What Is Reading Intervention?
Written by:
Wilson College
• Sep 19, 2025
In 2024, a total of 40% of U.S. students in fourth and eighth grades were reading below basic level, according to average scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as the “nation’s report card.” That percentage is the highest in more than two decades.
For the many children struggling to read at grade level, reading intervention can provide critical support. This intervention, offered in addition to core instruction, takes a personalized approach to help students overcome specific challenges and learning disabilities that may lead to reading and literacy difficulties.
A bachelor’s degree in special education program can provide the knowledge and skills teachers need to provide this targeted support and help students overcome any obstacles they may face in learning to read.
What Are the Benefits of Reading Intervention?
Reading intervention can improve students’ reading and literacy abilities. With improved literacy skills come a host of research-proven benefits that go beyond reading to affect students’ performance in various academic subjects and nonacademic activities.
Reading intervention has been shown to facilitate improvement in the areas below.
Reading
Support from reading intervention helps students, including those with learning disabilities or those facing other potential barriers to literacy development, improve their reading. A 2025 Education Sciences review of studies on high school English learners with disabilities, for example, shows a link between these interventions and improved reading.
Learning
From English and social studies materials to math story problems, a broad variety of lessons rely on strong literacy skills for comprehension. Results of a 2025 International Journal of Research Public and Reviews study of the impact of reading on academic performance shows that strong literacy skills are a key factor in overall success in school.
Writing
Stronger reading skills lead to better writing, making it easier for students to complete coursework and communicate. A 2023 Frontiers in Psychology study of reading ability and writing processes among students learning English linked reading to writing activities ranging from research to narration.
Cognition
As students build their reading skills, they also develop their cognitive ability. Learning to read, according to a 2025 Frontiers in Psychology study, requires developing functions such as processing information, making inferences, and understanding sentence structure.
Confidence
Improvements in ability to read—and the associated benefits in other subjects and skills—can boost students’ confidence. Students who successfully overcome barriers to reading feel better equipped to manage the demands of learning and life.
How Do Reading Intervention Programs Work?
Reading intervention programs are individualized, but they do feature some common steps that help educators identify each student’s areas for improvement and tailor instruction to address them. The typical process for reading intervention programs includes the elements below.
Early Assessment
Determining each student’s reading level is a critical component of reading intervention, as it informs what support each learner needs and how to provide it. Early assessment helps educators determine which students are struggling—and in which areas, such as fluency or vocabulary, they need extra help.
Personalized Instruction
Whether conducted one-on-one or in small groups, reading intervention programs feature an approach tailored to each learner’s needs. For example, students might get extra practice on phonics, which teaches the relationship between sounds and letters, or on comprehension, which helps with reading analysis.
Learning Reinforcement
Interactive lessons that use activities such as games and repetition-based exercises support the instruction students receive through reading intervention. Educators can also use digital programs or applications to encourage engagement.
Progress Tracking
Successful reading intervention programs continue beyond the initial instruction and reinforcement of reading skills, with educators monitoring students’ ongoing progress. These evaluations are helpful in determining whether the intervention has been effective and which reading areas still need improvement.
Parent Participation
Parents and other family members also play a key role in reading intervention programs. Teachers typically ask them to engage in activities that reinforce the lessons that in-school reading intervention provides.
How to Implement Reading Intervention Strategies
By incorporating some proven strategies, educators can set up their students for reading success, regardless of any learning obstacles the students face. Below are some ways to implement effective reading intervention strategies.
Focus on Basics
Reading intervention generally emphasizes the fundamentals of reading, based on the areas in which students show they need to improve. The following elements of reading should form the foundation of intervention:
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Phonemics: Hearing the different sounds in words
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Phonics: Recognizing letters and their sounds
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Comprehension: Understanding written text
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Fluency: Reading with accuracy
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Vocabulary: Knowing the meaning of words
Use Explicit Instruction
Using explicit instruction in reading intervention means explaining each concept presented. Educators should present materials step by step, without assuming that students are already familiar with any of the terms or the expectations for learning.
Build on Prior Knowledge
Another strategy for reading intervention success is incorporating students’ prior knowledge and experiences into lessons. The use of familiar information and scenarios helps keep students engaged and helps them connect the information they’re reading to their own lives.
Incorporate Graphics
Graphics can be a helpful tool for enabling students to identify themes, organize concepts, and remember materials from their reading. Using graphics such as flow charts or checklists during intervention can emphasize the main points from reading assignments, keeping students focused on those points instead of other, less important details.
Help Students Overcome Reading Obstacles
If you’re interested in a career helping students overcome obstacles to learning, including those that can affect reading and literacy development, explore the Wilson College Online Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Special Education degree program.
The program emphasizes many concepts associated with reading intervention, from early intervention and cognitive development to individualized attention and parental involvement. By pursuing this degree, you can learn how to help students move past potential barriers to success. You can do so in an asynchronous online program that provides the flexibility to manage other commitments along with your degree work.
Discover how the B.A. in Special Education can help you achieve your professional goals.
Recommended Readings
6 Key Special Education Teacher Skills
How to Become a Special Education Teacher
What Is Early Intervention in Special Education?
Sources:
Frontiers in Psychology, “A Cross-Age Odyssey of Cognitive Reading Attributes: A Scoping Review”
Learnability, What Is Reading Intervention and How It Helps Struggling Readers
Lexia, Best Special Education Reading Strategies
The Nation’s Report Card, Student Performance Across Subjects
We Are Teachers, “What Is Reading Intervention? A Guide for Educators and Families”
