The Reading Centers and Literacy Program
Transcript of The Reading Centers and Literacy Program
• The Reading Centers at HOD and F-C Schools
o Roles of the Reading Specialists
• Assessment and Entry/Exit Criteria for Reading Center support
• Balanced Literacy and Reader's & Writer's Workshops
• Literacy Assessments in Norfolk
Research supporting the work of Reading Specialists in the Norfolk Public Schools
• "Comprehensive Literacy Plan." Milwaukee, WI Public Schools, 2009.o Includes "Response to Intervention" and "Guidelines for Literacy
Specialists."• "Elementary Reading Deficiency: Intensive Reading Instruction." Florida: Flbsi.org.• RTI Action Network:
o "Screening for Reading Problems in Grades I through 3: An Overview ofSelected Measures"
o "Screening for Reading Problems in Grades 4 through 12"o "Using CBM-Reading Assessments to Monitor Progress"o "Validated Forms of Progress Monitoring in Reading and Mathematics"
• "Spotlight 3-Tier Reading Schools." University of Texas: The Meadows Center forPreventing Educational Risk, 2008.
• "Standards for Reading Professionals." International Reading Association website.• "Using Student Achievement Data to Support Instructional Decision Making." What
Works Clearinghouse: NCEE 2009-4067. U.S. Department of Educatioll, 2009.
Project completed by Kathleen Maloof and Beth O'Connor, Reading Specialists, 2011
Our first priority is to have every student be a successful reader!
H. Olive Day School
Kindergarten
Reading specialists provide support to the kindergarten teachers by working in their classrooms
with the most needy students during "Power Up", the time devoted to Tier 2 Response to Intervention
small group instruction. At the end of the year, kindergarten teachers identify those students who
would benefit from further reading intervention in first grade.
Grades One and Two
Most instruction for first and second graders takes place in a small group setting in the Reading
Center three to five times a week for 30 minutes per session. Two to four students working at the same
level participate in Guided Reading groups. Reading specialists begin these groups by having students
read one or two books at their independent reading levels to practice fluency.
Next, they conduct a short phonics or word work lesson, based on the Fundations concept
being taught in the classroom that week. Then, they introduce a new book at the students' instructional
level, which students read with teacher support. During this reading, the reading specialists focus their
instruction on decoding, new vocabulary, and comprehension strategy use. Finally, the Guided
Reading groups end with students writing in response to their reading.
Students are assessed at least every other week using running records, which enable the reading
specialists to monitor their reading progress. Participation in Reading Center groups is fluid; if students
are making the necessary progress and begin reading on grade level, they will no longer need this
intervention. Similarly, if classroom teachers feel that students in their classrooms are not making
adequate progress, they will ask the reading specialists to assess them to determine whether or not they
would qualify for Reading Center support.
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Another setting for instruction in is in the classroom during "Power Up" time. Both first and
second grades have this intervention period scheduled for three 3D-minute blocks each week. During
this time reading specialists along with other teaching staff members teach decoding skills,
comprehension strategies, and fluency in small groups, differentiating instruction to meet the needs of
all learners.
Freeman-Centennial School
Grades Three through Five
Reading Center support consists of work on word attack skills using the Wilson Language
Program methods and materials for those students whose testing has shown difficulty with basic sight
vocabulary and phonics skills. Additional work is always included in comprehension, fluency, and
meaning vocabulary.
Students are grouped according to their demonstrated needs based on the individualized testing.
Those whose deficits are still at the word-level of basic phonics skills learn together while those with
other difficulties work in other small groups that target more comprehension and vocabulary. Groups
usually consist of three to five students meeting two to three times each week for 35-40 minutes per
session during times set aside for academic support.
Progress is monitored at each session using curriculum-based measures in reading (CMB-R) for
fluency and comprehension, and "charting" of progress in specific word attack skills using Wilson
progress monitoring charts for decoding. "Dictation" notebooks where shldents show proficiency in
transferring their learning into writing words and sentences are used to morutor encoding. Vocabulary
and comprehension are addressed using a variety of materials including Insights Comprehension
Strategies and both commercial and teacher-designed fluency lessons, games, and activities.
Additional data regarding student learning is gathered through teacher observation during
group activities that reinforce vocabulary, comprehension, and oral reading skills. Data is used to
info1l11 instructions and adjust lessons to address the needs ofthe learners.
