[MOSAIC] REACH and PAL Programs
stbn at charter.net
stbn at charter.net
Sat May 3 19:11:37 EDT 2008
I am surprised that a Reading Specialist would be asked to use a program. How do the interventions work in your school/district? How much freedom do you have to respond to the individual needs of students? Susan
--
Susan Nugent
Reading Recovery/K-3 Literacy Coach
C-A Community Schools
Flint, Mi
---- Mary and Pete Montoya <monfolkski at cox.net> wrote:
> I teach a program (PAL) similar to REACH. Even though we are a title
> school, we can still use this model for first graders...
> Interestingly enough, I just came back from a training in the Voyager
> Program. We are using it for our district SEI/ELL Summer School. Talk about
> a scripted program! I have mixed feelings about it. I think for summer
> school it will be o.k., but I'm not sure as a Reading Specialist,
> that I would be able to use this type of program during the school year.
> Has anyone had experience using Voyager? What are your thoughts?
> :) Mary
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <CNJPALMER at aol.com>
> To: <mosaic at literacyworkshop.org>
> Sent: Saturday, May 03, 2008 10:39 AM
> Subject: [MOSAIC] teacher expertise was off topic math conversation
>
>
> >
> > Bonita
> > You are the best...truly!
> >
> > What a fascinating and thoughtful question! I will reply and ask you to
> > consider cross-posting a version of it on the To Understand list where
> there are
> > some other souls who might be interested in discussing the topic. (I am
> > hoping that those of you on both lists will understand why that might be
> a good
> > thing to do.)
> >
> > Your post is of personal interest to me right now. We have had, up to
> this
> > point, a fantastic reading intervention in our district called Reach.
> Reach was
> > a reading recovery clone which pulled many, many first and second
> graders to
> > a proficient or better level. We never had the money as a district to
> become
> > truly reading recovery...we used highly trained instructional
> assistants to
> > implement the program under the direction of reading specialists. There
> was
> > continual staff development including "behind the glass" sessions where
> we
> > helped build their knowledge of how to teach reading and how reading
> developed.
> > These assistants read Marie Clay...gave running records, leveled their
> books
> > and just did a fantastic job all around. For years it was universally
> > acknowledged that this intervention was successful...not for every
> student, but
> > about 75% of all our kids in the program would meet and continue to
> meet grade
> > level standards.
> >
> > Well, under NCLB and the resulting current state guidelines, Reach is
> not a
> > 'researched based' program. Can you tell where this is going??? Rumor
> has it
> > that the title one schools in our area will no longer be using
> Reach...they
> > will be going instead to a scripted heavily phonics based program. Now
> I will
> > tell you that I absolutely do NOT condemn this choice...the schools
> really
> > have no choice. If they don't use a research based program, there is no
> chance
> > to appeal when schools fail to meet adequate yearly progress. I know
> these
> > scripted programs do work to build decoding skills for some kids...and I
> know
> > that the reading specialists in our district understand the need for
> balance
> > and will ensure that these kids get comprehension instruction as well.
> >
> > What saddens me is that we are handing these instructional assistants
> > scripts and not putting our resources into helping them understand the
> nature of
> > how reading develops and how to make good choices in instruction. It
> won't
> > matter for a few years...these ladies (mostly they are women who are
> willing to
> > work for little pay) already know a lot from the time we have invested
> in
> > building their expertise...but as they retire or move to greener
> pastures, we
> > will have moved the focus from teaching assistants to technicians.
> >
> > I am lucky...I am not in a title one school and I can keep going with
> > Reach...albeit without the district level training and support. But...I
> am feeling
> > the pressure to at least explore the researched based programs and train
> > folks in one so that I can ensure that the positive affects of using a
> scripted
> > program outweigh the great number of negatives. Using a researched based
> > program in addition or as a supplement to Reach may be required to keep
> us out of
> > AYP jail within a very few years.
> >
> > Bonita, a colleague of mine always says that a good, quality curriculum
> is a
> > floor...not the ceiling. We need that...but we also need even more,
> teachers
> > who understand how kids learn to read, how to respond to the different
> needs
> > of the children in front of them. Lesson study, to me, would fill the
> second
> > requirement, but not the first. Lesson study is about the process of
> > teaching, to me, not a way to find out what to teach.
> > As a beginning teacher, I would have been lost without my anthology
> teachers
> > guide. It is a floor...but by now, I don't even crack open the
> covers...and
> > there is no way I feel that I know enough to say I have the ceiling in
> sight!
> >
> > Hmmm... I don't think I am even beginning to answer all your
> questions...I
> > guess my first thoughts here are that we need a quality curriculum to
> start
> > with...and then highly trained teachers who know how to build from that
> to meet
> > the needs of their kids.
> > Jennifer
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > In a message dated 5/3/2008 12:36:30 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> > bonitadee61 at ca.rr.com writes:
> >
> > Sorry Jennifer,
> >
> > I always forget that the Mosiac list tries to keep true to reading
> > comprehension. When a topic is raised where I have thoughts or passion,
> I tend to jump
> > in. That said, I will now make the connection between all this math
> talk and
> > reading comprehension.
> >
> > Do teachers require materials that dictate day to day instruction in
> order
> > to teach reading comprehension (in any subject) and teach it well? Is
> > comprehension something in which we are so versed we do "not need" the
> support of a
> > specific text? Is comprehension so fundamentally different from other
> > subjects (like math or science) that we should be left to fish around
> and do it our
> > own way without articulation through the grades? I ask this honestly,
> > because I do not know or even have an idea of the answer. The
> difference, to me,
> > it seems, is that reading comprehension does not develop in any sort of
> > linear fashion. That we are all teaching "all of comprehension" at all
> grade
> > levels. Am I correct in this thinking?
> >
> > I am playing devil's advocate here. I know, Jennifer, that you are
> involved
> > in lesson study on comprehension, a very in-depth process of
> professional
> > development that is teacher-driven (not district "assigned"). Would
> such
> > teacher development be enough to assure quality comprehension
> instruction at all
> > grade levels? Could it inform us where, developmentally, certain
> comprehension
> > should and should not be taught?
> >
> > :)Bonita--trying to get back on track ;)
> >
> >
> >
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> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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