Start Strong: Identify Students’ Reading Intervention Needs

The beginning of a new school year brings fresh energy, new faces, and renewed purpose. Each student arrives with unique strengths, lived experiences, and learning needs. For educators, the task is clear but complex: how to move every student forward on their learning journey. That process can feel daunting and time consuming, and it often involves some trial and error before the right path becomes clear.

Meeting the Needs of Striving Readers in Upper Elementary and Beyond

Supporting striving readers in the upper grades presents distinct challenges. Too often, older students with reading difficulties are automatically placed in comprehension-focused interventions. While these programs are valuable for students who need them, this one-size-fits-all approach can miss the mark—especially for those who haven’t yet mastered foundational reading skills.

Research confirms that striving readers who have not crossed the decoding threshold—the point at which word reading becomes accurate and automatic—gain little benefit from comprehension-focused interventions (Wang et al., 2019).

Use the Decoding Threshold Quick Check as a Screener

In many middle and high school classrooms, teachers lack data on students’ decoding abilities. As a result, students may be matched with interventions that don’t address the root cause of their reading challenges, leading to minimal or no progress.

When oral reading fluency or decoding assessment data is unavailable, the Decoding Threshold Quick Check from EPS Learning provides a simple, research-aligned screener to guide next steps. This two-part tool helps educators quickly determine whether a student needs explicit decoding instruction or is ready for higher-level vocabulary and comprehension work.

Decoding Threshold Quick Check: Administered in Two Parts

Part One - Oral Reading Fluency:

The student reads a passage aloud to a teacher or paraeducator. If the student reads at least 100 words correct per minute (wcpm), they’ve likely crossed the decoding threshold and can fully benefit from comprehension and vocabulary-focused intervention.

Students scoring below 100 wcpm should move on to Part Two:

Part Two – Encoding (Spelling):

Administered in small or large groups, this section asks students to spell 20 words that reflect a range of phonics patterns. The number of words spelled correctly offers insight into instructional needs. Review results for general instructional guidance:

• 16–20 correct: Student is likely to benefit from fluency work to strengthen automatic word recognition, along with comprehension-focused intervention
• 10–15 correct: Student may need support with vowel teams and syllabication before shifting to comprehension-focused intervention
• 0–9 correct: Student likely needs systematic phonics and decoding intervention

Evidence-Based Intervention for Students Below the Decoding Threshold

When results point to foundational gaps, it’s critical to respond with structured, evidence-based support. Two options from EPS Learning meet these needs:

• Reading Accelerator: A targeted Tier 2 intervention for grades 3+, designed to close phonics and decoding gaps within one school year.
• SPIRE: An intensive Tier 3 or special education solution for students in K-grade 8+ who need intensive remediation. SPIRE is a Structured Literacy intervention and is grounded in Orton-Gillingham (OG) methodology.

The Right Intervention at the Right Time Changes Everything

Time is limited and student needs are urgent. With the right data and tools, educators can make confident, effective decisions from day one. When each student gets the support they need most, every reader can engage and build lasting literacy success.