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Grade Six
Grade six classes are leveled by end-of-grade five GRADE scores as well as other assessments
from June of grade five or early September of grade six. The class is divided into thirds so that there
are three groups working with different levels of teacher support. The reading specialist often works to
support the teachers with curriculum suggestions, student units, and materials to best meet the needs of
all levels of learners. When scheduling allows, the reading specialist also works within the classroom
supporting all students in the regular curriculum.
Roles of the Reading Specialists in Norfolk
Reading Intervention Teacher
The reading specialist provides intensive instruction to struggling readers in the Reading Center
or with the regular classroom depending on time and schedule restraints and the needs of the students.
Instructional time in the Reading Center is devoted to accelerating students' learning, helping them
reach grade-level in reading. Materials used during instruction are at the student's instructional level
of95% accuracy in both fluency and comprehension, with ever increasing levels of difficulty as the
student advances in reading competency.
Reading or Literacy Coach
When schedule allows, the reading specialists provide professional development for teachers by
providing them with the additional support needed to implement various instructional progranls and
practices. They provide essential leadership for the school's entire literacy program by helping to
create and support a process that supports development and implementation of the literacy program
over months and years. Reading specialists are often key players in the classroom teachers' PLCs
(Professional Learning Communities) which examine student learning, problem solve, and design units
of study for use in the classroom programs.
Additional Responsibilities
The reading specialist provides support, infonnation, and curriculum consultation to classroom
teachers, administrators, and parents for all levels oflearners. Norfolk's reading specialists encourage
students to read "just right" books during independent reading, both at school and at home. These
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books are often a full grade level below a child's grade placement to encourage tluellt reading with
good comprehension at 99% accuracy when reading independently. Research shows that reading books
Ihal are 100 difficult can aClually have a negative effecl on a child's reading level & progress!
The "Bookroom" is a place where teachers can bon'ow multiple copies of fiction and
nonfiction books at a variety of reading levels to supplement their classroom materials in reading,
social studies, and science. At H. Olive Day the Bookroom is an area of the school library while at
Freeman-Centennial it is a separate room devoted to this use. These Bookrooms enable teachers to
differentiate instruction so that every student is learning at an appropriate reading level in all subject
areas. Bookroom titles also keep "content areas" current, even when some parts of textbooks may be
outdated. Leveling and sorting these books into meaningful literature and content area units, labeling
and maintaining the bookroom is often taken on by the reading specialist.
Hint: To find the reading level of almost any book, we use the Scholastic Book Wizard at
www.scholastic.com.
This online service is available to the public. Enter a title or author and the next page will show the
book. Click on the book title and even more information is displayed. Parents: Remember that it is
fine for your child to read an easier than "grade level" book... it's just enjoyable good practice.
Services provided by the Reading Specialists are regular education (not special education) services of
the Norfolk Public Schools.
Mrs. Kathleen Maloof (F-C), Ms. Beth O'COIillor and Mrs. Faith Tierney (HOD) are
Massachusetts licensed Reading Specialists K-12. In addition, Mrs. Maloof and Ms. O'Connor are
Certified Wilson Reading & Language teachers. All provide direct services to students with specific
difficulties in learning to read as well as consultation to teachers, administrators, and parents.
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Kindergarten
In September, all kindergm1en students are screened using assessments from the DRA2's Word
Analysis. The reading specialists assess the kindergm1ners' abilities to blend sounds into words, to
rhyme, and to segment words into initial and end sounds. Students can fall into 4 categories, indicating
their Level of Control of each skill:
• No/Little
• Some
• Gaining
• Control
Results of these assessments are communicated to the classroom teachers to help them identifY
focus areas for small-group instruction. This baseline data will also be used for progress monitoring.
Grades One and Two
First-grade teachers observe and assess their students during the first week(s) of school. They
send names of students whose reading abilities are of concern to the Reading Center. The reading
specialists give the DRA2 to these students, and begin working with those first graders who score at a
level 2 or below. Diagnostic testing using the DRA2's Word Analysis component enables the reading
specialists to uncover the problem areas and focus instruction where the students are experiencing the
most difficulties.
