Reading Instruction
Foundation Training:
Research to Practice
NC Department of Public
Instruction
Companion On-line text: Teaching Students With
Persistent Reading Problems
By Rebecca Felton and David Lillie in partnership with Guilford
County Schools
North Carolina State Improvement Project
1
Unit 1: Foundations of Reading
Purpose and Overview of Course
Selection of Reading Programs
Components of Effective Implementation
NCSIP II: Purpose
North Carolina State Improvement Project
(NCSIP II) works to significantly
improve the performance and success of
students with disabilities in North
Carolina.
Do not duplicate or alter without permission of NC SIP
Why Do We Succeed?
NC SIP II Personnel Development Process
ResearchBased
Practices
• Reading
• Writing
• Mathematics
• Review
Research
Literature
• Identify
Instructional
Principles
School-Based
Best Practice
Centers/Sites
•62 Reading/
Writing
Projects
•Selection of
Centers/Sites
•Develop Plan
Staff
Development
• Foundation
Training
• Model
Training
• TOT
Training
• Training
Content
• Training
Strategies/
Tasks
• Model
Programs
On-site
Program
Reviews
On-site
Fidelity
Observations
•Annually
• 3 per year
• Developmental
Reviews
• Analysis
& Formal
Feedback
• Trained
Observers
• Feedback
& Coaching
• Evaluation
& Reporting
Student
Progress
Evaluation
..
Early Literacy
•Rdg/Math 3-8
•High School
• OSEP Long-Term
Performance
Indicators
• AYP
• Student
Characteristics
• Project
Characteristics
Purpose Of Course
NCSIP’s course will provide you with an
understanding of the instructional
principles derived from scientific-based
research and a solid foundation of
knowledge and skills to begin using
research-proven teaching strategies with
students with disabilities who have
persistent reading problems.
Why Does The Course Matter?
“Effective teachers are
the only absolutely
essential element for
an effective school.”
Allington & Cunningham, 1996
Why Does The Course Matter?
“Research has borne out that the key factor
in students’ reading achievement is the
quality of teaching... Teachers are central
to the process of education, assessing
student’s progress, selecting and using a
variety of approaches and materials, and
organizing for instruction.”
Braunger & Lewis, 1999
Course Goals
 To provide teachers with a solid foundation of
knowledge and skills needed to deliver effective reading
instruction to all students
 To increase understanding of reading difficulties and of
how to help struggling readers
 To review recent research on prevention and
remediation of reading problems
 To allow teachers to make judgements about
instructional practices and materials based on sound
knowledge
Activity
 Handout – Course Objectives and Competencies
 Read over the course goals and objectives we will
cover in the five day training.
 Find goals and objectives that interest you.
 Highlight the objectives you hope to learn more about
in Foundations of Reading
 Turn to a partner or other table members and share
Basic Training Description
 30 hour contact course
 Online text (www.ncsip.org)
 Based on research from National Reading Panel as
well as updated scientific research-based information
published since 2000
 Resource texts:
 Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills
edited by Judith Birsh
 Speech to Print by Lousia Moats
Course Topics
Course Overview
Reading
Program
Overview
State of Reading
And
NRP
Structure of
Language
Assessment
Phonological
Awareness
Alphabetic
Principle
Fluency
Vocabulary
Comprehension
Decoding/
Encoding
Requirements For Level I Foundation
Training
 Level 1 participation earns 3.5 CEU credits.
Requirements include :
 Participation in all workshops
 Preview online text and respond to discussion
questions in class
 User name – ncsip
Password - ncsip
 Completion of student assessments (BRSA +
Fluency)
 In-class participation in group tasks including a pre
and post test of Structure of the English Language
Requirements For Level 2 Foundation
Training
 Level 2 participation earns 5 CEU credits and
also qualifies participant to enter training to
become a foundation trainer.
 Requirements include :
 All of the requirements of Level I
 Reading selections from Multisensory Teaching of
Basic Language Skills edited by Judith Birsh
 Individual preparation of required tasks
 Demonstration of knowledge of the Structure of the
English language (score of 80 or above)
Goal: All children are reading at or above grade level by grade 3
Scientifically Based Reading Research
Phonemic Awareness
Phonics
Classroom based screening, diagnostic
and ongoing assessments used in
instructional planning
Fluency
Vocabulary
Text Comprehension
Evidence-based instructional
approaches, materials, and programs
for classrooms and interventions for
struggling readers
Professional Development
Connecting
SBRR with
instruction
Adapted from ncpublicschools.org/readingfirst
Instructional Leadership
Unit 1: Foundations of Reading
Purpose and Overview of Course
Selection of Reading Programs
Components of Effective Implementation
Table Talk
 Tell the strengths and needs of your school
system in regards to literacy.
