By: Starlet Taylor EDRD 717 Kennesaw State University

Introduction  The purpose of this study is to improve the literacy success of a struggling reader.  The assessments and interventions performed were designed to identify the student’s strengths and weaknesses.

School Demographics  Participants attend Johnson County Elementary School, located in Wrightsville, Georgia  Population of about 600 students  Percentage of students meeting and exceeding standards was 85.26%.

Classroom Demographics  Jenifer’s classroom has eighteen students.  Classroom consists of 10 boys, and eight girls  One student is Hispanic, nine are African American, and eight are Caucasian.  5 students that are low readers, about seven that are good readers, and about six students that are proficient readers

Student Information  “Jenifer,” is a Caucasian girl  Third grade student who has struggled with reading her entire academic career.  Scored 40% out of a 100% on her reading pretest  Beginning of the year Dibels score was 39 words per minute  Retell score was ten  Reads on a Pre-kindergarten level

Informal Assessments  Pre-Primer 2/3 words- missed 2 out of 20  90% of words correct  Primer words – missed 7 out of 20 words  Frustration level  Distracted easily

Informal Assessments Cont’d  Read the passage I See without any miscues  Read Just Like Mom and miscued on this passage frequently  Became frustrated  Miscued six times while reading Just Like Mom

Informal Assessments Cont’d  Retold 12 words out of 44  Weaknesses were staying on task and comprehension  During the explicit questions, Jenifer was only able to answer two questions correctly.  Frustration level

Formal Assessments  K12 reading placement Assessment  Administered the Reading Assessment 2 Part A and Part B  Completed 15 out of 25 questions correctly for Reading Assessment 2 Part A  Complete 16 questions on the Reading Assessment 2 Part B.  Answered 8 of them correct

Tutoring  Literacy instruction: phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension  Four times a week for 30 minutes  One-on-one instruction in quiet area  Phonics and vocabulary practice with one grade level below word lists  Fluency practice with passages using words in word lists  Comprehension practice with passages by answering questions

Conclusion  Participant Dibels scores increased from39 words per minute to 60 words per minute  Problems with staying on task and comprehension  Great small group literacy instruction is needed for this student to succeed.  Tutoring is beneficial because it allows the student to have hands-on experience with the teacher in a one-on-one setting.

References  Report Card, Johnson County Elementary School, retrieved on September 13, 2013 from  Johnson County Demographic Information, paragraph 1, retrieved on September 13, 2013 from  Leslie, Lauren, and JoAnne Caldwell. Qualitative Reading Inventory. 5th ed. Boston, MA:Pearson/Allyn & Bacon, Print.