1. Planning, Scheduling and Supporting Intensive Interventions for Struggling Readers:Their critical role within a whole school program
Stuart Greenberg, Deputy Director
Eastern Regional Reading First Technical Assistance Center
The Florida Center for Reading Research
FSU
This presentation is geared for use of the DIBELS measures as the assessment tool, however there are other types of assessments that may be appropriate and useful in providing appropriate targeted instruction for students.

2. A Special Thank You
The ERRFTAC Team, Joe Torgesen, Pat Howard, Marcia Grek, Edward Kame'enui,The FCRR staff, The NRFTAC staff, and all of the great
educators in this room and throughout the United States.
This presentation is geared for use of the DIBELS measures as the assessment tool, however there are other types of assessments that may be appropriate and useful in providing appropriate targeted instruction for students.

3. Teaching Reading is Urgent
“No time is as precious or as fleeting as the first years of formal schooling. Research consistently shows that children who get off to a good start in reading rarely stumble. Those who fall behind tend to stay behind for the rest of their academic lives.”
(Burns, Griffin, & Snow, 1999, p. 61)

4. Teaching Reading is Urgent
Children must be given the opportunity and the support to become successful readers by third grade.
Transitioning
Reading to Learn
Learning to Read
Educational Timeline
PreK K Infinity

6. Reading First’s model for preventing reading failure in grades K-3: Three big ideas
1. Increase the quality and consistency of instruction in every K-3 classroom. Provide initial instruction that is appropriate to the needs of the majority of students in the class
2. Conduct timely and valid assessments of reading growth to identify struggling readers
3. Provide high quality, intensive interventions to help struggling readers catch up with their peers

7. How Do I Teach the BIG IDEAS in Beginning Reading?
"Teaching Reading is Rocket Science.“ Moats, 1999
The Problem and Context:
20% of students have significant reading problems.
Most reading failure is unnecessary.
Teaching Reading is a job for an expert.
One reason for optimism that we can do better this time, is that we have a significant amount of new information from science about how children learn to read, what causes difficulties, and how to provide effective instruction for children who struggle.

8. The Scope of the Reading Problem in America
"17.5 percent of the nation's children--about 10 million children--will encounter reading problems in the crucial first three years of their schooling" (National Reading Panel Progress Report, 2000;
Approximately 75% of students identified with reading problems in the third grade are still reading disabled in the 9th grade. (Shaywitz, et al., 1993; Francis et al., 1996;
Juel found the probability of being a poor reader in fourth grade given you were a poor reader in first grade was 88%.
One reason for optimism that we can do better this time, is that we have a significant amount of new information from science about how children learn to read, what causes difficulties, and how to provide effective instruction for children who struggle.

9. The Solution to the Problem:
Quality Initial Instruction and Immediate Intensive Intervention
Identify early and intervene strategically.
Focus on the vital signs.
Teach "less" more thoroughly.
Hold instructional time sacred.
Expect and plan for "different" levels of instruction (e.g., small groups, double dose).
Monitor progress to determine if children are learning enough.
One reason for optimism that we can do better this time, is that we have a significant amount of new information from science about how children learn to read, what causes difficulties, and how to provide effective instruction for children who struggle.

10. Three Organizing Principles for
Reading Success
Earlier rather than later: Prevention and early intervention are supremely more effective and efficient than later intervention and remediation for ensuring reading success.
Schools, not just programs: Prevention and early intervention must be anchored to the school as the host environment and the primary context for improving student reading performance.
Evidence, not opinion: Prevention and early intervention pedagogy, programs, and procedures should be based on trustworthy scientific evidence.
One reason for optimism that we can do better this time, is that we have a significant amount of new information from science about how children learn to read, what causes difficulties, and how to provide effective instruction for children who struggle.

11. A Schoolwide Reading Improvement Model
1. What do we know and what guidance can we gain from scientifically based reading research? 2. What outcomes do we want for our students in our state, district, and schools? 3. How are we doing? What is our current level of performance as a school? As a grade? As a class? As an individual student? 4. How far do we need to go to reach our goals and outcomes? 5. What are the critical components that need to be in place to reach our goals? 6. What more do we need to do and what instructional adjustments need to be made?
One reason for optimism that we can do better this time, is that we have a significant amount of new information from science about how children learn to read, what causes difficulties, and how to provide effective instruction for children who struggle.

