Hallie Perry
School of Education, Liberty University
EDUC 360: Learning and Behavior Problems Professor
Sarah Salazar
5/8/2025
Introduction
Jeff is a kindergarten student who enjoys helping the teacher. He is a 5.9-year-old and is
active with the class of students. The kindergarten teacher believes that Jeff is a good student
and will do his very best on all of his assignments. Jeff is a happier student when he engages in
handson science activities. He has completed and succeeded the kindergarten math skills. Jeff
delights in doing arts and crafts. His areas of strength in kindergarten are identifying upper and
lower-case letters. He understands the meaning of print and what it conveys. He knows how to
match the upper and lower-case letters. Jeff is a good listener and participates in the reading
situations. Unfortunately, Jeff has to take his time with reading. He is unable to master the
reading skills in kindergarten books like other students. His teacher has scheduled a reading
time to speak with his parents during the school year. Jeff’s reading progress is not changing
from his parents working with him at home. The teacher desires to provide good new strategies
for Jeff to try. For example, the comprehension strategies would give Jeff extra help for
identifying likenesses and differences in sounds and structures of words. Jeff’s sweet parents
agree to schedule a meeting time with a good school psychologist to test Jeff in class. The
parents have also agreed to see a reading specialist for Jeff in three weeks. The teacher is
anxious to see if the new comprehension strategies will help Jeff to master reading skills. For
instance, the Model-Lead Test program would be helpful for Jeff’s teacher. The teacher desires
to use the information from the new strategies to discuss the next reading alternative for Jeff.
Proverbs 19:27 says, “Cease listening to instruction, my son, And you will stray from the words
of knowledge.”(King James Version, 2024) The IRIS Center lists three developed, observable, and
measurable goals to help Jeff read fluently. The knowledge from the IRIS Center chosen case
study takes advantage of the assessment questions from the Level C, Case 1 STAR SHEET Early
Reading Model-Lead-Test case study. The test phase for step three suggests, “Teacher asks the
following questions: Who were the main characters? Where did the story take place? What was
the main idea of the story?” (Sayeski, K . and Paulsen, K ., 2003) The test phase that evaluates
Jeff’s ability to master reading skills is the comprehension strategies. The program that I feel
would be helpful for Jeff’s teacher is the Reading Mastery Plus (SRA) reading program. The
fundamentals included in this program are phonic skills, oral language activities, and phonic
awareness. “As we approach the second quarter of 2025, the technology landscape continues to
evolve at a breathtaking pace.” (Matthew Lynch, 2025) The rationale of this Reading Master Plus
(SRA) program is technology-based. This program would support the teacher’s handson chosen
activities for Jeff to use. This Reading Mastery Plus (SRA) reading program would also help the
teacher’s decision-making for effective strategies.
Goal One: Discuss the Meaning of Stories
The benefit of using a model-lead test is the addressed strategy in the corresponding
goal. The goal of discussing the meaning of stories through the practice of reading skills will help
Jeff be confident in reading. This strategy would help Jeff’s reading fluency by practicing on
identifying words that rhyme. This would be most helpful for Jeff’s reading ability to be fluent.
“Fluency involves automatic word and punctuation recognition as well as pacing, inflection, and
efficiency.” (Kristin Sayeski, PhD and Kim Paulsen, EdD, 2003) The model-lead phase in the
kindergarten test assessments would help Jeff respond with the group of students when
questions are asked in class. For example, Jeff will read the story out loud to the class of
students. “An intervention plan is indicated by the teacher that offers structured practices and
develops the student’s reading plan.” (Garguilo and Metcalf, 2023) Another example that would
help Jeff master his reading skills is to do a hands-on literary web. The literary web would help
Jeff understand how to sequence the plot and characters in the story. “That is, as long as a
teacher used MLT, lead test, or model test during an error correction, it was counted correct
within the group instructional unit measure.” (Allison G. Kretlow et al., 2012) The sectioned
story terms would be diagrammed in a literary web circle to list the main idea of the story. The
sequence of events in the story would also be presented in a reader's theater. The literary web
sections both the whole and its parts from the stories' characters.
Goal two: Reads Own Dictated Stories
The test phase of the Comprehension strategies would help increase Jeff’s reading skills.
