Getting it right from the start: an early-years school intervention to equitably improve student oral language and reading outcomes

Using a response to intervention approach to teaching to improve student oral language and reading outcomes in Grade 1 primary school students

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN91164066

Enrollment

3700

Registered

2022-01-25

Start date

2022-01-31

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-01-12

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Poor oral language and reading ability Other

Interventions

Dose and duration: This will be 12 months (repeated) of a response to intervention (RTI) approach to improve oral language and reading for Grade 1 primary school students. Control will be 'business a

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Current inclusion criteria as of 30/10/2024: Schools to be involved in the study will be randomly assigned to a cohort only if they meet all of the inclusion criteria: 1. School ICSEA value is 1100 or less 2. Schools 2018 AEDC results – language and cognitive domain vulnerability rate of = or above 10% First-round Expression of Interest offers will be sent to schools that meet the above criteria. Previous inclusion criteria: Schools to be involved in the study will be randomly assigned to a cohort only if they meet all of the inclusion criteria: 1. School population is at least 200 students 2. Grade 1 cohort in 2021 is at least 35 students 3. School ICSEA value is 1070 or less 4. Schools 2018 AEDC results – language and cognitive domain vulnerability rate of =10% First-round Expression of Interest offers will be sent to schools that meet the above criteria.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: Does not meet the inclusion criteria

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Student reading ability assessed using The Reading Progress Test (RPT) pre-intervention and after 12 months of intervention (start of Grade 2)	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
1. Student oral language ability assessed using The Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals – Australian and New Zealand standardised Fifth Edition 1 x Subtest: Following Directions, pre-intervention and after 12 months of intervention (start of Grade 2) 2. Student oral language ability assessed using CUBED: Narrative Language Measures (NLM) listening subtest pre-intervention and after 12 months of intervention (start of Grade 2) 3. Student reading ability assessed using Test of Word Reading Efficiency–Second Edition (TOWRE 2) pre-intervention and after 12 months of intervention (start of Grade 2). 4. Student reading ability assessed using Sutherland Phonological Awareness Test (SPAT): phonemic awareness subtests pre-intervention and after 12 months of intervention (start of Grade 2) 5. Teacher knowledge of language & reading constructs assessed using teacher knowledge survey pre-intervention, after Tier 1 intervention and at the end of each subsequent year. 6. Fidelity of RTI implementation assessed using schools PDSA Cycle data, qualitative focus groups and interviews pre, during and post intervention 7. Cost-consequence analysis 24 months after intervention commencement	—

Measure

Time frame

1. Student oral language ability assessed using The Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals – Australian and New Zealand standardised Fifth Edition 1 x Subtest: Following Directions, pre-intervention and after 12 months of intervention (start of Grade 2) 2. Student oral language ability assessed using CUBED: Narrative Language Measures (NLM) listening subtest pre-intervention and after 12 months of intervention (start of Grade 2) 3. Student reading ability assessed using Test of Word Reading Efficiency–Second Edition (TOWRE 2) pre-intervention and after 12 months of intervention (start of Grade 2). 4. Student reading ability assessed using Sutherland Phonological Awareness Test (SPAT): phonemic awareness subtests pre-intervention and after 12 months of intervention (start of Grade 2) 5. Teacher knowledge of language & reading constructs assessed using teacher knowledge survey pre-intervention, after Tier 1 intervention and at the end of each subsequent year. 6. Fidelity of RTI implementation assessed using schools PDSA Cycle data, qualitative focus groups and interviews pre, during and post intervention 7. Cost-consequence analysis 24 months after intervention commencement

—

Countries

Australia

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 5, 2026