Students not yet reading at a DRA level 16 are automatically picked up by the Reading Center
at the beginning of second grade. Similar to the process used with first bTfaders, they are grouped with
other students demonstrating similar learning needs.
Students are assessed in the Reading Center at least every other week using running records,
which enable the reading specialists to monitor their reading progress. Participation in Reading Center
groups is fluid; if students are making the necessary progress and begin reading on grade level, they
will no longer need this intervention. Similarly, if classroom teachers feel that students in their
classrooms are not making adequate progress, they will ask the reading specialists to assess them to
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determine whether or not they would qualify for Reading Center support. Entry criteria are scores
below the DRA2 Benclm1ark Levels.
Entrance Criteria Exit Criteria for the ReadingHOD Grade Time of Year for the Reading Center: Center:
DRA2 Benchmark Level DRA2 Benchmark Level
First Grade September 2 or below 3-6May/June 16-18
Second September 14 or below 16-20Grade MaylJune 28
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Common Assessment: All Grades Three through Six
[n September, all students take a common assessment, the GRADE, which is a norm-referenced
reading test that measures word reading, vocabulary, sentence comprehension, and passage
comprehension. A listening comprehension test which does not factor into the total reading score
gives the classroom teacher valuable information about a child's learning style. The GRADE tests are
scanned and scored in-house so that turn-around time is very short. A class summary is obtained for
each teacher who can then see students' strengths and weaknesses in reading. An Individual Score
Summary details exactly which areas are in need of remediation or enrichment for each child.
Individual Progress Reports graph and track each student's progress from third grade to his/her cunent
grade level.
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Grade Three
All students entering the F-C School from the HOD School enter with a DRA2 score and
accompanying assessment folder. As noted above, the end-of-year benchmark for grade two is a
DRA2 score of28, so students scoring below this level may be at-risk for reading difficulties. Each
student who received reading services in grade two is given a norm-referenced diagnostic test by the
reading specialist to determine if the child still needs services or has reached the benchmark exit
criteria for this regular-education support program.
Classroom teachers give individual assessments and make classroom observations of all
students. Teachers administer the DRA2, and the NAMES test of multi-syllable decoding for students
they believe are achieving below grade level. DRA2 entry criteria for referral to the Reading Center is
24 or below at the beginning of grade three. A GRADE Growth Score Value (GSV) of 420 or below
and/or a stanine score of 4 or below will also trigger a referral to the Reading Center.
Grades Four through Six
In these grades, September common assessments similar to those of grade three are
administered by the classroom teacher: the GRADE, an oral reading assessment, the NAMES test for
those at risk, as well as a writing prompt. Reading Center individualized diagnostic testing scores of
the 40th percentile or below are the main entry criteria for these students. Fluency scores below grade
level with fair to poor comprehension are also taken into consideration in detennining whether a
student requires Reading Center services. Grade six classes are leveled by end-of-grade five GRADE
scores as well as other assessments, with approximately one-third of the students placed in a class with
significantly more in-class support.
In the upper grades, a GRADE Growth Score Value (GSV) of 450 or below at grade four, 460
or below at grade five, and/or a stanine score of 4 or below will trigger a referral to the reading
specialist.
Initial Referral Process and Entrv Criteria for F-C Reading Center Services
The classroom teacher completes a "Reading Referral Forro" that records teacher observations
and test scores and sends that form to the reading specialist. The parent is notified by the classroom
teacher of concerns and, with pern1ission, the student is tested by the reading specialist using nonn
referenced diagnostic reading assessments that measure word identification (sight words),
phonics/word attack, meaning vocabulary, passage comprehension, and oral reading fluency and
comprehension. Additional scores are obtained for a Basic Skills Cluster and Comprehension Cluster
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as well as a Total Reading score. Clinical observations are recorded directly in the student record
booklet during the test session. Reading Center diagnostic test scores of the 40'h percentile or below are
the main entry criteria for students in grades three through live to receive extra support. Fluency
scores of low to mid grade two with fair to poor comprehension are also taken into consideration in
determining whether a student will receive services.
Exit Criteria for Reading Center Services at F-C
In Fall 2011 Norfolk is piloting Acuity, an online assessment and progress monitoring program,
in grades one through six. The reading specialist at Freeman-Centel1l1ial is piloting the Scholastic
Reading and Phonics Inventories, adaptive online assessments used to monitor student progress
throughout the year. It is assumed that a stanine score of 6 will indicate proficiency and will be used
as part of the exit criteria for the Reading Center.
