Carole Geary Michael Grabarits Teachable Momentum® What is the Science Behind Teaching Reading, Writing and Spelling? Can Reading Failure Be Prevented? Carole Geary Michael Grabarits 1

Research Informs Practice Research Science has already provided significant answers to questions such as: How do children learn to read? Which skills are most critical and at what points during reading development does this occur? What causes reading difficulty in most students? At what ages? Are there practices, programs, and methods that work best for (a) most students or (b) students with specific weaknesses? What are the fMRI’s showing?

PA Findings: Common MTSS Traits The Data suggests…Begin Early Comprehensive Assessment Plan Required Individual student goals and plans A Skill inventory and NOT a Screener to Inform Instruction Instruction logs- documentation of what happened Intervention Group Size Multi-sensory lessons connected to text 3

PA Findings: Common MTSS Traits 8. Professional Development vs. Training- Cycle of Learning -- includes modeling and Expert coaching. 9. All Hands On Deck vs Train the Trainer-- includes all teachers/personnel that support learning AND district leadership for a replicable and sustainable implementation. 4

PA School District RESULTS Pleasant Valley School District ½ day Kindergarten, was performing at 45% EOY, now mid 90’s steady and sustained growth for 11 years. Parent Engagement program increased BOY results by over 40% Significant decrease in SPED Referrals as a result of increasing student outcomes

PA School District RESULTS Started with SBSL in 06-07 School year Last year in K was 2012 6

PA School District RESULTS Started with SBSL in 15-16 School year with one school and administration Currently in 16 Elementary Schools

PA School District RESULTS Bethlehem Area School District Lincoln - was a Focus School- No More 47% - 90% benchmark journey Balanced Approach to Direct, Systematic, Explicit, Multi- Sensory Instructional model

Begin Early Early start: Parents of pre-K attending at-least one session on literacy had children who performed significantly higher on phonological awareness and letter naming as measured by DIBELS® and a study conducted by Lehigh Univ. Consider Birth-Gr3 monthly program initiative Kindergarten sign-ups should be in the fall to identify children and parents-1 year in advance. These children had less risk over time through kindergarten and first grade.

Benchmark/Screening-timed Assessment Plan Benchmark/Screening-timed Which students MAY need extra assistance? Acadience, DIBELS® Next, AimsWeb, STAR Skill Inventory What are a student’s skills strengths & needs? RGR, QPS Progress Monitoring Is my instruction effective? How often is enough? Formative How do I determine when I should flex my groups? 10

Individual student goals and plans MTSS Traits Individual student goals and plans Instruction logs- keep track of what prescription and how often it is being administered Multi-sensory lessons must be connected to text for impact 11

Small Group Size Study Hours of Instruction Student/Teacher Ratio Reading %ile for Identification of Risk Status % of Students Still At-Risk at End of Study Felton, 1993 340 1:8 16 3.8% Vellutino et al., 1996 35-65 1:1 15 4.5% Torgeson et al., 2000 92 1:3 18 1.4% Mike

Professional Development Model

All HANDS ON DECK FORMULA FOR SUCCESS Who Is Involved? All HANDS ON DECK FORMULA FOR SUCCESS Principal- future Literacy Leader must attend everything teachers are being exposed to. Grade level teachers Support Personnel Training vs. PD…what’s the difference? All Hands On Deck vs. Train the Trainer Mike- wrap up with book

Web Links www.SBSL.org Contact us at info@sbsl.org www.TMTLAH.org --- Parent Engagement-start early www.fcrr.org www.ShanahanOnLiteracy.com www.readingrockets.org www.freereading.net www.EdventureZoo.com --- NEW tools for children How Better Teaching Can Help Kids Who Can’t Read https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/52796/how-better- teaching-can-help-kids-who-cant-read More than 90 percent of the students are eligible for free and reduced lunch, a commonly used surrogate for low-income families. More than 90 percent of the students are from ethnic minorities. More than 90 percent of the students met or achieved high academic standards, according to independently conducted tests of academic achievement. Principals and Student Achievement : What the Research Says by Kathleen Cotton 15