One-Year Follow-Up of Two Intensive Supplemental Reading and Mathematics Programs in Swedish Elementary School

This study presents the one-year follow-up in grade 3 of two randomized controlled interventions, addressing phonics and numeracy targeting children at-risk for early reading or mathematics difficulties. The participants (n = 130) had been part of two intervention studies including 21 Swedish elementary schools. Results show that the post-test advantage of the intervention groups had faded for most outcome measures. A significant difference between groups sustained only for conceptual knowledge in the mathematics intervention group and for the speeded reading test in the reading intervention group. These results raise questions about the integration of rigorous interventions into mainstream education. Furthermore, the study pinpoints the importance of longitudinal intervention research and conditions to make special education interventions sustainable.