A Research-Practice Partnership to Implement Tier 1 Instructional Decisions in Reading Using a Logic Model and Coaching Tool

In many schools, the number of students identified as needing support in reading is greater than 20%, and providing Tier 2 prevention to that large number of students is counterproductive. Although recommendations to improve Tier 1 reading instruction according to reading screening data are straightforward, there are few examples of implementation that are both empirically supported and descriptive enough to replicate. This study describes a research-practice partnership in an underpowered randomized controlled trial with 16 grade 2 classrooms to describe the relations of Tier 1 supports on both teacher and student outcomes. Results showed a small practical effect (Hedges’s g = 0.20) on students’ reading accuracy. To help other schools evaluate their Tier 1 reading practices, we demonstrate the use of a logic model and an observation/coaching tool—the Instructional Content Emphasis–Revised—as mechanisms to align students’ reading development with instructional quality and coaching practices.