1. SOLO ® Writing Coach A SOLO Intervention Framework

2. The Need NAEP (2002) 70% of 4-12th grade students are low-achieving writers Only 22% to 29% of 4-12th grade students students scored at the proficient level Only 1-2% scored at the advanced level (Persky et al.,2003)

3. The Need Accelerate writing gains to close the gap between low-performing and proficient writers

4. Background Karen Erickson from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill was awarded an NCTI (The National Center for Technology Innovation) grant to study the learning outcomes of SOLO paired with writing strategies.

5. Background Quasi-experimental, pretest/posttest 111 students from general education settings 9 teachers randomly assigned teachers Six weeks of intervention (18 lessons) Pretest/Posttest Measures: – Test of Written Language – 3 (TOWL-3, Hammill & Larsen, 1996) – Writing Attitudes Survey (Kear, Coffman, McKenna, & Ambrosio, 2000) – Focus Group Interviews

6. Background School Demographics Total Student Enrollment: 395 Average Class Size: 14-21 Students Qualifying for Free or Reduced Lunch: 49% Nonwhite Students: 32% (27% African American)

7. Background The results were staggering…

8. Background When SOLO was paired with strategy instruction Average students gained 9.8% on average Low performing students gained 46.8% on average This is compared to under 3% for strategy instruction alone

9. The Model As a part of this research grant, the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies developed three different curriculum units to teach students in the middle grades to write using three different strategies that address summary writing, narrative writing, and expository writing.

10. The Model

11. SOLO Writing Coach is… An instructional process that uses writing strategies paired with SOLO technology for increased writing gains.

12. The Model This model leverages Steve Graham’s Self- Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) model detailed in Writing Better by Steve Graham and Karen Harris of Vanderbilt University

13. The Model Steve Graham recently authored Writing Next, a sister project of the highly acclaimed Reading Next report Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents in Middle and High School, commissioned by Carnegie Corporation of New York and published by the Alliance for Excellent Education

14. The Model SOLO Writing Coach follows the recommendations in the Writing Next report

15. The Model And it Leverages Steve Graham’s Self-Regulated Strategy Development model (SRSD) This model was proven to be a very effective method of strategy instruction – SRSD Effect size = 1.14 (0.2 is indicative of a small effect, 0.5 a medium and 0.8 a large effect size) – Non-SRSD Effect size =.62

16. The Model SRSD instruction takes place with six steps: Background Knowledge Discuss It Model It Memorize It Support It Independent Performance

17. The Model The model integrates Steve Graham’s work with SOLO +

18. The Model Includes: Three curriculum units Each designed to be implemented over the course of at least 18 instructional days - Summary writing strategies - Goal setting writing strategies - Expository writing strategies

19. Elements: Writing strategy instruction On-computer SOLO writing assignments Automatically applying strategies The Model

20. Where: Classroom Lab Extended day/ summer school The Model

21. This instructional model truly levels the playing field The Results

22. We think you will be happy with the results! The Results

23. 800.999.4660www.donjohnston.com