Reading Revisited: An Intervention Program That Works!
Reading Revisited is an intervention program for at risk middle and high school students reading 4-6 years below grade level.
Results
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In August 2007, over 96% of the 1,800+ students in the program were reading 4 or more years below grade level.
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By May 2008, over 82% were reading at grade level or above.
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Over 94% of 1,600+ students without IEP's reached grade level or above.
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The average comprehension gain for all students was 4.2 years.
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The average gain for students without IEP’s was 5.2 years.
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From August 2008 to December 2008, the average comprehension gain for students enrolled in Reading Revisited was 2.4 years.
Components
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177-day curriculum, detailed lesson plans
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2 days of intensive orientation (mandatory)
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8 days of additional training throughout the school year
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3-4 site visits
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4 days of follow-up training during the second year of the program
A Reading Program
for Students Who Don’t Want to Learn
District Diagnosis
Do any of these remarks sound familiar? Check as many as apply to your schools.
_____ 1) These kids can’t read! Every year it just gets worse!
_____ 2) How are we supposed to teach ________________ (science, math, social studies, arts and humanities, or practical living) if these kids can’t read the textbook?!?!?!
_____ 3) Our test scores aren’t moving. What are we going to do next?
_____ 4) These kids will drop out as soon as they’re 16. How are we supposed to keep them in school?
_____ 5) These kids are failing nearly every class because they just can’t read.
_____ 6) The district has spent thousands of dollars on Reading Recovery and Reading First, but how is that going to help the middle or high school right now?! What about those kids who came through primary before those programs were implemented?
_____ 7) These kids have been discipline problems from the first day.
_____ 8) How are these kids supposed to take the ACT if they can’t read the test?
_____ 9) How do you teach kids who have no interest whatsoever in learning?
_____ 10) How in the world can we meet the requirements of NCLB with this group of kids?
_____ 11) How are we supposed to raise CATS scores when some of these kids can’t read the test?
_____ 12) We have to figure out a way to help these kids learn.
If your school is considering the implementation of Reading Revisited, please read . . .
Several schools have implemented modified versions of Reading Revisited and have been successful; however, if your school is considering adopting the program, please consider these facts.
The original course is intended to be an elective, not to take the place of a required English credit.
The original course was designed to be taught by a language arts/English teacher. In
some districts, content area teachers have been phenomenally successful with
implementing the program; however, those results may not transfer to all districts.
The course is designed for classes of only 12-15 students. For every additional student
beyond 15, you will see a decrease in all students’ progress. Some schools have also
documented lower results when the class has fallen below 12.
The course is intended to be a complete curriculum; if schools are implementing the
original Reading Revisited program, teachers should not be permitted to pick and
choose or to vary the order of activities. Every piece of the curriculum has a specific
purpose.
Ultimate Speed Reader is an integral part of the course, and schools using other
programs have not reported comparable levels of progress.
The course is designed for students who are reading 2 to 4 years below grade level.
Students reading at a 3rd grade level will make some progress, but our greatest
successes have been reported with students who are reading at the 4th grade or higher
when enrolled in the program.
The original course is designed for 177 days of instruction.
Teachers will participate in intensive trainings and be given a detailed curriculum;
however, teaching the class will still be challenging. In the words of one veteran
teacher, “There is no down time. You will be on your feet all the time.” Not every
teacher will be able to teach the class successfully.
The course is not designed for students with severe reading disabilities.
The course is not designed for non-readers.
Sometimes students fail to learn not because we ask too much of them, but because we
don’t ask enough.