12. Five critical components:
Research indicates that students need to acquire skills and knowledge in at least five main areas in order to become proficient readers
Five critical components:
Phonemic Awareness
Identifying words accurately and fluently
Phonics
Fluency
Constructing meaning once words are identified
Vocabulary
Comprehension strategies

13. Phonemic Awareness Research Instruction
PA improves word reading, spelling, and comprehension
Poor readers who enter first grade with weak PA are most likely to be the poor readers in fourth grade
Instruction
Auditory Activities
Needs to follow the developmental hierarchy of phonological awareness

14. Phonics Research
“Systematic and explicit phonics instruction is more effective than non-systematic or no phonics instruction”
(Put Reading First, p. 13).
“Systematic and explicit phonics instruction significantly improves children’s reading comprehension”
(Put Reading First, p. 14).

15. Fluency Research
“Repeated and monitored oral reading improves reading fluency and overall reading achievement” (Put Reading First, p. 24).
Reading programs should:
-encourage teachers to read aloud to students to provide a good model of fluency
-provide teachers with guidelines to determine students’ independent reading levels
-include activities where students are reading orally and receiving corrective feedback from teachers
-provide research based fluency building strategies

16. Fluency Instruction Articulate the importance & provide modeling
Reading Levels
Monitor fluency progress
Oral reading with feedback
Variety of research based strategies
Repeated Readings, Timed, Partner
Reading programs should:
-encourage teachers to read aloud to students to provide a good model of fluency
-provide teachers with guidelines to determine students’ independent reading levels
-include activities where students are reading orally and receiving corrective feedback from teachers
-provide research based fluency building strategies

17. Vocabulary Research & Instruction
Can be developed
directly (teach important, difficult, and useful words)
indirectly
Teach word learning strategies
How to use dictionaries and reference aids
How to use word parts to determine meaning of words
How to use context clues to determine meaning
Provide multiple exposures to words
Read aloud to students
Encourage independent wide reading

18. Comprehension Research
“Text comprehension can be improved by instruction that helps readers use specific comprehension strategies.”
“Effective comprehension strategy instruction is explicit, or direct.”
Put Reading First, pp. 49, 53

19. Comprehension Instruction
Monitoring comprehension (promoting metacognition)
Using graphic and semantic organizers
e.g., teaching the use of a Venn diagram to compare and contrast 2 characters from a story
Main Idea
Summarizing
Text Structure

20. Teaching Reading is Urgent
A student in the 20th percentile reads books ______ minutes a day.
This adds up to _________words read per year.
A student in the 80th percentile reads books ______ minutes a day.
This adds up to __________ words read per year.
WHAT READING DOES FOR THE MIND
BY ANNE E.CUNNINGHAM AND KEITH E. STANOVICH.1998 .7
21,000
14.2
1,146,000

21. Hart and Risley (1995) conducted a longitudinal study of children and families from three groups:
Professional families
Working-class families
Families on welfare

22. Interactions
Hart & Risley compared the mean number of interactions initiated per hour in each of the three groups.

23. Interactions
Hart & Risley also compared the mean number of minutes of interaction per hour in the three groups.

24. Cumulative Language Experiences

25. Cumulative Language Experiences

26. Cumulative Language Experiences

27. Hart and Risley’s Study
Observed parent-child interaction in 42 families who differed in terms of income
They found:
Children in professional families heard, on average, 2,150 words per hour, whereas children in working class (1,250) and welfare (620) families were exposed to many less words.
The cumulative language experience for children by age 3 differed in amount and kind, and these differences were highly correlated with children’s reading/language performance at ages 9-10.

28. Do the relatively specific instructional program recommendations mean that “one size fits all” approach to instruction?
Absolutely Not!

30. How to distinguish different groups of students
who failed to meet the standards
Current research on student profiles.
“Not all poor readers are alike.
How do we differentiate for instruction?”
(Holly Lane, 2004)

31. We all know that children vary enormously from one another in their instructional needs.
To be most effective, instruction must be adapted to the needs of individual children.

