The current study examined the utilization of precision teaching with students who have sustained a traumatic brain injury. This study is important because there are increasing numbers of students in our schools who have received such injuries. The results of an injury may cause a decrease in reading fluency and there is an increasing demand for evidence-based research that improves academic skills. The study provided a way to measure the effectiveness of interventions utilizing Precision Teaching. Precision Teaching, which is a visual display of measures of academic behaviors such as words read per minute, is the method chosen for this study.

The nine students in this study were second, third, and fourth grade students from a single school district. These students qualified to receive specialized reading interventions and instruction based on scores from the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Learning Skills (DIBELS). Three of the nine students had sustained a brain injury. Their progress in reading fluency was recorded using Precision Teaching techniques. In addition, students, parents and their teachers were asked questions to obtain their perceptions regarding reading and feelings regarding taking measurements of their academic skills.

Results indicated student skills in reading single sight words increased with daily measurements and recording their progress. Their interest in reading books increased and their feelings about themselves also increased. Parents and homeroom teachers noticed improved effort and interest in reading. Their reading specialists did not notice as much improvement. Students with a TBI increased skills at similar rate to those in the study without an injury. There was a difference in the interest in reading with two of the three TBI students reporting no increased time spent reading. The three students with a TBI involved in the study felt they improved and enjoyed reading more than previously. Results of this study suggest Precision Teaching as a visual display of data did increase interest and targeted reading skills.