 Does your school currently have in place
research-based reading programs for at-risk,
intervention or EC students?
 Is your school system currently using a researchbased core reading program? If so, are you also
using the intervention supplement that comes
Questions To Answer
About Reading Programs
 Scientific research-base?
 Multisensory strategies?
 Systematic, explicit, direct instruction?
 Inclusion of:
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Phonological awareness?
Decoding?
Spelling?
Fluency?
Vocabulary?
Comprehension?
Practice with decodable text?
Other Questions To Ask
About Reading Programs
 Is training and/or mentorship required for the
program? Cost of training?
 Is there software? On-line support?
 Does the program contain placement tests?
 Are there benchmark assessments to use at
various points in the program?
 Cost for teacher materials? Student materials?
Examples of research based reading programs
used in NC:
Wilson Reading System
Corrective Reading
Reading Mastery
Hill Reading Achievement Program
Language!
Fundations
Letterland
Sonday System
Wilson Reading System
 Phonemic awareness is taught through “sound tapping”
which is used for both segmenting and blending of
phonemes
 Decoding and spelling instruction is organized around
the six syllable types
 Decoding and spelling taught through manipulation of
color-coded sound, syllable, and suffix cards
 A small number of words are taught as “irregular words”
Wilson Reading System
 Contains extensive controlled materials used for
developing mastery and fluency
 A simplified method of syllable division is
taught with a penciling technique taught for
tracking syllables
 Comprehension is taught
using controlled vocabulary
materials as well as through
visualization
Video Wilson Reading System
 Please click on the video
below to play.
Reading Mastery
 Developmental program
 Phonemic awareness/decoding/word attack skills
taught in a programmed sequence
 Fluency practice
 Vocabulary and
background knowledge
 Reading comprehension
skills for fiction and
nonfiction
Reading Mastery 2008 – Complete Program or
Individual Strands
Corrective Reading
 Designed for non-readers or those in grades 3.512 who read haltingly
 Teaches each sound-symbol correspondence
explicitly as well as over 500 vocabulary words
 Teaches students directly how to sound out
words
 Uses connected, decodable text for children to
practice the sound-spelling relationships and
comprehension
 Monitors student progress by group reading,
fluency checks and workbook performance
Corrective Reading
2008
Video Corrective Reading
 Please click on the video
below to play.
HillRAP
A nationally recognized, research-based program for struggling readers in K-8th grade
emphasizing decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension skills
Instructional time maximizes
opportunities for oral and written
student responses and success
experiences
Instruction is individualized, multisensory and uses elements of precision teaching and
analysis of student skill acquisition
Student responses are charted and graphed daily to document mastery before
advancing to a higher level skill
HillRAP
• The RAP Manual provides all materials
needed for assessment, instruction, and
monitoring of phonological awareness,
word attack, and spelling skills
• Key Word Cards and a Letter Sounds
DVD are included for teacher and
student use
• Practice exercises reinforce word attack
and linguistically controlled readers
provide decoding practice and reading
comprehension at each level of
instruction
HillRAP
The three-day training in HillRAP includes
• a comprehensive overview of phonological awareness
•
•
•
•
and phonics
a demonstration of administering HillRAP assessment
instruments
practice developing individualized programs for students
role play of each program component
understanding the reading process, student learning
styles, and direct instruction techniques
HillRAP
A North Carolina Resource
HillRAP sites include Carteret,
Davie, and Durham Counties
HillRAP is implemented in public
elementary schools by certified
RAP teachers
The Hill Center Mentors provide
training and in-class support to
teachers
RTI International conducted analysis of
pre-post- test data from Durham and
Davie Counties
Students enrolled in the RAP have
made significant improvement in
reading as measured by NC EOGs and
Woodcock-Johnson III Test of
Achievement
Video Hill Learning Center
 Please click on the video
below to play.
Language! – 2nd Ed.
 A comprehensive language arts curriculum designed for
use with students having difficulty with reading
 Content includes:
 Phonemic awareness
 Decoding and encoding
 Word structure
 Vocabulary (layers of language)
 Fluency
 Syntax
 Composition
 Figurative language
Language! – 2nd Ed.
 Within each unit, multiple strands (e.g.,
decoding, syntax, vocabulary
expansion, writing) are presented in a
coordinated manner
 Each level includes a detailed teacher
manual, student mastery books, student
readers
 3rd Edition: The Comprehensive Literacy Curriculum
 Designed for students in Grades 3-12 that have fallen behind
 Grounded in research
 Based on teacher input, testing, and review
 Designed for differentiating instruction based on student needs
 Focused on informational text for content and vocabulary
 Strategic in its use of technology
3rd Edition: The Comprehensive Literacy Curriculum
Each of the Language! Curriculum’s 36 units builds
knowledge in:
Sounds and Letters
Spelling and Words
Vocabulary and Roots
Grammar and Usage
Listening and Reading
Speaking and Writing
 Teacher edition
 Student text (Three levels of text selection within each unit)
 Decodable Text
 Instructional Text
 Challenge Text
 Interactive Text
 Teacher Resource Kit
 Assessment System
 Placement (Test of Word Reading Efficiency, Spelling
Inventory, Degrees of Reading Power)
 Content Mastery
 Progress Indicators
Video Language!
