Reading Intervention for Adolescents (RIA)

Reading Intervention for Adolescents (RIA) is a 2-year extensive reading intervention designed for current and former English learners in grades 9-10 who are identified as struggling readers based on state accountability assessment performance. The intervention is delivered face-to-face in groups of 10-15 students for approximately 50 minutes daily (3.75-4.25 hours weekly) in place of an elective course. RIA consists of two phases: Phase I (first semester of year 1) emphasizes word study, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension at sentence and paragraph levels using REWARDS Secondary and introduces Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR) procedures; Phase II (second semester of year 1 through year 2) focuses on vocabulary and comprehension within content area texts through 14 instructional units in science and social studies, applying CSR strategies, explicit vocabulary instruction with graphic organizers, and includes 10 minutes of free-choice reading daily. The intervention is enhanced for English learners with explicit academic vocabulary instruction, visual supports, collaborative group work, structured oral language activities, and word-learning strategies including cognate identification. Teachers require 40 hours of pre-intervention training plus 8-16 additional hours for Phase II preparation, with ongoing coaching support throughout implementation.