school-based teachers, site/district-based teacher leaders, and university trainers.

Carefully designed intensive instructional practices; individual instruction based on informed decision making by a knowledgeable teacher using appropriate assessments and systematic observation.

(a) data collected daily by Reading Recovery teachers to inform instruction,

(b) descriptive and outcome data for every child served collected and reported by Ohio State University’s International Data Evaluation Center, and

(c) research validating the effectiveness of the intervention.

Fidelity of implementation based on adherence to trademark standards and guidelines for teaching, training, and implementation at school and district levels.

Includes university training centers, North American Trainers Group, Literacy Council of North America, International Data Evaluation Center, Canadian Institute of Reading Recovery, state/regional teacher leaders and teachers.

See How LCNA Interventions Align

LCNA interventions offer a comprehensive model of instruction for early literacy acquisition. See how one-to-one lessons support the five essential pillars of literacy.

The What Works Clearinghouse has twice confirmed positive benefits of Reading Recovery. Read more about LCNA’s Scientific Research Base.

Intervention Topics