Amy Barto, Specialized Language Development Center

1. Incorporating Community Volunteers for
Effective Reading Intervention

2. • B I G I D E A S A N D C O M M U N I T Y R E S O U R C E S
• C A L L T O A C T I O N & W I L D C A T L E A R N I N G
L A B 2 0 1 3
• P R E L I M I N A R Y I M P A C T
• F O R M I N G A M O D E L F O R I N C R E A S E D
I M P A C T A N D U S E O F R E S O U R C E S
Agenda

3. L I T E R A C Y I N O U R C O M M U N I T Y
B I G I D E A S F O R I N T E R V E N T I O N
C O M M U N I T Y R E S O U R C E S
F O C U S O N R E A D I N G
Big Ideas and
Community Resources

4. Literacy Crisis in our Community
 2009-2010 school year, 38.3% of students attending
schools in Kent County are not at the proficient
reading level (Standard and Poor’s School
Evaluation Service)
 20% of children with a learning disability entering
our schools will face a significant challenge in
learning to read (NIH)
 If these children do not receive appropriate
intervention by third grade (age nine), 74% of them
will never catch up (NIH)

5. Harrison Park School GRPS District
 Students Proficient in
Reading at the end of
3rd Grade: 59.6%
 Student Academic
Growth 3-8: 12.7%
 Students Proficient in
Math and Reading 3-8:
16.6%
 Students Proficient in
Reading at the end of
3rd Grade: 53.2%
 Student Academic
Growth 3-8: 12.6%
 Students Proficient in
Math and Reading 3-8:
18.2%
2012-2013 MEAP Data

6. Effective Intervention Framework
Specialized
Instruction
Strategic Instruction
General Instruction

7. Common Models for
Supplementary Reading Programs
 Afterschool Programs with Activities
 Activities may or may not be reading specific
 Methodologies vary
 Mentoring/Positive Interactions and Role Models
 Activities may or may not be reading specific
 Methodologies vary
 Homework Assistance
 Activities may or may not be reading specific
 Methodologies vary
 Comprehension and Fluency Practice
 Activities may or may not be reading specific
 Methodologies vary

8. Common Struggles
 Scheduling of Volunteers
 Resources needed by the school
 Management/Coordination of physical and human
resources
 Student transfer of skills (e.g. relating to multiple
settings)
 Specialized training for working with students who
struggle with learning
 Need instruction rather than exposure only
 Training in reading development and curriculum connection

9. Effective Reading Instruction
Reading
Phonological
Awareness
Decoding
Fluency
Vocabulary
Comprehension

10. Call to Action for Summer 2013
H A R R I S O N P A R K S C H O O L I M P R O V E M E N T T E A M
I D E N T I F I E D A G A P / N E E D :
U N D E R A C H I E V E M E N T O F 2 N D G R A D E S T U D E N T S O N
S P R I N G M A P S I N R E A D I N G A S C O M P A R E D T O
P A T T E R N S O F G R A D E S 3 - 5

11. What can we do? Develop a community
supported summer option
focused on 2nd grade
readers

12. KSSN Network
Review of
Student/Community
Need and Request for
Support – very limited
funding!
Secure Volunteers
Secure Specialized
Resources
KSSN Community
School Leadership
Team Design Program
Rationale, Format and
Description
Final Touches
March/April 2013 March/April 2013 April 2013
April/May 2013May 2013

13. Wildcat Learning Lab
Supplement
school
curriculum
Targeted
reading
instruction
2nd grade
students

14. Brief Site Resource Analysis
GRPS
Summer School
Already Available
&
Already Funded
Not targeted to
specific grades
Harrison Park
School
Facility and Staff in
use for GRPS
Summer School
Facility and Staff in
use for GRPS
Summer School &
Large need for 2nd
grade reading push
KSSN
Site Coordinator
Not Teaching Staff
& No “Extra”
Funding

15. Key Challenges
 Funding
 Trained Teachers/Tutors to provide instruction and
effective intervention
 Student supervision
 Lack of resources for training for intervention
 Personnel for supervision/coordination of adults

16. Gerontology Network SLD Center
 Had a relationship with
school and district
 Need/Gap: volunteers
needed specialized training
& direction from educators
for intervention (including
materials)
 Had a relationship with
school and district
 Need/Gap: minimal
number of volunteers
available & requirements
for implementation of 1:1
intervention with fidelity
In the Meantime…..

17. The Stars Aligned
 GN and SLD were in conversations about developing
collaboration options
 SLD and GRPS were in conversations regarding
expanding various collaborations for 2013-2014
school year
 GRPS and GN were in conversation for maintaining
collaborations for the 2013-2014 school year
 The GR Community Foundation was in conversation
with all three groups.

