Multi-year studies examining the effect of intensive reading programs for middle school students with or at-risk for reading disabilities are few and show that without multiple years of intensive reading they appear to stagnate or regress in their reading levels. For this reason, this project proposes a multi-year (6th & 7th grade) intensive reading treatment using the, Adolescent Multi-Component-Intensive Training-Program, (AMP-IT-UP). Therefore, the aims of this project are to test: 1) a randomized control trial (RCT) efficacy study comparing the Multi-Year (6th & 7th grade) AMP-IT-UP program to Business as Usual (BaU) conditions on reading outcomes, 2) mediating and moderating factors effect on the longitudinal trajectories of reading outcomes, 3) the extent to which reading outcomes maintain or improve one year after end of treatment in 8th grade, and 4) cost and effectiveness analysis comparing AMP-IT-UP to BaU programs. While results from one-year interventions are important for informing the field, the persistence of reading problems associated with middle SWRD make it apparent additional research should be conducted to examine their response to multi-year intensive reading programs.

In Year 1 the researchers will recruit middle schools and students and Cohort 1 6th grade students will be screened for eligibility, pretested in the fall, randomly assigned to either the AMP-IT-UP program or the BaU conditions, and tested at the end of 6th grade. Teacher fidelity and classroom observations will be conducted four times across the academic year, and results will be analyzed. This process will be repeated in Years 2 and 3 creating Cohorts 2 and 3. In Year 2, Cohort 1 will continue treatment in 7th grade, staying in their designated treatment (AMP-IT-UP; BaU) condition, fidelity and classroom observations will be conducted four times across the academic year, students will be tested at the end of 7th grade, and results will be analyzed. This will be repeated for Cohorts 2 and 3 in years 3 and 4, respectively. In Year 3, Cohort 1 will be administered follow-up testing at the end of 8th grade and results on reading growth from 6th-8th grades will be analyzed. In Years 4 and 5 this will be repeated for Cohorts 2 and 3, respectively. In Year 5 researchers will complete data collection and analyze the results from all three Cohorts, along with cost and efficiency analysis and dissemination of findings.

Products for this project will produce information about the efficacy of the Multi-Year AMP-IT-UP module compared to BaU programs, follow-up testing after one year of treatment, and cost and efficiency analysis between AMP-IT-UP and BaU programs. Knowledge gained from this study will provide important information on multi-year intensive reading programs on reading outcomes for middle school students with or at-risk for reading disabilities. Furthermore, this study will produce a publicly released final dataset, presentations, workshops and peer-reviewed publications. Dissemination of findings will also be directed at educational stakeholders (e.g., policymakers; practitioners; school administrators).