National Reading Panel
In 1997, Congress asked the director of National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
in consultation with the Secretary of Education to convene a national panel of experts to assess the
status of research based knowledge including the effectiveness of various approaches to teaching children
to read. The report of the National Reading Panel can be accessed at
www.nifl.gov.
Scientifically-Based Reading Research
According to the National Reading Panel, Scientifically-Based Reading Research is defined as:
- The use of rigorous, systematic and empirical methods
- Adequacy of the data analyses to test the stated hypotheses and justify the general conclusions drawn
- Reliance on measurements or observational methods that provided valid data across evaluators and observers and across multiple measurements and observations
- Acceptance by a peer-reviewed journal or approved by a panel of independent experts through a comparably rigorous, objective and scientific review
How do you know if your curriculum and instruction are scientifically based?
- Examine reading research
- Compare the research on the five critical components (core reading areas as defined by NRP) to your curriculum/programs
- Compare the research on the five critical components (core reading areas as defined by NRP) to instructional practice.
Additional Research Critical to Success in Schools that weren't identified by the NRP.
- Motivation and other aspects of word recognition
- Role of parents
- Role of the teacher in student achievement
- Effective professional development
Core Reading Areas
The National Reading Panel identified five essential components of reading: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension.
Phonemic Awareness
Phonemes are the smallest units of sound that make up the spoken language. It is the understanding
that words are made up of sequences of distinct sounds and the ability to isolate sounds in words
and manipulate (segment, blend, delete or substitute) sounds in spoke words. Phonological Awareness
is the "larger spoken units": rhymes, syllables and onsets and rimes.
Phonics
Phonics is the relationship between the letters (graphemes) of written language and the individual
sounds (phonemes) of spoken language. Thus leading to an understanding of systematic and predictable
relationships to help recognize familiar words accurately and automatically and "decode"
new words. The instruction should be short-term, structured and systematic.
Fluency
Fluency is the bridge between word recognition and comprehension. It is the ability to recognize
words automatically and to read text quickly, accurately and with expression freeing the students
to understand what they read.
Vocabulary
Vocabulary refers to words we must know to communicate effectively. These words may be taught
'indirectly' or 'directly.' Research refers to four types of vocabulary:
- Listening vocabulary- words needed to understand what is heard
- Speaking vocabulary- words used when we speak
- Reading vocabulary- words needed to understand what we read
- Writing vocabulary- words we use in writing
Comprehension
Comprehension is the process of making meaning. It is an interactive process that is influenced
by the content and structure of the text. Comprehension is a cognitive process that integrates
complex skills such as vocabulary learning with interactive problem-solving.