Start-to-Finish® Research
Julie W. Spedale, Director of OPTIONS, St. Thomas More Catholic High
School, Lafayette, Louisiana January 2010, Lafayette, Louisiana(PDF 844 KB)
Jennifer Ziolko, Assistive Technology Practitioner West Linn/Wilsonville, Oregon School District May 2008, West Linn/Wilsonville Oregon (PDF 728 KB)
Ms. Linda Bates, Certified Special Education Teacher April 2008, Pomfret Community School, Connecticut
Douglas McCoy, Graduation Specialist, Diane Hardenstein, Special Education Teacher, and Kristi Bevis, School Pyschologist (PDF, 304 KB)
Physical Disabilities: Education and Related Services, v23 n2 p115-136 Spr 2005
Duris, Adrienne L., Walker County (Georgia) Schools (PDF 844 KB)
PJ Mezei, 2009 - Related Ariticles
Special Education. 10-6-2009. The Effects of Word Prediction on Writing.
Fluency for Students with Physical Disabilities. Peter John Mezei
Georgia State (PDF 844 KB)
Read more about how Start-to-Finish supports volume reading and more
ties to current research. Use our correlations to national reading
standards as evidence for implementing Start-to-Finish into your
curriculum. (PDF, 388 KB)
Margaret Kardos, MS, OTR/L, ATP, Editor of ConnSENSE Bulletin (2009)
Margaret Kardos, MS, OTR/L, ATP, Editor, ConnSENSE Bulletin (2008)
Learning and Leading with Technology Magazine, February 2007 (PDF 236)
Start-to-Finish® Publishing is a collaborative design by experts in the fields of reading, language, learning disabilities and educational technology. It was developed using proven principles of reading research to support fluency and comprehension development, as well as decoding and word recognition skills.
Research shows that volume of reading is a crucial element to readers’ success. Allington (2006) notes, “At every age level, reading more pages in school and at home each day was associated with higher reading scores. At each grade level, students who read more pages every day were more likely to achieve the proficient level of performance on the NAEP reading assessment.”
Putting Theory into Practice:
The results of this research, and research like it, were a driving force for the Start-to-Finish design. Reading more makes better readers; however, when you are referring to struggling readers, putting this theory into practice is challenging because struggling readers have experienced a never-ending cycle of failure and lack the motivation to keep trying to read. Start-to-Finish breaks that failure cycle through its unique combination of considerate text and considerate delivery that:
- help students focus their energy on the meaning of the text instead of struggling with the mechanics of reading
- create opportunities for word recognition and decoding practice with manageable vocabulary
- build fluency and subsequently increase comprehension
- build motivation because students experience a guaranteed successful reading experience every time
- increase reading volume to build avid readers
Case Study: Computer e-Books Engage Catholic High School Teens
Case Study: Effective Literacy Solutions Using Assistive Technologies
Case Study: Assistive Technology—How to Connect Special Needs Students to a Blended Curriculum Through Supportive Tools and Resources
Case Study: High School Reading Academy Engages Readers with Computer and Audio Books
Research: Using Start-to-Finish Books For Students with Physical Impairments
Research: The Effects of Word Prediction on Writing Fluency for Students with Physical Disabilities
Core Content e_book Review 
ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) Product Review