Abstract:

International data examining children’s reading achievement show that a large percentage of students struggle learning to read (Mullis et al., 2007). For example, in the United States, 33% of fourth-grade children read below the basic level on the national reading assessment (Lee et al., 2009), and 40% of fourth-grade students are considered “nonfluent” readers (Daane et al., 2005). Because reading fluency is a critical skill that individuals must acquire to best comprehend text and become a proficient reader (Armbuster, Lehr, & Osborn, 2001), and because reading fluency is often neglected in teachers’ classroom instruction (e.g., Fuchs, Fuchs, Hosp, & Jenkins, 2001), the Helping Early Literacy with Practice Strategies (HELPS) Program was developed to assist teachers with improving students’ reading fluency and overall reading abilities.

The primary purpose of this presentation will be to introduce the HELPS Program, which became publically available to teachers (in English) approximately one year ago and is now being used in thousands of schools internationally. During this presentation, attendees will learn about the importance of reading fluency, as well as the instructional and assessment strategies that are included within the HELPS Program. Attendees will also learn how all HELPS instructional materials and training materials can be accessed for free via the internet and a non-profit organization associated with the HELPS Program. Six years of research with HELPS, suggesting that the program can effectively improve students’ reading fluency and comprehension, will also be summarized.

The recently adapted version of HELPS in Spanish (intended for use with Spanish speakers) will also be introduced, and some reading fluency intervention studies that have been used with Spanish speakers will be summarized. Finally, implications related to teacher training, teachers’ instructional practices in the classroom, and international collaboration will be discussed.