Click the link below and navigate the information on the Programs pages to learn what is new with the HELPS Program for small groups and the HELPS Program for Spanish speakers.
- Evidence-based and scientifically-validated
- Requires no more than 10-12 minutes per day, 2-3 days per week
- Has been successfully used with students of all different reading levels
- Can be easily integrated as part of a school's Response-to-Intervention (RTI) model
An extensive amount of reading research has confirmed that reading fluency is important for all students' reading development.
Multiple research studies have also showed that the HELPS Program improves students’ reading fluency and comprehension.
Becoming a Certified HELPS Trainer is quick, free, and advantageous. For example, trainers receive materials to assist with training and observing new HELPS implementers, and they can get immediate access to the HELPS Program for Small Groups.
The Helps Education Fund is the non-profit organization that, as one of its many goals, financially supports all educators' free access to HELPS Program materials. These materials can be downloaded and printed for free from this website, or schools and related educational organizations can get the printed and assembled HELPS materials sent to them directly—for free or at a very low cost.
Through The Helps Education Fund and its support of the HELPS reading programs, teachers and schools can also apply to receive free HELPS Program workshops. However, supporting the HELPS reading programs is just one of many projects supported by The Helps Education Fund. The overall goal of The Helps Education Fund is to support students' overall educational success, particularly for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Click the link below to learn more about The Helps Education Fund, some of its projects, free services and materials you can receive from the Fund, and how the Fund is supported.
The Helping Early Literacy with Practice Strategies (HELPS) Programs integrate easy-to-use instructional strategies that are specifically designed to improve students reading fluency.
Reading researchers and educators generally agree that the essential components of early elementary reading instruction should target phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. However, many argue that reading fluency is commonly neglected as a part of a student's core reading curriculum. As such, the primary goal of HELPS Programs is to strengthen students reading fluency. As students improve reading fluency, they are better able to focus on and improve other important reading skills, including comprehension. Because all students must develop reading fluency in order to become more successful readers, HELPS can be used with students of all reading-ability levels.
Furthermore, HELPS was designed so that multiple types of teachers (such as regular education teachers, special education teachers, teacher assistants, school psychologists, reading specialists, librarians, and school volunteers) can implement HELPS with the many students who will likely benefit from the Program.
- Big Ideas in Beginning Reading
- Doing What Works
- Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS)
- Easy CBM
- The Education Trust
- Evidence Based Intervention Network
- Florida Center for Reading Research
- Intervention Central
- National Center for Education Statistics
- National Center on Response to Intervention (RTI)
- National Center on Student Progress Monitoring
- National Reading Panel
- Proven Methods in Reading
- Reading Rockets
- Response to Intervention Action Network
- Vaughn-Gross Center for Reading Research
- Program UpdatesPosted on 11/4/2011
- Research UpdatesPosted on 11/4/2011
- Website UpdatesPosted on 11/4/2011
The HELPS Program in Spanish
HELPS Program for Small Groups
Attend a HELPS Program Workshop
Other website updates