32. Reading Programs PLUS LEADERSHIP SCIENTIFICALLY BASED READING PROGRAMS
EFFECTIVE
INSTRUCTION
ASSESSMENT
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
Notes:
Reading achievement for at-risk students can be improved. Scientifically based reading programs will provide the foundation for this effort. In concert with effective instruction, assessment, and professional development, and under good leadership, all students will learn to read.
SCIENTIFICALLY BASED
READING PROGRAMS

33. The consensus view of most important instructional features for interventions
Interventions are more effective when they:
Provide systematic and explicit instruction on whatever component skills are deficient: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, reading comprehension strategies
Here is a brief overview of the consensus about the most important features of effective interventions for children who are lagging behind.

34. The logic of instructional intensity
Many children are already behind in vocabulary and print knowledge when they enter school.
To achieve grade level standards by third grade, poor children must learn vocabulary words at a faster rate than their middle class peers in grades K-3
The most direct way to increase learning rate is by increasing the number of positive, or successful, instructional interactions (pii) per school day.
This is a brief over view of why we need to find a way to work more intensively with those who are lagging behind
There are a variety of ways to increase the number of positive instructional interactions per school day

35. The consensus view of most important instructional features for interventions
Interventions are more effective when they:
Provide systematic and explicit instruction on whatever component skills are deficient: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, reading comprehension strategies
Provide a significant increase in intensity of instruction
Provide ample opportunities for guided practice of new skills
Here is a brief overview of the consensus about the most important features of effective interventions for children who are lagging behind.
Provide systematic cueing of appropriate strategies in context
Provide appropriate levels of scaffolding as children learn to apply new skills

36. Instructional adaptations for individual children will be made primarily in terms varying amounts and intensity of instruction and practice on the five components
If children have difficulties learning “phonics” they should not be switched to a “sight word” approach. This will not build the necessary alphabetic reading skills that are necessary to achieve high levels of reading ability
Children who experience reading difficulties must be helped to acquire adequate skills in all five components. If any one of these does not develop properly, the child is unlikely to attain grade level reading skills.

37. One child may require extra instruction in phonemic awareness and phonics to get a good start in reading
Another child might require extra instruction in vocabulary
Another child may come to school with strong phonemic awareness and letter knowledge, and may require very little instruction in phonics to begin reading to build fluency
Another child may know very little about letters and sounds upon school entry, and may require special instructional support in this area for some time
Still other children will require extended practice to develop reading fluency

38. What Tools Do We Use To Determine
Who Is At Risk?
What Tools Do We Use To Determine
Who Is At-Risk
Screening + Placement Test + The Results of Science

39. Schedules

40. How can immediate, intensive interventions be scheduled and delivered?
Delivered by regular classroom teacher during the “uninterrupted reading period”
2. Delivered by additional resource personnel during the “uninterrupted reading period”, or at other times during day
3. Delivered by classroom and resource personnel during after school or before school programs
4. Delivered by well-trained and supervised paraprofessionals during the “uninterrupted reading period” or other times
Here is a brief overview of the consensus about the most important features of effective interventions for children who are lagging behind.
5. Delivered by peers during “uninterrupted reading period”
6. Delivered by computers throughout the day

41. How can we insure that interventions are delivered consistently with high quality?
Professional development to provide knowledge of instructional strategies, content (scope and sequence and selection of materials), and appropriate practice/skill building activities -- use of assessment data to identify who should receive interventions and what their focus should be
Identification of high quality intervention programs/materials and professional development in their use and individualization.