18. Wildcat Learning Lab
Supplement
school
curriculum
Targeted
reading
instruction
2nd grade
students
Community Vision

19. Responsibilities
Training
Pre and Post
Assessment
Materials
Supervision of
Fidelity of 1:1
Volunteer Tutors
Homeroom
Supervision
Initiative
Coordination
Facility
Students
DIBELS Spring and
Fall
Homeroom
Activities

20. Funding
 Organizational structures provided much cost
savings
 SLD Center – no new program or materials required to be
developed
 Gerontology Network – no new program or funding required
to provide volunteers for training and/or summer
 GRPS – Harrison Park already in use for Summer School
 Funding needed for Training, Training Materials and
Internship Implementation

21. Program Description
 Gerontology Network
Senior volunteers trained
in Phonics
Fundamentals© will
provide instruction &
intervention
 One hour 1:1 Language
Links intervention (focused
on phonological awareness
and reading foundational
skills)
 One hour Homeroom
focused on reading fluency
and comprehension skills
Language
Links
Homeroom
Wildcat
Learning
Lab
Specialized
Intervention
Strategic
Instruction

22. Program Goal
 Increase the success rate of this cohort of students
and increase their success as 6th grade Challenge
Scholars by providing rigorous summer learning
supports focused in all areas of reading

23. Start Up: Specialized Intervention
Intervention:
Training of
Specialized
Tutors
• June 4-June 13,
2013 Phonics
Fundamentals: 32
hour training
through SLD
Center including
curriculum
materials &
multisensory tools
• 21 volunteers from
GN trained to
work with HP
students at
Wildcat Learning
Lab
Intervention
• Baseline Assessment
completed for each
student by SLDC
Assessment
Specialists
• GN Volunteers work
directly with 2nd
grade students during
Wildcat Learning Lab
• 21 students receive 1:1
reading instruction for
1 hour per day when in
attendance at Wildcat
Learning Lab
• Post Assessment
completed for each
student by SLDC
Assessment
Specialists
Intervention:
Fidelity of
Implementation
• GN Volunteers work
1:1 with an SLDC
Master Tutor for first
20 hours with a
student (internship
phase)
• SLDC Observers
provide direct
feedback on
curriculum use and
methodology for
interns as well
continuing SLDC
tutors

24. Funding Breakdown
$11,300
• Phonics
Fundamentals:
32 hour
training
through SLD
Center including
curriculum
materials &
multisensory
tools
$3,300
• Baseline
Assessment
completed for each
student by SLDC
Assessment
Specialists
• GN Volunteers work
directly with 2nd
grade students during
Wildcat Learning Lab
• 21 students receive 1:1
reading instruction for
1 hour per day when in
attendance at Wildcat
Learning Lab
• Post Assessment
completed for each
student by SLDC
Assessment
Specialists
• Coordination of
student/tutor
schedules and
materials
$4,400
• GN Volunteers work
1:1 with an SLDC
Master Tutor for
first 20 hours with
a student
(internship phase)
• SLDC Observers
provide direct
feedback on
curriculum use and
methodology for
interns as well
continuing SLDC
tutors

25. Our “AHA!” of Sustainability
$3,300
• Baseline
Assessment
completed for each
student by SLDC
Assessment Specialists
• GN Volunteers work
directly with 2nd
grade students during
Wildcat Learning Lab
• 21 students receive 1:1
reading instruction for
1 hour per day when in
attendance at Wildcat
Learning Lab
• Post Assessment
completed for each
student by SLDC
Assessment Specialists
• Coordination of
student/tutor
schedules and
materials
• Bulk of cost for volunteers
trained for specialized
intervention was training and
internship
• To maintain Language Links
with same volunteers
approximately $3,300 during
academic year per site

26. Additional Goal
 “large scale social change comes from better cross-
sector coordination rather than from the isolated
intervention of individual organizations” (Kania &
Kramer, 2011)
 Establish a framework for collaboration for collective
impact rather than isolated impact
 a.k.a. maximize the value of the expertise and development
established during the summer program

27. Language Links Experience Corps
 K-3rd grade students
 8 hours – 35 hours per
week
 12 GRPS schools
 470 students
 Training for mentoring
and reading support
 Use school materials
with teacher guidance
 Ongoing trainings
 1st-3rd grade students
 2-4 hours per week
 4 GRPS schools
 18 students
 Specialized training for 1:1
multisensory instruction
 Use PF© and multisensory
materials (aligned with
common core) and
supplements classroom
instruction
 Ongoing specialized trainings
Organizational Impact 2012-2013

