STAR

What is STAR?  STAR is a professional development package to assist teachers, program administrators, and state leaders in implementing evidence-based reading instruction.

What is that??  Evidence Based Reading Instruction (EBRI) is instruction based on practices that have a track record of being successful. Scientific Research “Professional Wisdom”

Promising Practices from the research:  Assessment of learners’ strengths and needs on each component of reading  Alphabetics  Fluency  Vocabulary  Comprehension

Alphabetics  The process readers use to decode printed words into meaningful spoken words  Assessed by having students read graded word lists

Fluency  The ability to read with efficiency and ease  Includes Accuracy Rate Prosody Assessed by listening to students read connected text out loud

Vocabulary  The words a person knows and understands  Assessed by having students provide definitions/explanations of words on graded lists

Comprehension  Interaction between the reader and the text that results in understanding  Assessed by having students read graded passages silently, and then answering questions or retelling the information.

Reading Comprehension Vocabulary Alphabetics Fluency Four Reading Components

Each learner has a “profile” of strengths and weaknesses. These profiles are used to group students and plan instructi on.

Other promising practices include....  Direct and explicit instruction, consisting of teacher explanation and modeling, and student opportunities for guided practice and application.  Continuous monitoring—by both teachers and learners—of instructional effectiveness.

What STAR is NOT....  A curriculum  Published materials  A lock-step approach to working with adult readers  A panacea – darn it!

What level students does the STAR Initiative focus on?  Adult Intermediate Readers  Grade Level Equivalent of 4-8  Why? These students often need all four components of reading This is the largest group of adult students in ABE programs

 STAR learners might also be students who are second or other language learners (ELL), adults with learning disabilities, etc.  Adult learners who test above or below the 4-8 grade level would benefit from some of all of the techniques and instruction, but STAR has a focus of intermediate level learners. Below 4... learners need mostly alphabetics and fluency Above 8.0, they need mostly vocabulary and comprehension

What is involved in STAR training?  Three 2-day training sessions  Work done outside the training sessions to practice and apply the skills and techniques involved  Development of Action Plans – to guide your work in between the training sessions  A commitment to try to implement STAR/EBRI at your site

Benefits of STAR training  Learn more about adult readers (especially important if you do not have training in reading pedagogy)  Learn useful techniques and strategies to teach your students  Know you are doing your best to help your students improve their reading  Use of the STAR Tool Kit (online resource)  Technical Assistance (site visits, etc.)

Responsibilities.....  Attendees must attend all the training sessions.  Attendees must commit to doing work in between the training sessions (conducting assessments, etc.)  Attendees and their team will develop Action Plans to guide your STAR implementation  Attendees may need to make some structural, programmatic changes to implement STAR

Contact Person Peggy Meyers, Education Director Wisconsin Technical College System Office 4622 University Avenue Madison, Wisconsin