The next goal for Jeff is to read his own dictated stories through retelling details, events, and
ideas. The second hands-on activity example that would help Jeff’s reading fluency is a word
wall. “Students can work in pairs with flash cards or word sheets to practice new sight words
(highfrequency or irregular words) and review previously taught words.” (Kristin Sayeski, PhD
and Kim Paulsen, EdD, 2003) The word wall is a hands-on activity for mastering reading skills.
“Despite positive outcomes of in-service and coaching with general education teachers on
improvements in whole-class instruction using research-based strategies, the research is limited
in two areas.” (Goodnight, C. I., et al., 2019) The first limited area for a research-based strategy
to be included in a kindergarten classroom is mathematics. The DI program is the second limited
use for researchbased strategies. A non-DI teacher like Jeff’s teacher, would enhance the current
kindergarten study for effective research-based strategies. The word wall activities include
clapping and partner reading. Creating a rhythm song that Jeff can clap to will also suggest a
great opportunity to spell the rhythm words out loud. The model-lead test strategy would help
promote Jeff’s reading fluency by practicing reading words that rhyme out loud.
Goal three: Leads Some Community Signs and Billboards
The model phase of the repeated reading strategy helps increase verbal and reading
skills. The repeated reading supports the practice of word recognition skills. A group repeated
reading practice would allow Jeff to practice word sequence patterns. The STAR rationale for the
repeated reading strategy indicates that Jeff practice the model phase to become more familiar
with reading. The repeated reading strategy will help Jeff become familiar with rhyming and
how to recognize the story’s plot sequencing. “This form of repeated reading has been found to
help increase reading fluency.” (Kristin Sayeski, PhD, and Kim Paulsen, EdD, 2003) The repeated
reading strategy improves reading skills and to find the main idea in the story. The hands-on
activity for the third goal in leading community signs and billboards is story mapping
sequencing. “Comprehension strategies are the techniques a proficient reader uses to gain
meaning from the text .” (Kristin Sayeski, PhD and Kim Paulsen, EdD., 2003) The story mapping
sequencing represents the sequence for drawing pictures that match the key words in the story.
This hands-on activity would encourage Jeff to draw story pictures inside different colorful
puzzle shapes. “Fluency involves automatic word and punctuation recognition as well as pacing,
inflection, and efficiency.” (Kristin Sayeski, PhD and Kim Paulsen, EdD, 2003) If Jeff practices
partner and group readings with another student, this will make Jeff’s reading comprehension
skills to be less difficult. The repeated reading strategy demonstrates the story mapping
sequencing hands-on activity to be a helpful tool for Jeff in understanding how to read with
fluency.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Jeff is a 5.9-year-old kindergarten student who struggles with reading
fluency. The three strategies selected to address each goal are comprehension strategies,
repeated reading, and model-lead test strategies. These strategies are used to help Jeff master
his reading skills. The three goals written for Jeff are to discuss the meaning of stories, read your
own dictated stories through retelling details, events, and ideas, and lead some community
signs and billboards. The hands-on activities that are described to meet each of Jeff’s goals are a
word wall, literary web, and story mapping sequencing. The research-based reading resource
that is selected to help Jeff is the IRIS Center Star sheet. The rationale selected is the Reading
Master Plus (SRA) program that would support the teacher’s hands-on activities for Jeff to use.
As explained, it is a fundamental program that includes phonic skills, oral language activities,
and phonic awareness in the kindergarten classroom.
References
Kretlow, A. G., Cooke, N. L., & Wood, C. L. (2012). Using In-Service and Coaching to Increase
Teachers’ Accurate Use of Research-Based Strategies. Remedial and Special Education., 33(6),
348–361. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932510395397/
Goodnight, C. I., Wood, C. L., & Thompson, J. L. (2019). Effects of in-service and coaching to
increase teachers’ use of research-based strategies in beginning reading. Preventing School
Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 64(1), 67–76.
https://doi.org/10.1080/1045988X.2019.1680944/
Garguilo, R.M. and Metcalf, D. (2023). Teaching in Today’s Inclusive Classrooms: A
Universal Design for Learning Approach. 4th ed. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.
https://www.ebooks.cenreader.com/
Sayeski, K ., and Paulsen, K . (2003). Early reading and the IRIS Center. (IRIS Center, 2003)
https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/wpcontent/uploads/
Lynch, M. (2025). 100 Top Tech Stories For 4/7/2025: Innovations, Disruptions, And
Transformation. (The Edvocate, 2025) Para. 1. https://www.theedadvocate.org/ King
James Bible. (2024). (no author) https://www.biblegateway.com/
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