Reading First: A Look at the Alabama Reading First Initiative Mabrey Whetstone, Ph.D. Director of Special Education Services Katherine Mitchell, Ph.D. Director of Alabama Reading Initiative

Reading: ALABAMA STATE IMPROVEMENT GRANT Research Based Intervention Instruction and Prevention of Reading Failure

Alabama LANGUAGE! Intervention Curriculum Alabama State Improvement Grant (SIG) Reading Alabama State Department of Education Special Education Services - Federal Programs/Title I Pilot Project Direct and Support Funds Capacity Building Funds Year 1 Grants

Athens City Baldwin Co Bibb Co. Birmingham City Brewton City Bullock Co. Calhoun Co. Cullman City Decatur City Dekalb Co. Dothan City Elmore Co. Eufaula City Hoover City Huntsville City Jackson Co. Jacksonville City Lawrence Co. Madison City Marshall Co. Phenix City Piedmont City Ozark City Scottsboro City Selma City Sylacauga City Talladega County Tallassee City Tarrant City Tuscaloosa City Vestavia Hills City Washington Co. Wilcox County Grant Sites

LANGUAGE! Is: Explicit, and cumulative Mastery-level based curriculum rather than grade-level Designed for students with chronic delays who have not been successful in past instruction

It can be taught in: General Education Special Education ELL Program Collaborative Classes Inclusion Programs Special Tutoring Programs Pullout Programs

General Education Teachers ( 60% of each training) Special Education Teachers Title I Teachers Speech-Language Pathologists Administrators LANGUAGE! Training includes:

Alabama Reading Initiative and SIG Reading Initiatives Collaboration LANGUAGE! was written into the SIG grant as collaborating with the Alabama Reading Initiative (ARI) as an intervention piece. Meetings were held with school representatives from ARI schools and information was disseminated about LANGUAGE! and Direct Instruction for Intervention as Research Based instructed. LANGUAGE! and Direct Instruction pilots were carried out in ARI schools and non ARI schools.

Direct Instruction Explicit, scientifically based reading instruction Three pilot system pilot school system sites in Alabama Support of school systems using Direct Instruction through training during Summer Academy Technical assistance through the SIG

Alabama READING FIRST Initiative LANGUAGE! Collaborates with other State Department sections/program Alabama Reading Initiative Federal Programs/ Title I Lee v. Macon Consent Decree Beginning Reading Model Compensatory Education Settlement for Incarcerated Youth and Adults

Year One LANGUAGE! Grants 17 Grant Sites LANGUAGE! Coaches Trained Year Two LANGUAGE! Grants 16 Grant Sites LANGUAGE! Coaches Trained

Lead Trainer Montgomery Co. Trainers Baldwin Co. (2) Eufaula City Huntsville City Marshall Co. Trainees Birmingham City Calhoun Co. Eufaula City Huntsville City Marshall Co. Selma City Tallassee City Language! Trainers

Beginning Reading Model Institute for the Development of Educational Achievement Drs. Edward Kame’enui and Deborah Simmons Southeast Regional Resource Center Alabama State Improvement Grant - Summer Reading Institute July 10-14, 2000 Nine Pilot School Sites Summer Update 2001 Continue As Pilot Sites Summer Reading Institute June , New Pilot Schools

Intensive 44% Strategic 32% Benchmark 24% © 1999 by Edward J. Kame’enui and Deborah C. Simmons

Intensive © 1999 by Edward J. Kame’enui and Deborah C. Simmons Strategic Benchmark

Preventing Reading Failure: Beginning Reading Model K-3 Intensive Intervention: LANGUAGE! SRA Direct Instruction

To paraphrase the Ford Motor Company, Reading is Job One! © 1999 by Edward J. Kame’enui and Deborah C. Simmons

Seven Components of an Effective School-Wide Beginning Reading Model 1. A vivid vision 2. A set of strategic goals 3. A relentless commitment to a clear goal 4. Courageous and knowledgeable leaders 5. A valid and reliable performance dip stick 6. An effective core curriculum 7. A 180-day investment portfolio

5 Big Ideas in Beginning Reading 1. Phonemic awareness 2. Alphabetic principle 3. Automaticity with the code 4.Vocabulary development 5. Comprehension

Big Ideas Drive the Train Big ideas drive the curriculum, instruction, and resources we use. Outcome MeasureBig Idea of Literacy Initial Sounds Fluency Phoneme Segmentation Fluency Phonological awareness Nonsense word Fluency Alphabetic principle Oral Reading FluencyAccuracy and fluency with connected text Letter Naming FluencyRisk indicator that acquisition of crucial skills may be difficult

A Major Component to Any Reform is Assessment of Progress & Helps Us Answer These Questions: So, how are we doing? How do we maximize our instructional resources? How well is intervention/instruction working?

