Effective Academic Interventions in the United States: Evaluating and Enhancing the Acquisition of Early Reading Skills

The alignment of assessment, intervention, and meaningful student outcomes is arguably one the most exciting developments in school psychology. This linkage is especially apparent in the areas of early literacy where the convergence of three areas of research and development form a dynamic process of information and feedback to enhance the effectiveness of interventions in preventing and remediating reading problems for children in early elementary grades. In this article, we develop the rationale for early and intensive literacy intervention, review the major implications of the converging evidence in early literacy and reading acquisition, and propose mechanisms to enhance early literacy development through the strategic and timely linkage of assessment and intervention. The major areas of convergence from research regarding what to teach and how to teach it are presented. The contributions and role of assessment information in developing and providing effective beginning reading and early literacy interventions are described.