The impact of literacy coaching on teacher fidelity and students with learning disabilities' reading achievement

Students in the United States are exiting high school with poor reading skills. To improve reading skills a consensus exists that schools should use research-based curriculum and provide on-going professional development for teachers. This study examined the use of Direct Instruction (Adams & Engelmann, 1996) curriculum with students in special education at the high school level and measured the effects literacy coaching had on teacher fidelity of instruction and, subsequently, on students. Results indicated (a) students with learning disabilities at the treatment school performed reliably better on a measure of reading progress compared to peers at two comparison schools; (b) teachers at the treatment school had the highest fidelity ratings, (c) students at all schools improved their reading achievement regardless of the degree to which they implemented instruction with high fidelity. These results were interpreted to show that on-going professional development in the form of a Direct Instruction coach has positive effects on teacher fidelity and student reading achievement. Recommendations are presented for instructional practice and future research.