Reflections on Reading First and the Path Ahead: Our Continuing Challenges and Responsibilities Dr. Joseph K. Torgesen Eastern Regional Center for Reading First Technical Assistance North Carolina Reading First, June, 2006

Chloe Paige

Why do we have Reading First? 1. Far too many poor and minority children are being “left behind” when it comes to growth of proficient reading skills

“Current difficulties in reading largely originate from rising demands for literacy, not from declining absolute levels of literacy” Report of the National Research Council The nature of the reading crises….

Increasing demands for higher levels of literacy in the workforce require that we do better than we have ever done before in teaching all children to read well.

Assessment reading proficiency at the national level No difference Slight long term improvement -No recent difference Recent improvement is largest in 30 years Latest results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress

Why do we have Reading First 2. Prevention of reading problems is far more effective and humane than trying to remediate after children fail 1. Far too many poor and minority children are being “left behind” when it comes to growth of proficient reading skills

There are serious consequences that follow from getting a slow start in learning to read…. Poor readers get less reading practice from the beginning of first grade Good AveragePoor OctoberJanuaryApril Mean words read by each child in reading sessions at three points in the year Biemiller,

Reading stimulates general cognitive growth— particularly verbal skills

3. New discoveries from scientific research about reading can provide the basis for improved outcomes for all children Why do we have Reading First 2. Prevention of reading problems is far more effective and humane than trying to remediate after children fail 1. Far too many poor and minority children are being “left behind” when it comes to growth of proficient reading skills

The most important Reading First goals: 1. Increase the percentage of students reading “at grade level” each year at each grade level from kindergarten through third grade 2. Decrease the percentage of students with serious reading difficulties each year at each grade level These goals are to be met while considering all children taking the year end test, not just those who have received the full treatment

The most important Reading First goals: Overall student performance should increase each year do to two factors: In each successive year, many of the students will have had the advantage of previous RF instruction By year 3, many 3 rd grade students – 3 years By year 3, many 2 nd grade students – 3 years By year 3, many 1 st grade students – 2 years Each year, instruction at each grade level, and school-level systems as a whole, should be stronger

Data from four other states – Florida, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Michigan A total of 601 Schools Percent qualifying for FR Lunch = 74 Percent minorities = 64 Percent English Language Learners = 15%

Data from four other states – Florida, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Michigan Percent of Students at “grade level” on measure of reading comprehension About a 4% increase each year

Data from four other states – Florida, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Michigan Percent of Students with “serious difficulties” on measure of reading comprehension About a 4% decrease each year

What remains to be accomplished?

Data from four other states – Florida, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Michigan Percent of Students at “grade level” on measure of reading comprehension

Data from four other states – Florida, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Michigan Percent of Students with “serious difficulties” on measure of reading comprehension About a 4% decrease each year

The development of reading fluency for students in Reading First Schools: A lesson from Florida’s experience For the first two years of Reading First, Reading First schools in Florida “lost ground” in the development of reading fluency in 2 nd grade. Many students who entered second grade with reading fluency at “grade level” left second grade below grade level

37 th percentile 53 rd percentile

: Instructional Emphasis for Second Grade Fluency – 4%

About half our second graders began second grade not having met the February 1 st grade benchmark in NWF Slightly more than 20% still hadn’t met the 1 st grade benchmark at the end of second grade

One problem that arises from so many students coming into 2 nd grade still weak in effective, accurate word reading strategies Growth in fluency requires accurate practice A major factor underlying growth in fluency for struggling readers is how fast the number of words they can recognize “by sight” increases Children must read unfamiliar words with perfect accuracy on multiple occasions before they can become sight words Sight vocabulary must grow very rapidly in second grade to keep pace with normative development

47 th percentile 62 nd percentile Over ½ of our students did not make the benchmark on time

Students at Benchmark in Oral Reading Fluency at Grades 1-3, at Fall, Winter, and Spring, 2006 Fall Winter Spring 1 st Grade 2 nd Grade 3 rd Grade 72% 64% 65% 56% 54% 53% 45% 44% 49%

We have 317 Schools that have participated in the Reading First program for two year—how are they doing? % of students above the 40 th percentile on the PPVT, and percent below the 20 th percentile

What must we do to contiunue to improve?

1. Increase the quality, consistency, and reach of instruction in every K-3 classroom 2. Conduct timely and valid assessments of reading growth to identify struggling readers 3. Provide more intensive interventions to “catch up” the struggling readers The prevention of reading difficulties is a school-level challenge A broad, three pronged plan for meeting the needs of all students

1. Increase the quality, consistency, and reach of instruction in every K-3 classroom If lots of students in the school are at risk, the first level of intervention is spending more time and improving quality of initial instruction-everyone gets this – Lessons learned about current core reading programs 90 minute block is an intervention 120 minute block is a stronger intervention Most instruction in phonics is “whole group”. Frequently, not enough guidance is provided on ways to provide differentiated instruction in small groups There is typically not enough review to improve retention and fluency

1. Increase the quality, consistency, and reach of instruction in every K-3 classroom Instruction during the Reading Period is typically divided into two sections Whole group instruction - Small group, differentiated instruction, time

