Reading Recovery in the News - April-June 2008

APRIL 2008

Kay Powell is LCS Crystal Bell Award recipient
Le Mars Daily Sentinel - Le Mars, IA
by Beverly Van Buskirk
April 29, 2008

A Le Mars Community Schools elementary reading teacher has been named the Decades of Excellence Crystal Bell Award recipient for 2008.

Kay Powell, a Title I Reading/Reading Recovery teacher at Franklin and Kissinger Elementary schools was presented with the award Friday morning (April 25) during an assembly at Franklin Elementary School.

The Decades of Excellence Crystal Bell award is co-sponsored by the LCSD Foundation and the LCS Alumni Association, and is presented annually to honor outstanding teachers who have dedicated their careers to the education of children.
 

School board lauds winners of Governor's Award
Packet Online - Princeton, NJ
April 24, 2008
(Online registration required)

Six Hopewell Valley teachers recently were honored by the Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education. One teacher recognized is Alice Rosso, reading support teacher, Toll Gate Grammar. A long-time nursery school teacher before joining the Valley faculty nearly two decades ago, Ms. Rosso taught kindergarten and second grade at Toll Gate Grammar before becoming the school’s teacher of Reading Recovery and English as a Second Language (ESL) in 1999.
 

Four educators to enter Lebanon City Schools Hall of Fame
Lebanon Western Star - Lebanon, OH
By Ryan Cook
April 24, 2008

Four teachers with a combined 100 years of experience will be honored Wednesday, April 30, as they are inducted into the Lebanon City Schools Hall of Fame.

The teachers being honored this year are John Zimkus, Cathy Howell, Doris Nell and Ellen Donisi. The ceremony begins at 6 p.m. in the Berry Intermediate School auditorium.

Donisi’s personal interest in finding out how kids learn to read led her to the Reading Recovery program, which allowed her to work one-on-one with students, implementing specific lessons for each student, as well as observing other teachers and their methods.

“I learned (that teaching children to read) really is rocket science,” she said. “It was really rewarding and intense.”

Editorial: Cheers
Traverse City Record Eagle - Traverse City, MI
04/21/2008

Cheers! -- To Traverse City Area Public Schools for adopting new strategies to help improve student test scores in both writing and math. The programs include support programs like READ 180, a class for fourth- through 12th-graders, and Reading Recovery, a one-on-one session for first-graders. New math materials used in some elementary classrooms offer additional practice, larger numbers in calculations and parent resources. Officials said textbook publishers are adjusting their books to match the new curriculum.
 

Central Lee School District to drop block scheduling next year
Fort Madison Daily Democrat - Fort Madison, IA
April 17, 2008

In the midst of ongoing financial problems in the Central Lee School District, several initiatives may see increased scrutiny, including Reading Recovery. Reading Recovery…“is an intervention for the lowest performing readers,” said Deanna Smith, first grade teacher at Central Lee K-8. "We use daily statistical data to move students along rapidly.”

In 2002-2003 when Central Lee first began using the Reading Recovery program (though it wasn’t yet fully implemented), only 63 percent of their first graders were proficient in reading compared to the 78 percent the State of Iowa saw as its average. In 2006-2007 Central saw 87.3 percent proficiency, versus the state average of 78 percent.

Reading Recovery helps kids read at grade level — and beyond
Nashville City Paper - Nashville, TN
By Amy Griffith
April 15, 2008

Those who participate in Nashville’s public school Reading Recovery program tend to be passionate.

“We’ve got so much evidence that this works,” said Jill Speering, the district’s Reading Recovery Teacher Leader, based at Cora Howe Elementary School. “It will change the direction of kids’ lives.”

The program — which is currently administered at 13 Metro schools — targets first-graders with the lowest reading scores. The program is small, but of the 114 kids who received one-on-one Reading Recovery tutoring in the last school year, 72 percent went on to pass the district’s reading benchmarks.
 

Lynn Smith Named Top Teacher of the Week
FOX17
Nashville, TN

Reading Recovery Teacher Lynn Smith was named Fox 17 Nashville's Top Teacher of the Week. Lynn is a second year Reading Recovery teacher at John Pittard Elementary. Teachers are nominated by their principal to the Tennessee Department of Education.

