S.V.U.S.D. 3 RD GRADE SUMMER READING ACADEMY INCREASING READING ENGAGEMENT & MOTIVATION JUNE, 2012 at El Verano School 9/11/12

DETAILS  3 hours a day for 3 weeks  Extended Wednesdays for professional development and collaboration  4 classes serving a total of 73 students and absences averaged 1 to 2 students daily.  Third grade students selected from all 5 elementary schools based on below grade level scores on: CST ELA STAR E ELA Benchmarks teacher input 9/11/12

EXPENSES = UNDER $25,000  HIRED: 1 Coordinator, 4 Teachers, 4 Instructional Aides, 1 Librarian  PURCHASED; High interest books, online library subscriptions, student book bins, notebooks, post-it notes, pencils, chart paper, etc…  FIELD TRIP to Readers’ Books, Library, and Ben & Jerry’s  FUNDED BY: Sonoma Valley Education Foundation Todd Trust Team Stepping Stones Mr. & Mrs. Miller Migrant Education Sonoma Valley Unified School District (Kitchen, Transportation & Custodial Staff) 9/11/12

TEACHER FEEDBACK…  “I think that I know these students better in the short 15 days than all last school year because I had the TIME to actually talk to them about their interests and get to know them. I am in LOVE with SRA because I feel like a teacher again! SRA created an opportunity for me to let loose and set free all the creative and engaging opportunities students love. I feel that not having such strict requirements of the children allows them to be children and NOT data-producing machines.” – Ms. Gennifer Caven 9/11/12

TOP 5 CONDITIONS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO SUCCESS  1) Small class size  2) Focus on reading with self-selection of text  3) Professional Development & Collaboration  4) Less teacher talk  5) Qualitative, rather than quantitative assessments 9/11/12

STUDENT REFLECTIONS  READING ZONE: 90% of students said they felt what it was like to be in the “reading zone” and could describe it.  BEFORE & AFTER ATTITUDE: 64% of students had a more favorable description of reading AFTER SRA, while 35% had a description that seems not to change much.  ENJOYMENT: At the end of SRA, 80% of students claimed they either liked reading (4) or loved reading (5). 9/11/12

STAR E BENCHMARK DATA  When comparing end of 3 rd grade scores to beginning of 4 th grade scores, 55% of theSRA students increased their STAR. Furthermore, instead of a “summer slide” SRA students increased their GE score by almost 2 months (.18), while the district average was only a.06 increase between May and August. 9/11/12

WHAT WE WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY NEXT TIME…  Build in more collaboration time.  Include Instructional Aides and Volunteers in more training  Possibly extend the day by 30 min.  Invite parents to Reading Strategy sessions in the evening. 9/11/12

MORE INFO  Plan to check-in with students at various schools.  Monthly support group with teachers.  Check out our Blog Pages for Summer Reading Academy at DAILY REFLECTIONS MYSTERY READERS & GUEST AUTHORS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT READING ROCKS PLAYLIST  View our short summary video (7 minutes) 9/11/12

SRA DREAM TEAM! 9/11/12