Program Description

"Enhanced Core Reading Instruction is a multi-tiered program (Tier 1 and Tier 2) featuring a series of teaching routines designed to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of reading instruction in kindergarten, first and second grade."

Cost

Individual components vary from $55/Interventionist Workbook–$670/Foundational Skills Intervention Book (Note: PDF copies are cheaper)

Intended Population

• Core
• Intervention

Grade

• Elementary School

Intended Group Size

• Small group
• Classroom

ELL/DLL

• Unspecified

Multisensory Applications

• Yes

Delivery Method

• Print-based delivery

Scripted

• Instructor Scripted

Comprehensive or Skill Specific

• Comprehensive

Placement Tests

• Unspecified

Accelerated Learning

• Unspecified

Assessment to Monitor Skills Mastery

• Unspecified

Error Correction Built In

• No

Fidelity Measures Provided by Publisher

• Unspecified

Research Summary

Three peer-reviewed randomized controlled trials examined the efficacy of Enhanced Core Reading Instruction (ECRI) on first-grade students' reading skills (Fien et al., 2015, 2021; Smith et al., 2016). The results of these studies reported largely positive intervention effects for reading skills such as oral reading fluency, phonemic decoding, phonological awareness, and reading comprehension. An additional study with a regression discontinuity design compared the effect of Tier 1 ECRI to Tier 2 ECRI and found that students who received Tier 2 support as well as Tier 1 support made greater gains than students who scored just above the cut-off threshold and therefore received only Tier 1 instruction (Baker et al., 2015). Finally, Nelson-Walker et al. (2013) evaluated the effects of ECRI on first grade teachers' explicit reading instruction utilizing a randomized controlled trial design. They found teacher's utilizing ECRI instruction had better quality of explicit instruction, especially for the quality of phonemic awareness, decoding, and word reading instruction and a potentially positive effect on vocabulary instruction. Of note, there was not a significant difference in quality of comprehension and fluency instruction. Overall, these peer-reviewed studies with largely positive effects support ECRI as an evidence-based practice.

Study Citations

Fien, H., Smith, J. L., Smolkowski, K., Baker, S. K., Nelson, N. J. & Chaparro, E. (2015). An examination of the efficacy of a multitiered intervention on early reading outcomes for first grade students at risk for reading difficulties. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 48(6) 606-621

Fien, H., Nelson, N. J., Smolkowski, K., Kosty, D., Pilger, M., Baker, S. K., & Smith, J. L. M. (2021). A Conceptual Replication Study of the Enhanced Core Reading Instruction MTSS-Reading Model. Exceptional Children, 87(3), Article 0014402920953763. https://doi.org/10.1177/0014402920953763

Smith, J. L., Nelson, N. J., Fien, H., Smolkowski, K., Kosty, D. & Baker, S. K. (2016). Examining the efficacy of a multitiered intervention for at-risk readers in grade 1. The Elementary School Journal, 116(4) 549-573

Baker, S. K., Smolkowski, K., Chaparro, E. A., Smith, J. L. M., & Fien, H. (2015). Using Regression Discontinuity to Test the Impact of a Tier 2 Reading Intervention in First Grade. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 8(2), 218–244. https://doi.org/10.1080/19345747.2014.909548

Nelson-Walker, N. J., Fien, H., Kosty, D. B., Smolkowski, K., Smith, J. L. M., & Baker, S. K. (2013). Evaluating the Effects of a Systemic Intervention on First-Grade Teachers’ Explicit Reading Instruction. Learning Disability Quarterly, 36(4), 215–230. https://doi.org/10.1177/0731948712472186

Evidence Base (ESSA)

• Strong

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)

• Evidence-based practice