Examining Reading Comprehension: Implementing the Close Reading Strategy with General Education and Special Education Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assist students enrolled in a high school special education English class to improve their reading comprehension skills and reading stamina to enable them to perform satisfactorily on achievement exams as well as on class assessments. Study participants were students enrolled in general education and special education students in the co-taught setting. The Performance Series Assessment was administered as both a pre and post-test assessment. The intervention used was the Close Reading Strategy and was implemented into four lessons throughout the year and assessed with a standardized Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCPA) rubric. The results of the study, when considering the growth of students’ Lexile Scores in general and special education groups, suggested that the Close Reading Strategy was not the most effective strategy for helping students improve their reading achievement. However, when breaking down students’ writing assignments from the Close Reading Strategy lessons, there was significant growth in both groups.