Teacher: Reading program pays off
Lebanon Daily News - Lebanon, PA
By Chris Sholly
April 4, 2008

PALMYRA — Reading Recovery programs have been a success in Palmyra schools, teachers told the Palmyra Area School District board of directors last week.

“Reading Recovery does work,” said Elaine Stine, Reading Recovery teacher leader. “No other early reading intervention (program) measured up.”

She said the program helped to improve students’ skills in fluency, comprehension, reading achievement, so they can catch up to appropriate levels in reading for their age group. Students show measurable progress in reading just weeks after starting the Reading Recovery program, she added.
 

Lynette DeGraffenried selected for Leadership Preparation Program
Nebo News - Spanish Fork, UT
By admin
April 2, 2008
 
Lynette DeGraffenried, at Wilson Elementary, has been selected by the Nebo School District Board of Education to be the Nebo participant for the Leadership Preparation Program (LPP) for BYU for the year 2008-2009 school year.

Mrs. DeGraffenried was teacher of the year for Wilson Elementary and Nebo Reading Council Reading Teacher of the year both in 2004. She taught first grade for five years, transitional first grade for one year, Title I for four years and Reading Recovery for five years all at Wilson Elementary.

MAY 2008

Reading program continues into summer
Frederick County Public Schools will be sending books after term ...
The Winchester Star - Winchester, VA
May 30, 2008

Winchester — Frederick County Public Schools students who participated in special reading programs during the 2007-2008 school year will be receiving books from the school division throughout the summer.

The initiative is part of an effort to encourage students to read while they are out of school for the summer.

Title I Reading Support teachers and Reading Recovery® teachers recently assembled Summer Reading Through-the-Mail packets that will be sent to more than 500 students in June, July, and August.
 

Teachers Hired
Belmond Independent - Belmond, IA
May 29, 2008

Concerned about recent reading test scores, the Belmond-Klemme school board voted earlier this month to hire two new reading teachers.

Krista Dickman and Nicole Gretillat were hired to implement new Reading Recovery programs. Dickman is currently a fourth grade teacher at SCMT, and Gretillat is a middle school teacher in Fort Dodge.
 

North Drive teacher's reading script published
Goldsboro News Argus - Goldsboro, NC
May 28, 2008

A reading teacher at North Drive Elementary School has been published for the third time.

Gregory Brown's third children's script published by an educational publishing company, featuring an election-based storyline.

… "One of my goals when writing my stories is to represent minority groups that are not seen in children's literature," said Brown, who currently teaches Reading Recovery, and Readers Theater at North Drive.

Fort Mill to hire fewer teachers
Fort Mills Times - Fort Mill, SC
May 27, 2008

The budget crunch brought on by the way South Carolina now funds public education will likely mean more students in many classes across the district.

…"From our perspective we have a lot of quality initiatives in place, and that support will allow our ratios to increase some," Epps said. "But when you get into the mid and high 20s in elementary schools it is difficult."

Reading Recovery teachers at the elementary school level is one example of the quality initiatives. Teachers trained in reading strategies for weak readers work with students in small groups or one-on-one to improve their reading skills.
 

Reading Recovery Graduation
North Texas e-News - TX
May 25, 2008

Sherman I.S.D. is excited and thankful to announce this year’s Reading Recovery graduates. Photos of students and teachers are highlights of this Texas story.
 

Hauer named teacher of the year
Enterprise-Record - Chico, CA
May 20, 2008

CHICO — Cil Hauer, a kindergarten teacher at Neal Dow School for 25 years, was chosen Educator of the Year for 2008 by Beta Tau chapter of Alpha Delta Kappa.

Hauer and three other teachers began an innovative "Program B" that operated in K through fourth-grade classes. She was one of two people in the state to be trained in the Reading Recovery program in 1990 and received her certification in this early intervention program from New Zealand in 1992.
 

Reading programme hailed
TeleText - Scotland, United Kingdom

Youngsters with poor reading skills are making "striking" progress thanks to a Government initiative, a report found.

The Reading Recovery programme provides children with intensive one-on-one tailored reading lessons with specialist reading teachers.
 

Reading program touts first-grader's achievement
Aiken Standard (subscription) - Aiken, SC
by Rob Novit
May 19, 2008

Kemar Bartley is 6, and his effervescent smile reveals the missing front teeth that every kid experiences.

