Evidence-Based Studies
Treatment Group/Control Group
Second-grade students, Elk River, MN
Read Naturally, Inc. (1997)
For 12 weeks in 1997, 24 second grade students at Lincoln Elementary School in Elk River, MN, spent 30 minutes a day using Read Naturally. One or two adults worked with these students in groups of six. At the end of the 12 weeks, these students increased their reading fluency by an average of 92 percent. A control group of 10 students (that did not use Read Naturally) made an average gain of 38 percent in reading fluency over the same 12 weeks (see the table and graph below).
| Control Group | Read Naturally | |
| March 11, 1997 | 75.60 | 49.08 |
| April 22, 1997 | 94.40 | 85.29 |
| May 30, 1997 | 104.50 | 94.25 |
| Average Point Gain | 28.60 | 45.17 |
Growth in Fluency Over a 12-Week Period
Evidence-Based Studies
Overview of Evidence-Based Studies
Strong Evidence for the Read Naturally Strategy
- Christ, T. J., & Davie, J. (2009): Empirical evaluation of Read Naturally effects: A randomized control trial
- Arvans, R. (2010): Improving reading fluency and comprehension in elementary students using Read Naturally
Moderate Evidence for the Read Naturally Strategy
- Tucker, C. & Jones, D. (2010): Response to intervention: Increasing fluency, rate, and accuracy for students at risk for reading failure
- Heistad, D. (2005): The effects of Read Naturally on fluency and reading comprehension: A supplemental service intervention (four-school study)
- Heistad, D. (2008): The effects of Read Naturally on grade 3 reading: A study in the Minneapolis Public Schools
- Graves, A. W., Duesbery, L., Pyle, N. B., Brandon, R. R., & McIntosh, A. S. (2011): Two studies of Tier II literacy development: Throwing sixth graders a lifeline
Promising Evidence for the Read Naturally Strategy
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