42. What does it take to manage a successful interventions in a RF school?
1. Well trained teachers who understand the process of learning to read and how to identify children lagging behind in development.
2. Systematic and reliable assessments to monitor the growth of critical reading skills
3. Leadership within the school to allocate intervention resources appropriately, and to monitor the use of those resources
4. Appropriate materials available to help structure the interventions and provide instruction and practice activities at the appropriate level of difficulty
5. Personnel to assist the classroom teacher in providing intensive interventions to the students most in need

43. Reading Review Rotations Science/Social Studies Evaluation/Dismissal
Sample Schedule
8:00
Whole Group Reading
8:30
Group 1
9:00
Group 2
9:30
Group 3
10:00
Flex Group
10:30
11:00
Lunch
11:30
Writing Workshop
12:00
12:30
Math
1:00
1:30 PE
2:00
Reading Review Rotations
2:30
Science/Social Studies
3:15
Evaluation/Dismissal

44. Using Data to Schedule Instruction
Establish a process for routinely analyzing data at the student, classroom, grade level, school, and district levels
Think about a few things:
All students receive instruction through the core to the degree that it meets their instructional needs
The iii is taught by the classroom teacher
The iii is taught by a “push-in” teacher
The iii is done through a “ walk and read” model
Share innovative practices with others

45. Tier Tier Tier Tier Tier
Instructional Recommendations
Instructional Recomm
Instructional Implication
One
Benchmark/Low
Risk/Established
Core Reading
Two
Strategic/Some
Risk/Emergent
Core Program + Additional Teaching
Three
Intensive/At Risk/
Deficit
Core Reading + iii

46. Early Screening Identifies Children Who Need Additional Intervention
For example, in one longitudinal study:
201 randomly selected children from five elementary schools serving children from mixed SES and ethnic backgrounds were followed from the beginning of first grade to the end of fourth grade.
Children who scored low on phonemic awareness and letter knowledge at the beginning of first grade
Started with lower skills
Made less progress
Fell further and further below grade level as they progressed from first through fourth grade.
Notes:
This slide and the next 4 slides tell the story of five elementary schools that combined screening for children at risk with substantial intervention support to change reading outcomes and ruin the prediction of reading difficulty for the children screened as at risk. In this longitudinal study, 201 randomly selected children from five elementary schools serving children from mixed SES and ethnic backgrounds (28% free and reduced lunch) were followed from the beginning of first grade through the end of fourth grade.
For kindergarten, screening is focusing on phonemic awareness, the key accountability assessment outcome.
First, the researchers followed the children identified as at risk to see if the prediction of risk was accurate.

47. The top five myths about interventions for struggling readers
1. If a child is a “visual” learner, they should be taught to read using a visual, not an auditory strategy
2. If a child has not learned “phonics” by the end of first grade, they need to be taught to read in some other way
3. Children who struggle with phonemic awareness, vocabulary, or phonics in kindergarten and first grade will frequently “catch up” if given time.
4. We should take guidance from theories of “multiple intelligences” or “learning styles” to help us adapt our reading instruction for different children
5. A little quality time with an enthusiastic volunteer tutor can solve most children’s reading problems

48. Early Screening Identifies Children At Risk of Reading Difficulty
2.5
5.2 5 4
Low Risk on Early Screening
Reading grade level 3
Notes:
This slide demonstrates the power of screening assessment to predict reading outcomes through the end of fourth grade. Reading outcomes were measured at the end of each year. The measure reported here assesses a combination of reading accuracy and comprehension.
 The children were administered measures of phonemic awareness and letter knowledge at the beginning of first grade, and divided into two groups: At-Risk, and Low Risk.
[click] The line in red shows the progress of children who began first grade performing in the bottom 15% in phonemic awareness and letter knowledge. At the end of fourth grade, these children were reading at an average level of mid second grade. In contrast, children who began first grade with higher levels of phonemic awareness and letter knowledge and roughly equivalent levels of overall ability, finished fourth grade reading at beginning fifth grade level. 2 1
At Risk on Early Screening
Grade level corresponding to age

49. Additional Instructional Intervention Changes Reading Outcomes
Four years later, the researchers went back to the same school. Two major changes were implemented:
First, a research-based comprehensive reading program was implemented for all students, and
Second, children at risk for reading difficulty were randomly assigned to a control group or to a group receiving substantial instructional intervention.
Notes:
The four years illustrated in the previous slide were a passive observation study. The researchers identified the children at risk, but then did not provide any systematic change in instruction beyond the current practices of the school.
The investigators who conducted this second study were able to go back to the same schools about four years later, after many of the schools had switched to a more research-based, comprehensive reading program in grades K through 3. The research-based comprehensive reading program was implemented for the entire school, including the children identified as at risk on the same screening assessment.