In the past few months, the Greendale Elementary School first-grader has astounded and thrilled Principal Becky Koelker and the school's two teachers of Reading Recovery, a program for struggling readers in first grade.

When Kemar was tested for reading skills last fall, he recorded a zero, which meant his literacy was virtually non-existent. By the end of the first semester, he had reached a Level 7, still well short of the Level 18 that first-graders are expected to achieve by the end of the year.

As scheduled previously, Kemar began Reading Recovery training with teacher Carolyn Thompson. She would spend 30 minutes a day, a total of 66 lessons with the little boy, initially determining his strengths and building on them.
 

Reading Recovery grads
News-Leader.com - Springfield, MO
May 14, 2008

Nixa- Six Nixa teachers have worked with individual students for approximately 15 weeks with 80 percent of the students discontinuing the lesson series at or above grade level.

Graduates are Rena Comer, Shannon Winkler, Leslie Husk, Krista Wilson, Jonna Simcox and RR teacher leader Cindy Owens.
 

Book fund brings joy to area students
The Exponent - Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
May 12, 2008

When Susan Nierstheimer, an assistant professor in the College of Education, was ill with cancer in 2005, she told her friends and family that she wanted to get books into the hands of children.

Three years after Nierstheimer's death, the Susan Nierstheimer Book Fund continues to fulfill that wish by distributing books to children in Reading Recovery, an early intervention program for first-graders who struggle with reading.

Nierstheimer had done research on Reading Recovery and was passionate about the issue of children's literacy.

"She was just a huge proponent," said Susan Gunderson, a continuing lecturer in the College of Education and a friend of Nierstheimer's. "She felt like every child can learn how to read, that there has to be a way."
 

New programme shown to 'dramatically' improve children's literacy
National Union of Teachers website:
www.teachers.org.uk - United Kingdom
May 12, 2008

Pupils struggling with reading are benefiting from a new scheme that sees them improving their literacy with one-to-one support from specially-trained teachers.

Under the Reading Recovery programme, not only are children catching-up with their peers after a relatively short amount of time, but they are outperforming the national average for their age group within two years, according to research.

Tailored lessons for half-an-hour a day for between 12 and 20 weeks are provided to six-year-olds who have shown literacy problems.

Part of the government's Every Child a Reader programme, the initiative has been hailed a great success.
 

'Tuition can help pupils learn to read'
Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingdom
May 9, 2008

Children unable to read at the start of primary school overtake their peers within two years after being given intensive one-to-one tuition, a report claims.

Six-year-olds make "striking" progress with half an hour of specialist coaching every day, it found.

Ministers said the Reading Recovery scheme would now be extended to 30,000 pupils – about one in 20 – after a successful trial at inner-city primary schools.
 

Worst readers shoot to the top of class after one-to-one tuition
Times Online - United Kingdom
by Alexandra Frean
May 9, 2008

Children who have failed to master the basics of reading by the age of 6 are becoming the best in their class after only a few hours of specialist one-to-one tuition under a programme to be extended to all primary schools in England.

The 30 hours of specialist teaching over 12 weeks helped children who were two years behind their classmates to catch up. Two years later they had overtaken them.

As well as improving progress in reading at four times the normal rate, the government-backed Every Child a Reader programme is also bringing about improvements in writing and motivation.

Jean Gross, director of the programme, said that, contrary to some expectations, the positive effects of the scheme were still felt by children long after the specialist help had ended.
 

Research: Poorest readers go on to outperform national average
ATL Education News - United Kingdom
May 9, 2008

Young children who started out as the poorest readers in their class can go on to perform better than the national average within two years, according to research by the Institute of Education into the Every Child a Reader project.

The project involves four to five months of one-to-one tuition for about 30 minutes a day by specially trained Reading Recovery teachers.

Some 42 schools in ten inner London boroughs took part in the project. In each class of six-year-olds, the eight poorest readers were selected to follow the special tuition programme and their progress was compared to a group of children of similar ability and backgrounds who received different tuition.
 

Reading scheme 'improves children's ability'
ATL Education News - United Kingdom
May 9, 2008

A recent study by the Institute of Education has found that a Government-funded reading scheme is helping children outperform national reading standards, it has emerged.