Classroom organization should be related to teaching objectives

1. Increase the quality, consistency, and reach of instruction in every K-3 classroom Instruction during the Reading Period is typically divided into two sections Whole group instruction - Small group, differentiated instruction, time Teacher works with small groups of homogeneously grouped students to meet specific instructional needs When not in a teacher-led group, students work on “independent student learning activities

Classroom Organization: Learning Centers for differentiated groups Teacher-Led Center (for part of time)Teacher-Led Center (for part of time) -Small group instruction (teaching station) Teaching “on purpose”Teaching “on purpose” Careful observation of individual studentsCareful observation of individual students Addresses particular individual needsAddresses particular individual needs Student Centers (for part of time)Student Centers (for part of time) - Academically engaged - Accountability - Group, Pair, Cooperative, Individual

Classroom Organization: Learning Centers for differentiated groups Points of vulnerability with this system Students waste time at independent learning centers because they are not engaged and centers are not focused and leveled properly

Effective independent student learning activities…

Classroom Organization: Learning Centers for differentiated groups Points of vulnerability with this system Students waste time at independent learning centers because they are not engaged and centers are not focused and leveled properly To download up to 240 independent student learning activities for K-1 classrooms, go to Activities for 2-3 will be posted this summer Instructions for using centers are also available, plus 70 minutes of streaming video

Classroom Organization: Learning Centers for differentiated groups Points of vulnerability with this system Students waste time at independent learning centers because they are not engaged and centers are not focused and leveled properly Behavior management issues interfere with teacher-led small group instruction Small group instruction is not really differentiated (time, frequency, focus) by student need

A mistake we often make in education is to plan the curriculum materials very carefully, arrange all the instructional materials wall to wall, open the doors of the school, and then find to our dismay that they’ve sent us the wrong kids.

Increasing the quality and power of teacher- led, small-group, differentiated instruction Instruction should be differentiated to meet the needs of individual students in at least four ways Frequency and duration of meeting in small groups – every day, three times per week, etc. Size of instructional group – 3 students, 6 students, 8 students, etc. Focus of instruction – work in phonemic awareness in phonics, work in fluency and comprehension, etc. Lesson format – guided reading vs. skills focused lessons

Teachers should provide differentiated instruction using at least two different lesson formats Guided Reading Lesson Structure Purpose: to allow students to integrate their new acquired skills and knowledge while reading text for meaning Selecting the text Introducing the text Reading the text Discussing the text Teaching for strategic activities Extending meaning (optional) Word Work (optional)

Guided Reading Lesson Structure The Guided Reading lesson structure provides teachers the opportunities to monitor how well students are applying skills to reading of text, encourage and support application of skills during text reading (e.g., word level skills and comprehension skills), engage students in thinking about the meaning of text, and build a sense of reading as a meaningful, enjoyable activity.

Guided Reading Lesson Structure Limitations for students still acquiring initial skills Does not support systematic instruction and practice on foundational knowledge and skills Does not provide enough opportunities for mastery oriented practice on foundational skills Does not provide a good structure for systematic review required by struggling readers Often, the leveled books used in guided reading lessons do not provide good practice on early phonemic decoding skills

The Skills focused lesson format Purpose: Provide explicit and systematic instruction Provide targeted and teacher-planned instruction in areas of weakness Provide mastery and fluency oriented practice in critical skills and knowledge

Differentiated instruction in small groups

The Skills focused lesson format Strengths Allows explicit re-teaching (I do it, we do it, you do it) Provides extended opportunities for mastery oriented practice to solidly establish fundamental skills Challenges Can be dull and boring if not fast paced, energetic, and positive Once skills are established, they must be integrated during reading for meaning

Three good books for summer reading Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction Beck, McKeown, & Kucan: Guilford (2002) Comprehension Process Instruction: Creating Success in Grades K-3 Block, Rogers, & Johnson (2004) Making Sense of Phonics: The Hows and Whys Isabel Beck: Guilford (2006)

Can we alter children’s lives if we provide very strong early instruction?

Temple, 2001, CONB Visual Cortex Auditory Cortex Recent Functional Neuroimaging findings on Adults

Magnetic Source Imaging Detects small bio- magnetic brain signals Provides real-time information about which brain areas are active and when during task performance

Early Development of Reading Skills: A Cognitive Neuroscience Approach Jack M. Fletcher – PI Students were identified as at risk for reading difficulties in kindergarten Received one year of intervention in first grade

S#1 S#31Kindergarten Weak activation Left HemisphereRight Hemisphere Not At Risk Left HemisphereRight Hemisphere

S#1 S#31 Kindergarten Strong activation Left HemisphereRight Hemisphere Not At Risk

S#1 S#31 Kindergarten Weak activation Strong activation Left HemisphereRight Hemisphere Not At Risk

Kindergarten First Grade LeftRight At Risk Reader Before Intervention After Intervention Left HemisphereRight Hemisphere

A final concluding thought…. There is no question but that it will be difficult to continue making improvements after initial successes in Reading First schools… It will require continued professional development, more powerfully differentiated instruction, more powerful and sustained interventions, and strong leadership commitment… However, let’s remember its not the most difficult thing we could be faced with…

Consider this task for example…

Thank You Science of Reading Section