Countdown to Success with Scholastic Reading Counts! A program for encouraging and developing readers!

Objectives Scholastic’s core mission is to develop independent reading skills. To that end, the SRC program (Scholastic Reading Counts!) strives to: provide students with a motivating, exciting, engaging reading program in which they can be successful, no matter at what level they read independently. provide students with lots of choices of book titles, topics, and genre, as well as suggested reading lists tailored to their personal levels and interests so that they enjoy reading as they improve their skills. provide Teachers, the School Librarian, and the Reading Specialist with a tracking/ assessment system that can provide individualized management of a student’s independent reading experiences and growth.

Why SRC?? Why Now?? BEST VALUE: SRC! is touted as “the most cost-effective solution available to improve students’ independent reading accountability” (Scholastic.com). Compare SRC! with Accelerated Reader by reviewing this chart: http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/independent_reading/scholastic_reading_counts/program_overview.htm

Research Shows… The Scholastic website offers numerous testimonials to the effectiveness of the Reading Counts! Program, among which is Adairsville Middle School: “For the past two years, Adairsville (GA) has met AYP and are no longer designated as "failing." Over the past three years, reading scores on Georgia’s Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) have skyrocketed— from 80% to 94% for 6thgrade, 79% to 86% for 7th grade, and an incredible 70% to 91% for 8th grade. Reading scores show more improvement than any other discipline. This is in large part due to Adairsville’s program, "Reading Tigers," which incorporates SRI/SRC! and Lexiles into the grading process” (Success Stories) Look at how this school’s use of SRC! has also increased their scores in science and social studies testing: http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/independent_reading/scholastic_reading_counts/community/Adairesville_SuccessStory.htm

Research on Implementation If used correctly Reading Counts! can be much more than a points-based extrinsically motivating program; it can be used as a carefully monitored teaching tool. Karin Chenoweth states in School Library Journal that one of the employees of another popular commercial reading management program, who was herself a librarian for many years, “actually discourages schools from having point competitions, preferring to have children set individual goals and then be recognized for having met all or part of their goal” (51). As a faculty, we can use Reading Counts! to foster an intrinsic reward system as students succeed in meeting their goals and thereby hopefully increase the love of and joy of reading for our students as well as improve their comprehension skills and fluency.

Research on Motivation Ruth Small quotes Edward Deci, a notable researcher on intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation, as finding, “When there is little intrinsic motivation to begin with (i.e., for students who are not intrinsically motivated), using extrinsic rewards can be effective for helping students internalize and identify with the value of tasks that were once considered boring or unpleasant” (29). As our faculty knows full well, we have a high number of students who are not intrinsically motivated to read due to past failure and lack of reading appreciation in the home. Therefore, Reading Counts! could be effectively used with its reward system to help these students identify with feelings of intrinsic motivation. Small points out that extrinsic rewards should only be used judiciously to help students become “motivated by their own sense of pride in their learning accomplishments and achievements rather than by some external reward” (29). We can still help students create that intrinsic motivation. It is not too late!

Works Consulted Chenoweth, Karin. "Keeping Score." School Library Journal 47.9 (2001): 48 - 51. Academic Search Complete. EbscoHost. Web. 9 July 2010. Scholastic. “Create Independent Reading Success!” Scholastic Reading Counts. Scholastic. 2010. Web. 9 July 2010. <http://teacher.scholastic.com/ products/independent_reading/scholastic_reading_counts/index.htm>. Scholastic. “Success Stories.” Scholastic Reading Counts. Scholastic. 2010. Web. 9 July 2010. <http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/independent_reading/ scholastic_reading_counts/community/success_stories.htm>. Small, Ruth V., et al. "Reading Incentives that Work: No-Cost Strategies to Motivate Kids to Read and Love It!." School Library Media Activities Monthly 25.9 (2009): 27-31. Academic Search Complete. EbscoHost. Web. 9 July 2010.

Selling Points for SRC! Teachers can restrict a quiz and give it as a group activity. Teachers can make and save quizzes on books they use. Updates are done in small chunks over time instead of major overhauls every few years. so teachers/students don’t have to “relearn” the program. Teacher’s Guide shows how to access and create reports and use all SRC’s features. Books are Lexile leveled, which our county uses, so they can be matched with student’s ability level easily; they are also assigned Guided Reading Levels which correlate with Fountas and Pinnell’s Leveled Book List.

Selling Points, cont. Administrators can print school-wide reports, design custom reports, track student progress, and identify groups for intervention to help meet AYP. Can be administered so that students develop intrinsic motivation to read and learn to love reading due to being able to successfully read books in which they’re interested and being able to earn points toward extrinsic rewards as part of this program. Teachers/School Librarian/Reading Specialist can match students to leveled books, help students generate their own reading list, access numerous reports to track progress, and keep parents informed via customized progress letters.

Various Reports Available Participation Report Reading Progress Report Books Read Report Quiz Performance Alert Book Frequency and Rating Report Most Frequent Quizzes Report Recommended Reading List Student Reading Report http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/independent_reading/scholastic_reading_counts/management_system_reports.htm

Student Accountability Take responsibility for their own independent reading efforts Conference with their teachers as they progress Update their interests and goals and receive new suggested reading lists as they progress Rate the books they read Partner with teachers/librarian/reading specialist to generate letters in English or Spanish to share their success with parents Develop intrinsic motivation!!!

Books Available 48,000 book titles from over 500 publishers currently available 2800 new children’s fiction and nonfiction titles added each year Titles can be viewed at Scholastic’s e-catalog: http://src.scholastic.com/ecatalog/default.asp?UID=62E95AD2E5BB4027A164076137DCCFE4&subt=0&Test=NA

Cost of Program At Oakway Intermediate’s level of enrollment: $7.50/student for software , discounted to $3.50/student if we trade up from Accelerated Reader $2.00 /student annually to renew quizzes on a monthly basis Product Support Plan - $225 Total cost for Oakway Intermediate – 200 licenses: $2125, discounted to $1325 for trading up!

Budget We will purchase only 100 licenses to begin with since no more than 100 students would ever be online at once taking tests. The cost of $775 will come from two sources: teacher allotments (school’s general funds) and the library budget. The principal will provide $375 from our general funds for teacher allotments since all teachers will benefit from the reading progress our students will make. The remaining $400 will come from the library’s budget. In order to keep from spending money allotted for buying books, the library will hold 2 book fairs this year with the profits going toward the SRC! purchase.

Timeline for Implementation August: Librarian purchases and installs program September: Librarian trains teachers in using program and accessing reports during faculty meeting; Reading Specialist identifies student Lexile levels and assists students in setting individual goals September: Librarian trains students to access Suggested Reading Lists based on their interests and Lexile Levels. October thru May: Teachers, the Reading Specialist, and the Librarian work with students to monitor and maintain personal growth in reading via reports, individual conferences, and letters home.

Program Evaluation ELA teachers/reading specialist/librarian will evaluate students’ reading and language scores on the PASS test in 2011 to see if there was marked improvement from the 2010 scores. Participation and Student Progress Reports will be printed in May, 2011 to show our school’s progress. Students and teachers will take an online survey created by the school librarian in May, 2011 to gather data about how students and teachers perceive the program, its use, and the results. Results of the surveys and the PASS scores will be discussed by the faculty/principal in August 2011 before making the decision to renew the membership or not.