50. Early Intervention Changes Reading Outcomes
5.2 5
4.9
Intervention
With substantial instructional intervention 4
3.2
Control
With research-based core but without extra instructional intervention
Low Risk on Early Screening
Reading grade level 3
2.5
Notes:
Children from the bottom 15% in phonemic awareness and letter knowledge were randomly assigned to either a control group, or a group that received more intensive reading instruction in first and second grade.
[click] The dotted red line shows the progress of the children who did not receive extra instructional intervention, and you can see that improved classroom instruction produced slightly better outcomes for them than in the earlier study in the same schools.
[click] However, the children who were identified by the screening tests and received substantial instructional intervention did almost as well as average children by the end of fourth grade.
Improved classroom instruction will help our most at-risk children learn to read better, but most will require more intensive interventions if we expect them to read at grade level by the end of fourth grade. 2 1
At Risk on Early Screening
Grade level corresponding to age

51. Research-Based, Comprehensive Reading Program and Substantial Instructional Intervention
Both a research-based comprehensive reading program and substantial instructional intervention were needed for children at risk of reading difficulty. Children receiving substantial additional instructional intervention beyond an effective comprehensive reading program:
Progressed more rapidly than control students,
Had reading skills more like the low risk group than the at risk group, and
Were reading about at grade level.
Notes:
If we are going to leave no child behind, we need both a research-based comprehensive reading program and substantial instructional intervention for students who are screened as at-risk for reading difficulty.

52. Immediate Intensive Intervention (iii)
iii should be implemented with children as soon as we know, based on assessment data, they are falling behind in the development of critical reading skills.
iii involves children in receiving instruction in reading that is more intensive than what they have been receiving.
This can be accomplished by:
reducing the student/teacher ratio
providing more instructional time
Both include providing more supports (instructional opportunity, time, resources, materials and/or personnel)
Review points on the slide
2. There have been many questions about iii. One thing that may be helpful is to consider iii as a ‘thing’ (determined by data) NOT a ‘time’ or a ‘place’.
3. Each district’s Reading First grant proposal described a plan for iii. This would be the best place to start for more information about how schools planned to organize for iii.

53. Resources to Implement iii
Intervention program that accompanies the core reading program
2. Research based program that
targets specific skills,
is implemented explicitly and systematically,
is coordinated and consistent with the work that is being done during initial instruction.
There are two ways to think about instructional materials to use for iii.
For example, many of our Reading First schools are using Scott Foresman for initial instruction. SF has an intervention called SF Early Reading Intervention. This would be a strong iii piece that the regular classroom teacher could implement with small groups for those who are struggling with phonemic awareness and phonics. Houghton Mifflin is another core reading program being used in many of our Reading First schools for ii. It also has an an intervention called Early Success that could also be implemented with small groups who are in need of extra support.
Another option would be to use another research based intervention that emphasizes the skills that, based on data, the students need more practice with, is explicit and systematic using a coordinated instructional sequence, and is aligned with what is being taught during initial instruction.
The idea behind iii is to provide extra practice and feedback that is targeted at the instructional needs of the student.
The website at the bottom of the slide provides many reports on reading programs that were prepared by staff at FCRR

54. A high-quality intervention program can provide a kind of on-going professional development for teachers in the critical elements and methods of instruction for phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension strategies
The bottom quote is from a recent article in the Reading Teacher in which seasoned teachers were exchanging views about how they actually learned to deliver systematic and explicit instruction in phonics.

56. A Window of Opportunity
that doesn’t work.

57. We know what to do to ensure that virtually
We know what to do to ensure that virtually every child learns to read early and well.
Whether or not we do it will ultimately depend upon how we feel about the fact we haven’t done it so far.
We can do this.
We have to do this.
We have the knowledge.
We have the research.
Now, we even have the resources.

58. Three Definitions of Schools
A series of autonomous classrooms that
are connected by a common parking lot.
A place where the relatively young watch
the relatively old work.
A complex organization that is built upon
relationships that require individuals to
work interdependently.

59. Thank You