Impact of Implementation of the Self-Directed Technology Component of READ 180 on the Reading Comprehension of English Language Learners

Reading at the middle school level can be a barrier to progress in all content areas because reading is a requirement for learning. This leads to students failing to maintain levels of achievement as other subgroups. The Purpose of this study is to identify if using a specialized self-directed reading instructional program, READ 180, can ensure the reading success and improvement of English Language Learners. The study was conducted in an English learner intervention class, Language Development Through the Use of Technology (LD Tech), that was created to reduce the achievement gap of students who were either newcomers to the United States, Long-Term English Learners who were still reading two to three levels below their grade, students who have limited support in their primary language and limited proficiency in English, and Newcomers to the United States who have a very strong support in their primary language. The results suggest that English Learners who participate in the use of the self-directed software as a reading intervention starting in sixth grade, could be reading at grade level and can reclassify as Fluent English Proficient by the time they promote to high school. The results suggest that READ 180 promoted an increase in lexile level and reading performance with a gain. The data reflect that there were three students who grew more than 300 lexile points. The majority of students made gains that were significantly more than expected for growth in one year with a strong positive correlation r=.87, p.04.