Yes, I've thought about a lot of the same issues. What we have been doing for intervention, the last decade and more, is giving each child a "session" of balanced literacy by the classroom teacher, a session of balanced literacy by a Title teacher, and giving those in greatest need yet another session (Reading Recovery).
If only I could lop a couple of decades off my age, and I was in the mood to pursue a doctorate, what I would absolutely research for my thesis would be a comparison of programs such as described above, with programs that provided balanced literacy and an "intervention in a box", with programs that were exclusively direct instruction. Heck, I'd do it now. Anyone have any funding sources? On Tue, Jan 13, 2009 at 6:58 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: > > Beverly > I am struggling with this whole issue myself. About 50% of my job > description as reading specialist is intervention...25% assessment and 25% > staff > development. > > District support for our homegrown intervention program (which was modeled > after reading recovery) was pulled this year and programs had to be > research > based and approved through our district intervention committee. When I > asked > what research based meant, I was told..."It comes in a box." > > So, to make a long story short, kicking and screaming, I trained my IAs and > we are now using Wilson, Wilson Fundations, SIPPS, Soar to Success and > Fluency > Formula. In addition to the programs, the at risk students get > intervention > in the classroom as I plug in and teach the regular balanced literacy > curriculum side by side with regular educators and special educators. > SO...the kids > get an intervention program based on their reading needs and an extra > teacher > in the room for the regular curriculum to lower the teacher student ratio > for the most at risk students. > > As the time for midyear data collection rolls around, I am finding Bev, > that > some of these intervention programs work and work well. I think if these > programs are supplemental, and are added to balanced regular QUALITY, > balanced > classroom instruction, they can be of help to kids. This realization led to > a > "crisis of faith" for me. I have disliked the scripted lessons as I have > always had the deepest belief that it is teacher decision making and > quality > instruction that makes the difference rather than a program. Yet, here I > am, > forced to admit that children in my SIPPS program are learning to read at a > faster rate than they would have with just my intervention within the > classroom. > > Perhaps it is how these programs are used and if they are used with the > right kids at the right time and for short periods of time in conjunction > with > balanced literacy instruction, then they might add an extra element that > will > lead to student success. I still have the decision making power within the > classroom and I still choose which intervention to place students in....but > my > job just isn't as much fun, and not as creative as it used to be. (Though I > do > get home a lot earlier...) > Jennifer > tIn a message dated 1/13/2009 4:15:33 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, > [email protected] writes: > > I'd really like to open this thread up again and take another try at it. > Those of us in balanced literacy classrooms are fighting for our > professional opinions and desperately need the most up-to-date research > which supports comprehensive literacy, not direct instruction. > > > > > > **************New year...new news. Be the first to know what is making > headlines. (http://www.aol.com/?ncid=emlcntaolcom00000026) > _______________________________________________ > 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. > > _______________________________________________ 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.
