Comparing Brief Experimental Analysis and Pre-Referral Team Judgment for Early Reading

This study aimed to determine if brief experimental analysis (BEA) is effective in selecting early reading interventions and compare the judgment of pre-referral team members’ early reading intervention selections to BEA-selected early reading interventions. The study identified the factors used by pre-referral teams when identifying early reading interventions. A mixed-methods research design was used to answer the research questions. A single-subject design was utilized to identify the early reading interventions using BEA and compared the pre-referral team-selected interventions. The results from letter sound fluency probes and decodable word fluency probes obtained during the BEA and extended analysis phases were plotted with trend lines for visual analyses. Interviews were conducted to determine how pre-referral team members decided on intervention selection using semi-structured interview questions. Participants for the study were obtained from public schools in the Southeastern region of the United States (U.S.), including three 5-year-old Kindergarten students and three National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT) of the school’s pre-referral team.