Friday, October 16, 2009

Upcoming webcast: It's Time to Learn: Maximizing Instructional Time to Support Learning

The SIGNALS community on SRADirectInstruction.com is pleased to announce an upcoming complimentary webcast on Monday, October 26 2009 at 12:00PM and 5:00PM Eastern time.

Title: It's Time to Learn: Maximizing Instructional Time to Support Learning (click to register)
Time and Date: Monday, October 26, 2009. 12PM and 5PM Eastern
Presented by: Ed Schaefer and Dr. Molly Blakely of Educational Resources, Inc.
Topics addressed include:
-
How time is spent in typical schools vs. effective schools and classrooms.
- How Direct Instruction programs support the efficient use of each minute of classroom time.
- How classroom coaching helps maximize the time spent learning.

A brief Question and Answer session with the presenters will immediately follow this presentation.

This webcast will be recorded and archived on the Signals Webinars page on SRADirectInstruction.com.

For more information about this event please contact Ed Schaefer of Educational Resources, Inc.

To register for this event now, click here.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Reading First Success with Direct Instruction Intervention Programs

When Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman first visited the Gering Public School system in February of 2009, he witnessed one of the most successful reading intervention initiatives in the entire state. 5 years ago Gering Schools began implementing direct instruction reading intervention programs as part of the district's Reading First initiative. Before reading programs such as SRA's Reading Mastery were implemented only about 33% of the district's third graders were reading on grade level. Today, over 80% of Gering 3rd graders are reading on grade level. Heineman first heard of Gering's success after viewing a video entitled "Closing the Performance Gap: the Gering Story," which was produced to detail the success of the district's reform initiatives.

As is evident on the Gering Schools Web site, the district has every right to be proud of its success:
Gering has experienced some of the greatest gains in student achievement in the area of reading with regards to standard proficiency data for the previous five years in 4th, 8th and 11th grades. Examples of the reading achievement improvements include a 42% increase for 4th grade, a 47% increase for 8th grade and a 26% increase for 11th grade.

According to Don Hague, superintendent of Gering Schools:
Our student performance data speaks for itself as we continue to improve. Staff and students are all proud of what we are accomplishing. As all students move into our junior high and high school classes, they will continue to be able to do more challenging work because of the improved skills they have acquired.

On Monday, April 27, Dave Heineman returned to Gering schools - this time with NE State Education Commissioner Roger Breed and several education board members in tow. Word of Gering's success with direct instruction reading intervention programs has spread throughout the state, and the district is beginning to be viewed as a model for effective school reform and Reading First implementation.

Direct Instruction is Helping Students in Africa to Learn English

An update from one of the field sites in Africa, where direct instruction reading intervention programs including Reading Mastery are being used to provide spoken and written English skills to native students...

Particpating African pre K-12 schools just started teaching direct instruction in early 2009, but a letter received from one of the nursury (pre K) section teachers in a Ugandan school indicates that progress is already being made. This despite the fact that most of the classrooms are not equipped with basic technology such as computers, and instructors received minimal training on the programs.
"I have found it good and interesting to teach English phonogram [sounds]. This has made children read words of three letters very quickly, [who] have never before. Children of 3 ½ to 5 years can sound out [words] very well, like rat, cat, mat, bat, see, and they can recognize different letter sounds like a, m, s, t, r, d, g, o, c, i, etc…
In addition to that when they do tests individually they can score good marks 5/10 to 8/10 [on assessments].

This method has simplified my work. I appreciate the good work you did in our school Butayunja P15 [Uganda].

Matching the same sound letters and naming pictures in Take Home Book A are excellent. They do this in groups because books are not enough for everybody. We have 110 pupils in nursery section. Finally, children are good at following instructions and signals."

- Class teacher - Nursery Section

Faculty at some of the schools are also using research-based reading intervention programs such as Corrective Reading to reinforce writing skills and expand their English vocabulary.

See the Teaching Direct Instruction in Africa series to learn more about this exciting initiative!

