Ramping Up Summer Reading Stopping Summer Reading Slide and Growing Readers Ernie College Community School District With contributions by Marcus

Call to Action “Will we choose to address narrowing the reading achievement gap by providing kids with books to read during the summers, or will we continue to do largely nothing in this regard? The kids are waiting for the answer ” Allington and McGill-Franzen

Summer Time (and finding books is not easy)

Poverty in Iowa

A Tale of Two Readers Jordan Middle income Quality prenatal care Brain-building child care 3 rd birthday: 30 million more words Kindergarten: language skills Solid school attendance rate Consistent access to books at home Jamie Low income No prenatal care 2x risk of developmental delays 3 rd birthday: 30 million fewer words Kindergarten: months lag million kids chronic absenteeism 61% NO access to books at home

A Tale of Two Readers Jordan Summer growth = 1 month of schooling Jamie Summer growth: negative – 2 month loss What percentage of the achievement gap is attributed to the summer slide?

Allington on Summer Reading Loss 

Action Item – Identifying Summer Slide Work with…. Look at… Share with…

Now What? (2013) longitudinal study: Random selection of students in Grades 1-2 School populations were 85% eligible for free/reduced lunch Experimental Group: Received free books each summer Control Group: Received 0 free books each summer Followed for three years

Popular Titles + Student Choice + Ownership = MOTIVATION Look like an intervention to you?

Process Overview 1) Identify kids 2) Plan bookfair inventory 3) Kids attend book fair 4) Coordinators follow up Summer 2013 (building pilot): 40 kids Summer 2014 (pilot): 100 kids Summer 2015: 300 kids in grades 1-5

Identify Kids  Low Socio-Economic Status  Free and Reduced Lunch Status  Chronic Low Assessment Scores  Teacher Observation and Input

Plan Inventory and Logistics Consider:  School contact (librarian?)  Length of fair  Physical space  Inventory to meet interest and independent reading level

Top Selected Books PETE THE CAT PETE AT THE BEACH (0)38 DWK: LONG HAUL #9 37 PLANTS VS. ZOMBIES TIMEPOCALYPSE #2 37 MINECRAFT: COMBAT HANDBOOK 25 SPNGE: FOOD FIGHT (2) (MTI) 25 LEGO NINJAGO CHRONICLES OF NINJAGO W/POSTER 22 ONE & ONLY IVAN 20 MINECRAFT: CONSTRUCTION HANDBOOK 18 BAD KITTY DRAWN TO TROUBLE (LIC) 17 OWL DIARIES EVA'S TREETOP FESTIVAL #1 17

Book Fair Time Adult support--principal, teachers, paras Kids read books to adult (independent level) Encourage variety of genres Limit expensive books (e.g. Guinness Records) Take Reader Self-Perception Survey

Follow Up 5 elementary buildings = 5 K-3 coordinators 2 coordinators for grades 4-5 Each coordinator = ~40-60 kids 1 district level coordinator (Ernie) serves as liaison between central office administrators and building level coordinators Contact methods*: 1. and phone calls to parents 2. Postage paid and pre-addressed postcards 3. Edmodo online group (set up before kids leave school) *methods vary by coordinator/grade level

Results!

Results!! Are you a Reader?  May 2014 (5 th )  Yes – 37  No – 3  Don’t Know- 2 Are you a Reader?  Nov 2015 (6 th )  Yes – 22  No – 5  Don’t Know- 3

Results!! Do you read at home?  May 2014 (5 th )  Yes – 35  No – 6 Do you read at home?  Nov 2015 (6 th )  Yes – 14  No – 17

Resources Allington in SLJ Cox on SRP in American Libraries

Action Item – Supporting Summer Reading Rally Cry… Work with…. Look at… Share with…

Contact Us Marcus 5th/6th Grade Teacher 4th/5th Grade Summer Reading Coordinator Ernie Cox Teacher Librarian Summer Reading District Coordinator Sue Skala Director of Elementary Education and Innovation, College Community Schools