Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of READ 180, an integrated learning system, on the reading achievement of middle school students who read below grade level. There were 71 students in the READ 180 group and 73 students in the comparison group. A mixed factorial ANOVA was used to examine the effects of READ 180 instruction and Language Arts Intensive Reading instruction. Results indicated no statistically significant difference in reading achievement between the two groups. However, when the data were analyzed by initial reading performance (i.e., low performance, moderate performance, and higher performance levels) higher performing students made statistically significant reading improvements. Outcomes of this study were impacted by various contextual issues such as program implementation and pedagogical support. Therefore, more research is needed to determine whether READ 180 instruction is effective in increasing the reading achievement of middle school students with reading delay, and whether or not the reading knowledge and skills acquired, transfer to other reading tasks and measures.