I am surprised that a Reading Specialist would be asked to use a program. How do the interventions work in your school/district? How much freedom do you have to respond to the individual needs of students? Susan -- Susan Nugent Reading Recovery/K-3 Literacy Coach C-A Community Schools Flint, Mi ---- Mary and Pete Montoya <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I teach a program (PAL) similar to REACH. Even though we are a title > school, we can still use this model for first graders... > Interestingly enough, I just came back from a training in the Voyager > Program. We are using it for our district SEI/ELL Summer School. Talk about > a scripted program! I have mixed feelings about it. I think for summer > school it will be o.k., but I'm not sure as a Reading Specialist, > that I would be able to use this type of program during the school year. > Has anyone had experience using Voyager? What are your thoughts? > :) Mary > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Saturday, May 03, 2008 10:39 AM > Subject: [MOSAIC] teacher expertise was off topic math conversation > > > > > > Bonita > > You are the best...truly! > > > > What a fascinating and thoughtful question! I will reply and ask you to > > consider cross-posting a version of it on the To Understand list where > there are > > some other souls who might be interested in discussing the topic. (I am > > hoping that those of you on both lists will understand why that might be > a good > > thing to do.) > > > > Your post is of personal interest to me right now. We have had, up to > this > > point, a fantastic reading intervention in our district called Reach. > Reach was > > a reading recovery clone which pulled many, many first and second > graders to > > a proficient or better level. We never had the money as a district to > become > > truly reading recovery...we used highly trained instructional > assistants to > > implement the program under the direction of reading specialists. There > was > > continual staff development including "behind the glass" sessions where > we > > helped build their knowledge of how to teach reading and how reading > developed. > > These assistants read Marie Clay...gave running records, leveled their > books > > and just did a fantastic job all around. For years it was universally > > acknowledged that this intervention was successful...not for every > student, but > > about 75% of all our kids in the program would meet and continue to > meet grade > > level standards. > > > > Well, under NCLB and the resulting current state guidelines, Reach is > not a > > 'researched based' program. Can you tell where this is going??? Rumor > has it > > that the title one schools in our area will no longer be using > Reach...they > > will be going instead to a scripted heavily phonics based program. Now > I will > > tell you that I absolutely do NOT condemn this choice...the schools > really > > have no choice. If they don't use a research based program, there is no > chance > > to appeal when schools fail to meet adequate yearly progress. I know > these > > scripted programs do work to build decoding skills for some kids...and I > know > > that the reading specialists in our district understand the need for > balance > > and will ensure that these kids get comprehension instruction as well. > > > > What saddens me is that we are handing these instructional assistants > > scripts and not putting our resources into helping them understand the > nature of > > how reading develops and how to make good choices in instruction. It > won't > > matter for a few years...these ladies (mostly they are women who are > willing to > > work for little pay) already know a lot from the time we have invested > in > > building their expertise...but as they retire or move to greener > pastures, we > > will have moved the focus from teaching assistants to technicians. > > > > I am lucky...I am not in a title one school and I can keep going with > > Reach...albeit without the district level training and support. But...I > am feeling > > the pressure to at least explore the researched based programs and train > > folks in one so that I can ensure that the positive affects of using a > scripted > > program outweigh the great number of negatives. Using a researched based > > program in addition or as a supplement to Reach may be required to keep > us out of > > AYP jail within a very few years. > > > > Bonita, a colleague of mine always says that a good, quality curriculum > is a > > floor...not the ceiling. We need that...but we also need even more, > teachers > > who understand how kids learn to read, how to respond to the different > needs > > of the children in front of them. Lesson study, to me, would fill the > second > > requirement, but not the first. Lesson study is about the process of > > teaching, to me, not a way to find out what to teach. > > As a beginning teacher, I would have been lost without my anthology > teachers > > guide. It is a floor...but by now, I don't even crack open the > covers...and > > there is no way I feel that I know enough to say I have the ceiling in > sight! > > > > Hmmm... I don't think I am even beginning to answer all your > questions...I > > guess my first thoughts here are that we need a quality curriculum to > start > > with...and then highly trained teachers who know how to build from that > to meet > > the needs of their kids. > > Jennifer > > > > > > > > > > > > In a message dated 5/3/2008 12:36:30 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > > > > Sorry Jennifer, > > > > I always forget that the Mosiac list tries to keep true to reading > > comprehension. When a topic is raised where I have thoughts or passion, > I tend to jump > > in. That said, I will now make the connection between all this math > talk and > > reading comprehension. > > > > Do teachers require materials that dictate day to day instruction in > order > > to teach reading comprehension (in any subject) and teach it well? Is > > comprehension something in which we are so versed we do "not need" the > support of a > > specific text? Is comprehension so fundamentally different from other > > subjects (like math or science) that we should be left to fish around > and do it our > > own way without articulation through the grades? I ask this honestly, > > because I do not know or even have an idea of the answer. The > difference, to me, > > it seems, is that reading comprehension does not develop in any sort of > > linear fashion. That we are all teaching "all of comprehension" at all > grade > > levels. Am I correct in this thinking? > > > > I am playing devil's advocate here. I know, Jennifer, that you are > involved > > in lesson study on comprehension, a very in-depth process of > professional > > development that is teacher-driven (not district "assigned"). Would > such > > teacher development be enough to assure quality comprehension > instruction at all > > grade levels? Could it inform us where, developmentally, certain > comprehension > > should and should not be taught? > > > > :)Bonita--trying to get back on track ;) > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Mosaic mailing list > > [email protected] > > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > > > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > **************Wondering what's for Dinner Tonight? Get new twists on > family > > favorites at AOL Food. > > (http://food.aol.com/dinner-tonight?NCID=aolfod00030000000001) > > _______________________________________________ > > Mosaic mailing list > > [email protected] > > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > > > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > > > > > > > > -- > > No virus found in this incoming message. > > Checked by AVG. > > Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.23.5/1399 - Release Date: > 4/26/2008 2:17 PM > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Mosaic mailing list > [email protected] > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to > http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. >
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