Supporting Reading Comprehension for Students Who Are Learning English and Have Learning Disabilities

The article describes research-based instructional practices to improve the reading comprehension and academic vocabulary of English Learners (ELs) in the secondary grades. Adolescent ELs who have difficulty with English proficiency most likely have difficulty with reading comprehension. However, there may be few opportunities for them to improve reading comprehension in the secondary grades since the focus at this level shifts to learning from disciplinary texts. The authors identify explicit instruction on word reading and academic vocabulary as effective strategies to improve ELs' reading comprehension.