Examining the online implementation of the evidence-based sound partners reading intervention on a measure of phonics skills of kindergarten and first grade students with reading difficulties

ABSTRACT

Students who do not read proficiently by the end of first grade are likely to remain poor readers and suffer academic difficulties across all subjects during their school career (Moats, 2017). Therefore, early identification and intervention of reading difficulties are essential for students' academic success (Partanen & Siegel, 2014;Vadasy & Sanders, 2011). The SARS COVID-19 pandemic prompted unexpected school closures worldwide and limited student access to intensive reading instruction, which created an urgent need to transpose curriculum to an online synchronous format. This research study utilized a multiple baseline across participants design to examine the outcomes of synchronous online tutoring using the evidence-based Sound Partners reading intervention on a measure of nonsense word fluency scores of kindergarten and first-grade students with reading difficulties. Results suggest evidence-based reading curricula can be transposed for virtual instruction while maintaining treatment integrity;there was a positive correlation between the online Sound Partners intervention and students' phonics skills. Study findings highlight factors to consider when adapting evidence-based practices to different formats and the benefits of implementing reading interventions in a virtual setting. The results illustrate the promise of transposing evidence-based practices established in the traditional in-person classroom setting to online delivery formats to support the learning needs of students with reading challenges. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)