Document Type
Article
Publication Date
Fall 2025
Abstract
Secondary students who persistently read below grade level present a significant challenge for educators, with 69% of eighth-grade students unable to derive meaning from grade-level text according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Despite implementing tier 1, 2, and 3 reading interventions, many students continue to struggle with reading comprehension. This study aimed to identify the effectiveness of implementing reciprocal teaching to improve reading comprehension among secondary students reading below grade level. Based on a literature review examining reciprocal teaching efficacy, reading intervention strategies, and factors affecting comprehension, a quasi-experimental intervention was conducted with seven high school students in a rural, Title 1 Iowa school district. Students received twice-weekly reciprocal teaching sessions over three weeks, with pre- and post-test data collected using Jamestown Reading Comprehension Assessments. Significant implementation challenges, including poor attendance and suspected academic dishonesty, prevented adequate data collection to evaluate intervention effectiveness. Examining attendance data through Varghese et al.'s (2021) fidelity framework revealed critical failures in intervention exposure, with students attending only 33% to 50% of scheduled sessions. While the study could not determine reciprocal teaching's effectiveness, it uncovered a potentially more fundamental problem: failure to implement reading interventions with fidelity may be a root cause of persistent reading difficulties among secondary students. Districts should prioritize fidelity monitoring and protect intervention time from competing activities. Further research is needed to examine the relationship between fidelity and intervention outcomes in secondary settings.