Tech vs. Teacher The academic success of instructional reading technology use among 4th grade Tier 2 intervention students

New technology is coming onto the market at an astounding pace. The introduction of new technology in education is no exception, especially with college and career readiness goals in mind. Educators must decide how to best incorporate technology into educational programs, including intervention and special education programs. The purpose of this study was to see whether or not the use of instructional reading software technology would provide more academic success for students in a grade 4, Tier 2 intervention reading program, compared to a traditional non-technological intervention model. All students were enrolled in schools in the Inland Empire, California school district. The experimental group was comprised of 13 students who used the READ 180 instructional reading software 90 minutes a day/5 days a week. The control group of students, from a different school in the same district was also comprised of 14 students who used a traditional, non-technology, small guided group intervention approach, for 60 minutes a day/5 days a week. Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment was used to compare pre- and post-test results after one trimester, and the results showed that the experimental group (using instructional reading technology), had greater academic success than the control group. Moreover, the study had some limitations that may have affected the outcome. Keywords: Tier 2 intervention, instructional technology, fourth grade, iPad, college and career readiness