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by Lisa Fratt,
District Administration, July 2003
When 25 percent of students come from non-English speaking families,
ensuring that students learn to read on time is no easy task. But, as this
district shows, it can be done.
The vision of
all students reading at or above grade level by the end of second grade
sounds nice--in theory. In practice, there are all sorts of roadblocks,
such as when children come from non-English-speaking, low-income or
illiterate families. Realities, perhaps, but not excuses, says John G.
Conyers, recently retired superintendent of Community Consolidated School
District 15 in Palatine, Ill.
A few years ago, data showed that the district's minorities and
non-English speakers were falling behind. Located in an upper middle class
Chicago suburb, the school system serves speakers of 72 languages.
Twenty-five percent of its students come from non-English speaking
families. In 1998-1999, about one-quarter of all second-grade students
were not reading at grade level.
Instead of rationalizing students' literacy struggles, the district
launched an aggressive response. In 2000, it set a lofty goal to be
reached by 2005: All students entering the district in kindergarten will
be reading at or above grade level by the end of second grade.
Early results are promising. What's more, the program being used can be
replicated, according to the American Association of School
Administrators, which recognized CCSD 15 with a 2003 Leadership for
Learning award.
Cornerstone of Success
The CCSD 15 recipe for success is multi-faceted, yet surprisingly simple.
Its cornerstone is a reading program that stresses intervention and
acceleration, not remediation. Other ingredients: a revamped belief system
among teachers, a new focus on student enthusiasm and a sophisticated data
warehousing system.
Second-grade reading level is key to future success, district leaders
know. There is a high correlation to high-school dropout, teen pregnancy
and involvement with the juvenile corrections system among students below
level at second grade. "That's why we don't wait and start working with
kids in second grade. When you begin in remediation in the intermediate
grades, kids can become [Title I] lifers," says W. Christine Rauscher,
assistant superintendent for instruction and special services.
Teachers didn't exactly embrace the district's goal. In fact, first-grade
teacher Mary Keeshan admits it seemed impossible back then. Skeptics have
jumped on board as the district has proven that the impossible is
possible.
But that isn't the only factor in teachers' new vigor. "You can't just
implement a new system. Everyone has to be behind it," Conyers says. The
district garnered support from teachers by cutting its learner statements,
or grade-level benchmarks tied to state standards, by 30 percent.
Then it launched an extensive staff development program focused on
research-based literacy practices. You can't assume educator knowledge of
teaching reading is there, Conyers notes.
An informal teacher support network also contributes to the initiative's
success. Some upper-grade teachers voluntarily share paraprofessionals,
who have been trained as reading assistants, with K-2 teachers. If
students are reading at level by third grade, upper-grade teachers will
have better prepared students down the road, Conyers notes. The district
formally facilitates team building via monthly breakfast clubs, where
teachers gather to discuss literacy theory and practice.
Rounding Out the Team
A school district can invest its heart and soul in reading intervention.
Staff development, support networks and national awards could be
meaningless, however if the entire team is not playing the same game.
Students and their families are integral members of that team.
That's why CCSD 15 took a long, hard look at student enthusiasm when
setting its reading goal. The results of student surveys were a shock.
Enthusiasm for learning appeared to decrease as students progressed
through the school system. Keeping students who struggle with literacy
excited about learning is crucial, Keeshan says.
CCSD 15 chose to empower children through a student-driven "customer
satisfaction" program. Teachers solicit meaningful feedback from students
and parents and use their insights to guide instruction. "It's amazing.
... You can see improvement not only in behavior but also in academics,"
says Conyers.
Empowerment doesn't stop at 3 p.m. or end with students. A holistic family
literacy program offers adult ESL classes and weekly parent outreach
nights to give parents tips for supporting literacy. Simply encouraging
parents to read to their children may be the standard approach, but it may
not be realistic.
Rauscher explains, "Our main goal is to get parents to talk to their kids
because vocabulary is so critical. If parents talk to their children and
help them develop concepts in the native language, teachers can teach the
words. It's much easier to teach the correct word than the concept."
Early Literacy in Action
Literacy success, of course, relies heavily on classroom instruction. And
when a goal hinges on second-grade achievement, work should commence
early. So CCSD 15 has nudged its reading curriculum into kindergarten.
What does this high-powered kindergarten look like? For starters, jokes
Conyers, there's no napping. Kindergartners are treated to word study,
shared reading, independent reading and writing. Despite the focus on
literacy, some students need an extra push--intervention.
Paraprofessionals and reading specialists guide students who need reading
and writing help. The daily intervention typically lasts 18 weeks and
accelerates students at a healthy clip. About 100 to 125 students may be
going through it at once.
The story behind the story is an intensive data collection effort that
signals when a student needs help. Conyers explains, "You can't wait until
the end of the year to get lagging indicators. You need these monthly or
quarterly so you can make changes or mid-course corrections." Every
principal in the district could immediately count the number of 'bubble
kids' in his building, allowing teachers to intervene before the gap
grows.
Teachers keep tabs on students with developmental spelling tests, fluency
passages, running records and two to three reading tests a year. CCSD 15
reallocated funds to pay for the program and reassigned some
paraprofessionals as reading assistants.
By 2001-2002, 87 percent of students were reading at or above grade level
at the end of second grade (up from 76 percent in 1998-1999). Although
data isn't available yet, the district anticipates continuing its upward
trend for 2002-2003.
Upper-grade teachers report a higher caliber of students entering their
classrooms. And few students need intervention for more than one year.
Before the kindergarten intervention program was launched, catch-up for
students reading below grade level took all of first and second grade,
Keeshan says. Now that period is much shorter. Early intervention has also
reduced the number of special education referrals. These gains mean a
significant district savings of time and money for long-term remediation
and special education.
Being able to report gains helped CCSD 15 beat some stiff competition for
the Leadership for Learning award. "The district showed that it had
really, truly, good results," says Sharon Cannon, manager of member
services and recognition programs at AASA. "If a district can do that, it
is way ahead of the game."
Community Consolidated School District 15,
Palatine, Ill.
Number of Schools: 14 elementary, 3 junior high, 1 K-8, 1
alternative school
Number of teachers: 1,269
Student population: 13,135
Operating expense per pupil: $9,540
Per capita tuition charge: $8,488
Ethnicity: 67.7% white, 19.3% Hispanic, 9.4% Asian/Pacific islander, 3.3%
black, .2% Native American
Area Population: 110,000
Superintendent: John G. Conyers, since 1985; Robert A. McKanna begins as
superintendent this month
Web site: www.ccsd15.net
The ABCs of Intervention
CCSD 15 provides a variety of reading interventions (created
in-house, unless otherwise noted) to meet student needs.
Kindergarten Intervention Program and First-grade Intervention Program:
For children who qualify there is a daily one-on-one instruction from a
trained paraprofessional under the supervision of a reading specialist.
Read 180 (Scholastic): For elementary and junior high schools, this
program provides computer-based individualized instruction, whole group
and small group instruction, and individual reading to reinforce reading
skills. www.scholastic.com
Second-grade Acceleration in Literacy: Small group and individual sessions
are taught by trained paraprofessionals and reading specialists. Focus is
on word recognition skills, phonics, blending, fluency and comprehension.
Soar to Success (Houghton Mifflin): This is designed to help accelerate
reading growth for children in grades 3-6 who are a year or more below
grade level in reading comprehension. It teaches reading strategies such
as clarifying, predicting, questioning and summarizing.
www.eduplace.com/intervention/soar
Native language literacy program: This program is for Spanish-speaking
students (currently 1,600) in grades K-2. Speakers of other languages
participate in an ELL program.
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