Testing the Acceleration Hypothesis: Fluency Outcomes Utilizing Still-Versus Accelerated-Text in Sixth-Grade Students With Reading Disabilities

The acceleration hypothesis views reading rate simultaneously as both an independent and dependent variable that can be manipulated to encourage increases in reading indicators (Breznitz, 2006 Breznitz, Z. 2006. Fluency in reading: Synchronization of processes, Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). Within this conceptualization, reading rate represents all the component sub-processes required for proficient reading and presents the opportunity for a potential training regimen where the student is prompted to maintain a faster than normal reading rate. Potential for improvement in reading indictors is based on the theory that by increasing the amount of text available to working memory, increased comprehension processing may occur. This random assignment study found increases commensurate with a regimen of repeated reading with traditional still-based text.