The programme, which involves personalised tuition and tailored reading coaching by specially trained teachers half an hour a day for 12 to 20 weeks, is making significant improvements, the study found.

According to a BBC report, a survey of some 500 children has found that those on the Reading Recovery sheme caught up with their age group and often surpassed the national average within two years.
 

Getting readers back on track
BBC News - United Kingdom
by Hannah Goff
May 9, 2008

When Johnny – not his real name – was six, he could not say the sounds of the alphabet or read a page of a book.

His Reading Recovery teacher Maggie Morgan says he could do little more than recognise his name in writing.

“He was quite bright, but he must have missed out somewhere along the way,” she said.

Mrs Morgan took him for half an hour a day for around 20 weeks, as part of the Reading Recovery programme backed by the government.

It involves intensive one-to-one support in a calm environment, and lessons are tailored to the pupil's needs.
 

Pupils' reading scheme 'a success'
The Press Association - United Kingdom
May 9, 2008

Youngsters with poor reading skills are making "striking" progress thanks to a new government initiative, a new report has suggested.

The Reading Recovery programme is aimed at young pupils who find particular difficulty with reading tasks. The programme provides the children with intensive one-on-one tailored reading lessons with specialist reading teachers.

A study revealed that the programme was enabling young problem readers to catch-up with their peers.

The report by the Institute of Education and commissioned by KPMG, also suggested that the pupils who benefited from the Reading Recovery programme went on to out-perform the national average within two years.
 

Catch-up reading scheme 'success'
BBC News - United Kingdom
by Hannah Goff
May 8, 2008

Struggling young readers make lasting progress on a scheme that offers one-to-one support, a study suggests.

The government-funded Reading Recovery gives six-year-olds tailored coaching from specially-trained teachers for half an hour a day for 12 to 20 weeks.

A study of 500 pupils found those on the programme not only caught up with their age-group but were out-performing the national average within two years.

Government to roll out reading programme in schools
EducationGuardian.co.uk - United Kingdom
by Anthea Lipsett
Friday May 9, 2008

Children who struggle to read at age six can catch up and overtake their peers with the help of specialist one-to-one tuition, according to a new research published today.

The research into the progress of 500 children shows the lowest-achieving readers can go on to outperform the national average within two years after daily individual half hour sessions for up to five months with Reading Recovery (RR) teachers while the children are aged six.
 

Fund provides books for first-graders
Journal and Courier - Lafayette, IN
May 7, 2008

About 118 Greater Lafayette first-graders are making strides in their reading, thanks to a gift made possible by a former Purdue professor.

On Monday and Tuesday, free books were delivered to students at Oakland, Wea Ridge, Cumberland and Klondike elementary schools. Books will also be distributed to students in the Twin Lakes School Corp. next Monday.

The students are involved in the Reading Recovery program, which offers early interventions to help children who are struggling to learn to read or write.

Each kid received four books -- one easy read, two to challenge them and one to read with their family.

The books were purchased through the Susan Nierstheimer Book Fund, which is named in honor of former literacy and language assistant professor Susan Nierstheimer, who died in 2005.
 

Focus on Sheboygan Schools: School focuses on improving students' reading, writing skills
Sheboygan Press - Sheboygan, WI
By Harlan Weber
May 2, 2008

The Washington School for Comprehensive Literacy is located at 1238 Geele Ave. in Sheboygan. Washington School for Comprehensive Literacy currently has an enrollment of 381 students in grades K-5.

The comprehensive literacy model employs well-trained literacy coaches who demonstrate and model for classroom teachers research-based teaching methods and practice in the essential components of a balanced literacy program, which include phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing process. Classroom teachers then practice these same methods under the literacy coach's guidance.

Washington is the first school in Wisconsin using this model. Washington's top priority is assuring that all children become strong readers. Teachers intervene when a child first shows signs of trouble with reading progress. Washington has three teachers who are trained in the Reading Recovery Program to address reading problems early and intensively.