 Please click on the video
below to play.
Sonday System Materials
Pre Reading
Letterland
 Child-friendly, multi-sensory system for teaching
children in grades K-2 to read, write and spell
 Skills taught include:
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Phonemic awareness
Alliteration and sound/symbol associations
Letter formation
Blending and segmenting
Word and sentence building
Vocabulary and language
Letterland
 There are characters and stories
to explain the lowercase and
uppercase alphabet shapes,
blends, digraphs and all major
spelling patterns
 Two levels: Early Years,
Primary Years
 Range of materials including
carefully sequenced storybooks,
cassettes and CDs
FUNdations
 Wilson Fundations for K-3 is a
phonological/phonemic awareness,
phonics and spelling program for
the general education classroom.
 Teachers incorporate a 30 min.
daily Fundations lesson into LA
instruction.
FUNdations
 Lessons focus on carefully sequenced skills that
include:
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Print Knowledge
Alphabet Awareness
Phonological/Phonemic Awareness
Decoding
Spelling
Vocabulary
Fluency
Listening Skills
Websites For Program Information
 www.srakids.com
 www.wilsonlanguage.com
 www.language-usa.net or www.sopriswest.com
 www.hillcenter.org
 www.letterland.com
 http://winsorlearning.com
 http://www.ncsip.org
The essential elements for success
Scientific research
in reading and
reading instruction
Practices from effective
Districts, Schools, and
Classrooms
Provides information
about the instructional
and assessment
procedures that are
most effective
Provides information
about how to assemble
and integrate all the
components that are
effective in improving
achievement.
Reading Interventions
“We will never teach all our students to
read if we do not teach our most at-risk
students to read” (Torgesen, 2007, p.1).
Florida Center for Reading Research
Dr. Joe Torgesen, Director
http://www.fcrr.org
It matters little what else
they learn in elementary
school if they do not learn
to read at grade level.
Fielding, L., Kerr, N., & Rosier, P. (2007). Annual growth for all students,
catch-up growth for those who are behind. Kennewick, WA: The New
Foundation Press, Inc.
Unit 1: Selecting And Implementing
An Effective Reading Program
Guidelines For Program Selection
Examples Of Effective Reading Programs
Components Of Effective Implementation
Got a plan?
Factors In Sustained Use Of
Research-Based Reading Programs
 Deliberate and realistic plan
 Teachers understand rationale
 Support systems in place
 Sufficient administrative support
 Explicit link between assessment data and
changes in instruction
Developing An Implementation Plan
Who?
 Target students – identification process
 Assessment tools and areas to assess
 Data collection
 Staff
Developing An Implementation Plan
What and How?
 Select research-based reading program/s
 Provide training for teachers
 Group students based on assessments
 Determine intensity and duration of instruction
 Staff support and program fidelity
Developing An Implementation Plan
Does it Work?
 Frequent assessment of students
 Assessment drives instruction
 Formal review process of student progress and
program effectiveness
 Strong leadership and commitment of all
involved/incentives
Teacher Participation in Fidelity Observation and Student Gains
2006-2007
Teacher
Participation in
Fidelity
Observation
Number of
Students
% AAGL 0506
% AAGL 0607
Gain
Yes
998
36.6
48.0
11.4
No
82
54.9
59.8
4.9
Total
1080
38
49
11
To Be Effective, Instruction For Students With
Reading Difficulties, Must Be…
“more intensive, more relentless, more
precisely delivered, more highly
structured and direct, and more
carefully monitored for procedural
fidelity.”
Ken Kavale, 1996
To Be Effective, You Must:
 Know your stuff,
 Know who you’re stuffing,
 Know why you’re stuffing,
 Stuff every minute of every lesson.
The Three Commandments of Relentlessness
The first commandment: Let no child
‘escape’ from first grade without being
proficient in phonemic decoding skills
The second commandment: As children
become accurate and independent readers,
encourage, cajole, lead, beg, support,
demand and reward them for reading as
deeply and broadly as possible.
The Three Commandments of Relentlessness
The third commandment: Beginning in
Kindergarten, teach vocabulary and thinking
skills as intensely, and robustly as possible.
Torgesen, 2004
The North Carolina State
Improvement Project THANKS
YOU for your time and support.
Questions:
919-843-5037
javeritt@northcarolina.edu
www.ncsip.org