Free Direct Instruction Videos Attracting Growing Fanbase

In late 2007, free videos about the direct instruction intervention teaching method started appearing on the Web on social media sites such as YouTube and TeacherTube (an educator-friendly version of the popular YouTube platform). The videos range from specific examples of in-class direct instruction reading intervention teaching to user testimonials about using the time-tested teaching method to award ceremonies from SRA/McGraw-Hill - the primary publisher of direct instruction intervention programs for early literacy and spoken English skills development.

Online videos of the direct instruction teaching method have already received over 70,000 views from fans in the U.S. and around the world, and the DirectInstructionFan channel on YouTube has been viewed over 1,500 times. The social networking aspect of these videos is also helping educators to learn about effective intervention and special education teaching programs such as SRA Reading Mastery and Read to Achieve. Instead of simply watching videos and moving on, viewers of direct instruction online videos are contributing comments, advice to other intervention teachers, and opinions about this explicit teaching method:
"This is my sixth year teaching in a Direct Instruction school. In my 21 years as a teacher, this is the best form of instruction my children have received. The students enjoy direct instruction because they feel successful. They are constantly reminded how well they are doing. "

- Teacher comment posted on YouTube video: The Effectiveness of Direct Instruction Reading Intervention

NC Charter Schools Succeeding with Direct Instruction Teaching Programs

When charter schools in Leland, NC first began using Direct Instruction programs for reading and math intervention, many teachers opposed using the sometimes controversial direct instruction teaching methodology. After 5 years of using D-I programs such as Reading Mastery, Leland's charter schools including The Roger Bacon Academy and Charter Day School have some of the highest scores in the state on grades K-5 reading and mathematics assessments.

The reason for this success? A combination of using direct instruction intervention teaching programs (published by SRA/McGraw-Hill) and increasing the effectiveness of communication between charter school staff and parents - and even collaborating with the public schools in the Leland district (a rarity among charter/public school systems).

The success of Leland's charter school system is well documented by the StarNews Online and has helped the Roger Bacon Academy and Charter Day School to gain consideration as models for an effective charter school system:

35th Direct Instruction Teaching Conference is a Big Success!

In a year when funding for professional development is being reduced by many district and school budgets, the 35th annual National Direct Instruction Conference attracted over 550 teachers and educators to Eugene, Oregon - an increase from last year's attendance. Attendees participated in a wide range of direct instruction trainings, informational seminars, and CEU-credit classes and also attended a keynote address from Dr. William Heward of The Ohio State University. A show of hands at the conference closing seemed to indicate that a majority of attendees were at the conference for the first time!

Direct instruction product vendors such as SRA/McGraw-Hill, Sopris West and Classical Learning Universe displayed new programs and support resources, and professional development vendors including JP Associates and Educational Resources, Inc. were on hand as well.

One district administrator commented:
"We're trying to use our stimulus money where it counts, and this year that means sending our resource and intervention teachers here for training!"

The SRA/McGraw-Hill booth at NDICS 2009

direct instruction,sra,intervention,teaching,reading mastery,corrective reading,programs

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Bronx Schools to Expand Use of SRA Reading Mastery

In the 2008-2009 school year the Bronx, NY Public School 396 (PS 396) ran a pilot of Reading Mastery - a direct instruction reading intervention program published by SRA/McGraw-Hill. After seeing New York English Language Arts (ELA) test scores jump over 50% for groups using the program, PS 396 is expanding Reading Mastery to include grades K-1 in addition to the pilot groups started in grades 2-4.

PS 396 principal Lawrence Wright and other school officials are exteremely optimistic about the impact direct instruction programs such as Reading Mastery have had so far on struggling readers.

One teacher using the program stated:
"You have given us a gift. I'm a third grade teacher and when six struggling students who couldn't get past level K sail into the first and second grade reading levels, I've been given a gift."

Source: Yahoo Finance article, August 19, 2009

The incorporation of Reading Mastery Signature Edition into the PS 396 curricula provides the school with a proven solution for reading/language arts Response to Intervention (RtI).

- View the complete report of the PS 396 pilot of Reading Mastery (.pdf)
- More about the direct instruction teaching method
- More information about PS 396

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