Assessing the Essential Components of Early Literacy: DIBELS Dynamic Indicators of Early Literacy Skills Standardized, individually administered measures Short duration, fluency measures Repeatable forms to allow for frequent student performance monitoring Have demonstrated reliability and validity Measures assess essential early literacy skills that are predictive of later reading achievement Phonological Awareness Alphabetic Understanding/Principle Automaticity with the Code

Academic Systems Reading Systems for Student Success Universal Interventions All students 60-85% Targeted Group Interventions Targeted students 5-30% 1-5% Targeted Group Interventions Targeted students

Alabama Positive Behavior Supports YEAR ONE Random Schools 10 Coaches YEAR TWO Schools Added Extended Coach Training

YEAR THREE Schools Added 4 Full District PBS Implementation 2 Gradual District PBS Implementation ALL Training On-Site Within the System More Technical Support Coach Role More Clearly Defined

Year One Data

Less Discipline Means More Time Estimated time regained for administrators for year one teams is 43,320 minutes. Estimated instructional time regained for teachers and students is 25,660 minutes.

So How Are We Doing in Year 2? First, Look at Last Year… 57% Established Skills 34% Emerging 9% Deficit Fall of 1 st Grade on PSF in

Now Let’s Look at This Year’s First Graders 85% Established Skills 10% Emerging 5% Deficit Fall of 1 st Grade on PSF in

Sample of Grade Level Instructional Priorities - K September Passage understanding 1) Identifying information from stories: answers italics - who and what questions after listening to a sentence or short paragraph. 2)Identifying information from stories: responds to stories by answering questions, discussing ideas, and relating events to personal experiences 3) Making Connections: Connects events, characters, and actions in the story to specific life experiences

Cohort 1: Schools Cohort 2: Schools Cohort 3: Schools Total: 48 Schools

Overview for invited schools April 2000 Year I Cohort 1 Institute on Beginning Reading July 2000 School Teams 6 people DIBELS Workshop September 2000 Test Coordinators Fall Follow-up October (1 day) Kame’enui & Simmons Curriculum Maps & Testing Instruction 9 schools decided to participate

Overview for invited schools April 2001 Year II 16 teams added Summer Institute on Reading 1-day Cohort 1 4-day Cohort 2 6-person teams DIBELS Workshop Cohorts 1 & 2 Test Coordinators + 1 Fall Follow-up September Kame’enui & Simmons Curriculum Maps & Testing Instruction

Collaboration With the Alabama Reading Initiative SIG representative participated in the U.S. Department of Education, Secretaries’ Academy on Reading SIG provided data and wrote requested pieces for the READING FIRST GRANT SIG participated in on-going departmental meetings preparing for submission of the Alabama Reading First Grant

Overview for invited schools April 2002 Year III Cohort III Summer Institute Fall DIBELS Workshop Spring 25 new teams Fall Curriculum

Collaboration with ARI & ARFI For DIBELS Training and Mid Year Follow-up Funding for training DIBELS trainers from SIG funds by bringing in Dr. Roland Goode, one of the authors of the DIBELS Joint planning between ARI personnel and SIG personnel for DIBELS training 12,000 + teachers in teams of 6 Funding for trainees for DIBELS from ARI/ARFI Funding for the trainers while DIBELS training from ARI/ARFI Midyear follow-up on using DIBELS assessment to inform instruction SIG/ARFI collaboration

Beginning Reading Model Liaisons Experienced BRM Teachers Trained fall 2002 by Drs. Kame’enui and Simmons Participated in mid-year BRM follow-up in conjunction with ARFI follow-up Providing technical assistance to BRM schools Will conduct future follow-ups for all BRM Cohorts Will collaborate with ARFI staff for trainings as needed

State Capacity Building for Beginning Reading Model SES will send a team of SIG employees and liaisons to Oregon to be trained as BRM trainers Drs. Simmons & Kame’ enui will hold a training for BRM trainers State Dept Employees from SIG, ARFI, Instruction, Federal Programs, and Assessment will attend the Oregon training SIG & Liaisons will conduct Cohort 4 this summer Liaisons will provide all updates trainings.

Alabama Statewide Implementation State Improvement Grant (SIG) System Change and Capacity Building Collaboration with Alabama Reading Initiative Collaboration with Alabama Reading First Participation in Statewide DIBELS Training Local Sustainability Collaboration between States Training by National Leading Experts Technical Assistance Provided by SERRC

BEGINNING READING MODEL Dr. Edward Kame’enui, Dr. Deborah Simmons, and Dr. Roland Good III University of Oregon, College of Education Institute for the Development of Educational Achievement (IDEA) LANGUAGE! Dr. Jane Fell Greene Sopris West Toll Free: Web Site: SRA Direct Instruction

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ALABAMA’S SIG INITIATIVES VISIT

ALABAMA STATE IMPROVEMENT GRANT Initiative information contacts -- (334) State Improvement Grant Director Dr. Julia Causey, Reading : Gibbs Davis, Zoee' Saltzman Positive Behavior Supports : Donna Kirkendoll, Paraeducator : Donna Kirkendoll, Instructional Strategies : Theresa Farmer, Mentoring Programs : Benita Cahalane,