Inference Instruction for Students With Reading Disabilities

U.S. national data indicate that approximately 90% of rural students with a reading disability read at or below basic levels of reading proficiency. A growing body of research demonstrates that the ability to make inferences is essential for reading comprehension but particularly difficult for students with reading disabilities. Compounding matters, rural special educators often have limited resources available to support students with reading disabilities, largely served in general education classrooms. In this Practice in Action article, we support rural special educators who must innovatively collaborate with general education teachers to ensure high quality and specialized reading instruction and support inclusive and equitable learning environments by (a) defining inferencing, (b) reviewing College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards that support inferencing, (c) discussing the inference skills of students with or at-risk for reading disabilities, (d) outlining components of effective inference instruction, and (e) offering recommendations for how to teach inferencing using a graphic organizer.