Poor reading abilities lead to a high risk concerning the successful accomplishment of the affected children’s school career (Lonigan, Purpura, Wilson, Walker, & Clancy-Menchetti, 2013). The reports of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) revealed that many students in Germany (Bos, Bremerich-Vos, Tarelli, & Valtin, 2012) and Austria (Vogtenhuber et al., 2012) leave elementary school without being sufficiently able to read. In order to support children in their reading acquisition, deficits need to be diagnosed at an early stage in order to offer tailored and individual support (Gasteiger-Klicpera & Fischer, 2008; Torgesen, 2005).

Some meta-analyses have already been published in order to identify effective ways of reading instruction. Slavin, Lake, Chambers, Cheung and Davis (2010), for instance, showed that changes in the daily teachers’ instructional forms are more effective than changes in the curriculum. In addition, meta-analyses also investigated the factors influencing the effectiveness of reading programmes and interventions (e.g. Souvignier & Antoniou, 2007). For increasing the probability of stable long-term effects it is recommended to implement the support in everyday school life and thus, achieving a change in the concept of teaching and education. This change should lead to a support which is differentiated and tailored to the students’ needs (Gasteiger-Klicpera & Fischer, 2008; Strickland, 2002).

In many countries, a considerable amount of students speaks at home a language different from the language of instruction. In Austria, for instance, one out of 4 children at the end of fourth grade speaks German (the language of instruction in school) as second language (L2) (Statistik Austria, 2014). These L2 learners run a higher risk of developing reading difficulties (Schabmann, Landerl, Bruneforth, & Schmidt, 2012).

The increasing number of L2 learners in classrooms requires an adaptation of teaching methods and materials to the various learners’ needs. The need for new approaches to teaching reading in classes with L1 and L2 learners led to the conceptualization and implementation of the reading programme - LARS (Improving Language And Reading Skills in children with German as a first or second language). This programme faced different learning needs by offering differentiated reading materials, i.e. different ability levels. Moreover, vocabulary work was included. Vocabulary work represents one of the main pillars reading lessons should be built on, not only for L2 learners but also for native speakers, especially when they come from families less inclined to education (Rupley, Logan, & Nichols, 1998/1999).

The programme was implemented twice a week in regular school lessons. To explore the effects of the programme, a quasi-experimental cohort design was implemented. The children were tested before and after the implementation of the intervention. The aim was to explore the effects of the whole-class differentiating reading programme (LARS) on the reading skills of second and third graders.

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