When students show proficiency in their specific deficit areas, i.e., consistent high scores on
their weekly charting and dictation assessments, have reached Step 6 of the Wilson program, and
consistently score i.n the 6th stanine on the Scholastic Reading Inventory, above the 60'h percentile on
the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test (WRMT) Word Attack subtest and above the 40th percentile on
the other WRMT subtests, they are determined to have met the exit criteria for Reading Center support.
Classroom teachers are consulted regarding data for student achievement in the classroom
before a sUldent is discontinued from the SUpp0l1 program. When time allows, students are monitored
for progress in an inclusion model where the reading specialist works in the regular classroom to
observe student work and provide supp0l1 as needed. At the end of the school year, all Reading Center
students are assessed on the WRMT and oral reading test. These assessments also will determine
whether a student has reached the exit criteria or will be continued in the program the following year.
Progress monitoring reports are sent home three times during the school year.
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Grade Entrance Criteria Exit CriteriaLevel for the Reading Center for the Reading Center
Third * September DRA2 24 or below * WRMT Total Reading percentile >45Grade * WRMT Total Reading percentile 42 * Word Attack >60
or below * Wilson Step 6 with proficiency of 80%* Word Attack 50 or below * Oral reading fluency and comprehension at* GRADE GSV <420 mid to high gr. 3 with good comprehension
* DRA2 40 or above (at grade level)* Stanine 6 on SRJ
Fourth * WRMT Total Reading percentile 42 * WRMT Total Reading percentile >45Grade or below * Word Attack >60
* Word Attack 50 or below * Wilson Step 6 with proficiency of 80%* DRA2 38 or below * Oral reading fluency and comprehension at* GRADE GSV <450 mid to high gr. 3 with good comprehension* MCAS <242/ eeds Improvement * MCAS Proficient >242
* Stanine 6 on SRI
Fifth * WRMT Total Reading percentile 42 * WRMT Total Reading percentile >45Grade or below * Word Attack >60
* Word Attack 50 or below * Wilson Step 6 with proficiency of 80%* GRADE GSV <460 * Oral reading fluency and comprehension at* MCAS <242/ Needs Improvement mid to high gr. 3 with good comprehension
* MCAS Proficient >242* Stanine 6 on SRJ
Sixth Lowest third of the class on the High in-class achievement above the nonn asGrade GRADE and other assessments judged by classroom assessments and student
administered at the end of grade five work may result in placement in a higher leveland early grade six class.(Inclusion services may be provided)
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Teachers at both the H. Olive Day School and the Freeman Centennial School use a Ba/(l/1ced
Literacy approach for teaching reading and writing. This framework involves: reading and wriling to
students. reading and writing with students, and reading and writing by students.
Primary teachers build a strong foundation in reading and writing in their classrooms. The
Norfolk Public School system has adopted the Fllndations program (http://www.timdations.com) to
help students in grades K-3 develop the following emergent literacy skills:
• concepts of print (how printed language works and how it represents language)
• phonemic awareness (the ability to hear individual words in sounds and to identify individual
sounds)
• letter identification
• phonological awareness (the awareness of words, rhyming words, syllables, and individual
sounds)
••
••
decoding strategies (how to sound out words)
automatic sight word reading (identifying words that cannot be sounded out using regular
phonics rules)
vocabulary acquisition
spelling
Teachers also teach comprehension skills and strategies and incorporatej7l1ency practice into
reading instruction. Both the H. Olive Day School and the Freeman-Centennial School use the
Reader's Workshop model, which invites students to engage actively with texts. Components of
Reader's Workshop include a focus lesson, in which a teacher models a pal1icular strategy or skill,
followed by small group and/or independent practice. In small groups, students who have similar
learning needs work with the teacher on these targeted areas. In independent reading, students enjoy
self-selected 'just right" books. Reader's Workshop concludes with a short wrap-up, summarizing
student learning.
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Teachers model comprehension strategies and skills during whole-class Interactive Read
Aloud, using a variety of genres. During this part of literacy instmction, teachers invite discussion
before, during, and aller the reading, continually focusing on the thinking that both the students and the
teacher do as they respond to a text.