JUNE 2008

Troup trustees hear update on Reading Recovery program
Tri County Leader - Whitehouse, TX
By Charlotte Smith
June 26, 2008

Students and staff from the district's Reading Recovery program were guests at last week's regular meeting of the Troup school board, with trustees enjoying a demonstration of the students' reading mastery. With few action items on a relatively short agenda, the update on the success of the Reading Recovery program was the highlight of Thursday's meeting.
 

It's a New Chapter for Youngsters
RedOrbit News - United Kingdom
June 25, 2008

Hundreds of youngsters who struggle with reading will be thrown a lifeline when a specialist Midland centre hailed as "among the most modern in Europe" opens its doors.

More than 500 primary pupils will be taught using the Reading Recovery programme at the Centre for Literacy and Language Development in Smethwick during its first three years of operation.

Many more will benefit as dozens of teachers undergo Reading Recovery training before returning to their own schools.
 

Education reform 2.0
Boston Globe - Boston, MA
June 23, 2008

Massachusetts Governor Patrick plans to redesign the state’s public education system, including a Readiness Plan. Reading Recovery is mentioned as an example of a data-driven instruction system that provides teachers with “scientifically-tested ways to teach and assess early literacy skills.”
 

Across the Wabash Valley
Terre Haute Tribune Star - Terre Haute, IN
June 18, 2008

FAYETTE - In celebration of their success in developing reading skills, the students in the Fayette Reading Recovery program show off their reading abilities by reading aloud to their families and guests at the annual Reading Recovery Tea.

Their teacher, Mrs. Laura Kidwell, hosted this year’s tea in the Fayette Library Media Center. The students sat in the spotlight at the front of the room and read their favorite Reading Recovery book to a gathering of family, friends and special guests.
 

Reading Recovery earns raves for helping kids early
The Salem News - Salem, MA
By Amanda McGregor
June 17, 2008

SALEM — Divin Elonga arrived from Africa last year without speaking a word of English. Now, at the end of first grade, he is reading above average for his class.

Last Tuesday morning, he whizzed through a book with teacher Lisa DiIsso, called "Just Me and My Puppy," and wrote a journal entry about the story afterward.

DiIsso worked with Divin, 6, every day during the first half of this school year as part of the Reading Recovery program, which provides early interventions for children who are having extreme difficulty learning to read and write.
 

Military mother is grateful for reading program
Lansing State Journal - Lansing, MI
June 15, 2008

HOLT — Adam Dudak's mother, Katrina, had an extra worry when she was deployed to Iraq in 2003. Her 5-year-old was having problems with some of the skills she knew he'd need to succeed in school. He did not know letters and sounds and was uninterested in learning them.

"This was new for me because Adam's sister had no problems at all getting started with reading and writing," Adam's mother said. "Even though I was home by the time Adam started first grade, he still did not like school."

Fortunately, Adam is attending Elliott Elementary in Holt School District. The school offers a short-term reading safety net to help most of the lowest first graders reach grade-level in just a few weeks — called Reading Recovery. Adam received daily, 30-minute lessons from Dr. Michal Taylor, a Reading Recovery teacher leader from Ingham Intermediate School District, who teaches in the Holt Schools.
 

Whoopi! Educator is giving away her winnings
The Virginian-Pilot - Norfolk, VA
by Cyndi Kight
June 11, 2008

PRINCESS ANNE. One of Heidi Magyar's favorite sounds is the crackle of a brand-new book's spine as it's opened for the first time.

It's a sound that the Parkway Elementary Reading Recovery teacher has been able to share nearly a thousand times over, thanks to Scholastic Book Clubs and celebrity Whoopi Goldberg.

Magyar was one of 100 national winners who, through the "Whoopi! We're Reading! Sweepstakes," sponsored by Scholastic's ClassroomsCare program, received 1,000 new books to give away.
 

South Hadley officials choose new School Committee member
The Republican Newsroom - Springfield, MA
by Sandra E. Constantine
June 9, 2008

SOUTH HADLEY - Officials have appointed a 59-year-old town woman with more than 30 years of teaching experience to fill the vacancy on the School Committee created by the recent resignation of W. Rochelle Calhoun.

The Select Board and School Committee voted 6-1 last week to appoint Lorraine Liantonio of 47 Abbey St. to the position.

Liantonio, who moved to town in 1986, is currently a Reading Recovery teacher leader with the Hampshire Educational Collaborative in Northampton.