Comprehension strategies inelude:
• Monitoring for meaning
• Asking questions
• Making connections
• Visualizing
• Determining importance
• Inferring
• Synthesizing
(See http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/l44.ctin for definitions of each strategy).
Fluent oral reading is a goal for every Norfolk student, as it strongly impacts comprehension.
Fluency includes the integration of proper phrasing, intonation, pausing, stress, and rate. Teachers in
all grade levels promote fluency through various activities such as choral reading, shared reading,
Reader's Theatre, and other types of perfonnance reading.
Writing is a key element ofliteracy instruction, as teachers in all grade levels require students
to respond to their reading in writing. Examples of this type of writing are many, from students in
lower grades writing a sentence about their favorite part of a text, to those in the upper grades writing
several paragraphs about a novel's theme using text evidence to support their thinking.
In addition, both schools use a Writer's Workshop model to teach writing. At the H. Olive Day
School, classroom teachers use Lucy Calkins's Unils ofStudyfor Prill/my Wriling At Freeman
Centennial, Lucy Calkins's program Unils o/Studyfor Teaching Writing. Grades 3-5 is the foundation
for writing instruction. Students produce personal narratives, how-to books, nontiction informational
texts, literary essays, persuasive essays, and poetry throughout grades K-5. Grade 6 teachers draw upon
Ralph Fletcher's Teaching the Qualities o!,Writing tor writing instruction, teaching many of the same
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types of writing as the Calkins program. They also guide sixth-grade students step-by-step through the
process of writing a research paper using APA format.
VocabulalJl development is a critical aspect of life-long proficiency in reading, writing, and
speaking. This year, teachers in grades 4-6 will be piloting Vocabulmy ji-om Classical Roots for both
vocabulaly and spelling instruction. This is a thematically organized vocabulary program based on
Greek and Latin roots. This method of teaching vocabulary helps students discern the meanings of
thousands of words and gives them the skills to do so throughout their reading lives.
Technology is incorporated into Norfolk Public School's literacy instruction at all levels. At
HOD, students use Lexia, interactive software that supports students' acquisition of reading skills, both
in their classrooms and in the computer lab. Freeman-Centennial students all have access to Study
Island, a web-based learning tool that enables them to review and practice reading skills and strategies
from any computer, even from home. Norfolk students, primarily in the upper grades, consistently use
technology for word processing, research, presentation design, and other literacy-related projects.
Instruction at this level includes teaching students how to navigate the Internet, read its content
critically, and use a variety of media to communicate new learning.
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I Perhaps the most significant aspect of literacy instruction in the Norfolk Public Schools is the IJ
! passion for reading and writing that teachers and school librarians inspire in their students. Norfolk IJ students know books, love countless authors and poets, gravitate toward a multitude of genres, iI II celebrate words and the craft of a variety of writers, and write with voice, purpose, and clarity. I1 II Thanks to the high quality of literacy instruction in this district, both the H. Olive Day School and II the Freeman-Centennial School are joyful conll11Unities of actively engaged students who take pride I~ ~I in growing as readers and writers. !I ~,, ,_.,,__,",_/'/'/'/,#/1_',/'/'/#/1'/'/1/'/#/#/#/1/1/I/I','I/""_/,I ,I/I 'I/I""/#/#/""'#Ai/r/#AII"/"._""I ,"",','..,',', /l/'_/I/I/I,,,,,!-
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Formal Assessments
•
•
The DRA2 and DRA2 Word Analysis
The GRADE Standardized Reading Test (includes long-term monitoring of student
progress from year to year)
• Online progress monitoring assessments
o Acuity
o Scholastic Reading Inventory
o Scholastic Phonics Inventory
• MCAS ELA (English Language Arts) in grades 3-6
In addition, both the HOD and F-C schools use in-house Literacy Assessment Plans that
monitor student progress and inform instruction. Included in these plans are phonemic
awareness/phonics, reading, writing, and spelling assessments that are administered and analyzed by
classroom teachers at regular intervals throughout the school year.
Classroom curriculum-based fomlal and informal assessments are ongoing and used by
teachers to inform instruction on a regular basis. Reading specialists and special education teachers
use additional assessment resources that measure or diagnose the needs and achievement levels of their
students.
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