28. Potential
Collective
Impact
2013-2014
Impact through
ONLY those
volunteers trained
during summer
2013
 194 students
 Summer Impact: minimum of 18 students through
Wildcat Learning Lab and LOOP
 Academic Year Impact: 176 students
 13,090 Hours of
Intervention
 Summer Hours of Intervention: 230
 Academic Year Hours of Intervention: 10,560
 6 GRPS Buildings
 Building Breakdown of Impact by Percentage
 Summer
 Harrison Park, 100%
 Academic Year 2013-2014
 Harrison Park, 59%
 Campus, 14%
 Palmer, 9%
 Mulick Park, 5%
 Buchanan, 9%
 Brookside, 9%

29. “…FINDINGS SUPPORT A STRONG
FOCUS IN TITLE I SCHOOLS ON
IMPROVING CLASSROOM
INSTRUCTION AND THEN PROVIDING
ONE-TO-ONE, PHONETIC TUTORING
TO STUDENTS WHO CONTINUE TO
EXPERIENCE DIFFICULTIES”
(SLAVIN, 2011)
Impact Measurement

30. Program Goal Data
 Increase the success
rate of this cohort of
students and increase
their success as 6th
grade Challenge
Scholars by providing
rigorous summer
learning supports
focused in all areas of
reading
 Based on pre/post data
 Average number of LL
hours: 15.6
 Measurement: Phonics
Fundamentals©
Inventory
 Average 4% increase in
reading skills
 Do not yet have MAPS
for students
Program Assessment

31. Experience Corps
 Use school based academic and attendance data for
individual students
 MAPS, DIBELS and MEAP
 Students selected by school admin and teachers
 Teacher Feedback
 More than 80% of teachers report that students who work with
AARP Experience Corps members made significant academic
progress
 2012-2013 were NOT in Harrison Park School

32. Language Links
Wildcat Learning Lab
2013
 Spring 2013, Harrison Park
with 1st grade students (not
yet pub.)
 2 groups of 4 students
 Average number of LL hours: 25
 Measurement: Phonics
Fundamentals© Inventory
 LL students: average 9% increase
in reading skills
 Non LL students: average 5%
increase in reading skills
 Consistent with 20 years of
LL data in GRPS, KPS and
Portage Public Schools
 Based on pre/post data
 Average number of LL
hours: 15.6
 Measurement: Phonics
Fundamentals©
Inventory
 Average 4% increase in
reading skills
 Do not yet have
student MAPS data
LL and Harrison Park

33. “THE POWER OF COLLECTIVE ACTION
COMES NOT FROM THE SHEER NUMBER OF
PARTICIPANTS OR THE UNIFORMITY OF
THEIR EFFORTS, BUT FROM THE
COORDINATION OF THEIR
DIFFERENTIATED ACTIVITIES THROUGH A
MUTUALLY REINFORCING PLAN OF
ACTION” (KANIA & KRAMER, 2011)
Forming a Model for Increased
Impact of Volunteer Programs

34. Collaboration
Specialized
Instruction
Strategic
Instruction
General
Instruction

35. Leveled Volunteer Training
Phonics
Fundamentals©
Multisensory
Reading: Rules and
Tools
Reading
Development and
Language Processing
 Specialized training for
working with students
who struggle with
learning
 General Instruction
Foundation
 Instructional Techniques
and Foundations for
Curriculum Scope &
Sequence
 Specialized Training for
Intensive Intervention
Planning

36. Leveled Programs for Volunteers
 Varied opportunities to
maximize expertise of
volunteers
 Volunteers with specialized
trainings in all GN programs
as appropriate
 Expand options for
volunteers of both
organizations
 Maximize support for
student transfer of skills
 Experience Corps volunteers
see in settings outside of
Language Links and can use
multisensory supports in
areas other than Reading
Experience
Corps Language
Links
Experience
Corps
Foster
Grandparents

37. Sustainability
 Experience Corps and
Language Links already
supported programs
within 4-6 school
buildings
 Maintain efforts for
securing community
funds of support
 Increase ability to report
collective impact to
shared donors
 Phonics Fundamentals©
trainings already offered
twice a year
 Additional funding will
be needed for additional
trainings and internships
 Sustainable through
collaboration!

38. S P E E D B U M P S
C E L E B R A T I O N S
O U T L I E R S
Last Thoughts

39. Speed Bumps
 Recruitment of Students
 Targeted for 18-21 students
 Principal brought in students
from Summer School which
varied ages more than
planned
 Had 6-8 with 5 completing
the entire Lab
 Attendance of Students
 None of the students were
present for all 40 hours of
available instruction
 Maximum Language Links
instruction was 18 hours
 Moving students into
program after start date
impacted motivation
 Format of Lab Varied from
Usual for All Organizations
 KSSN Site Coordinator
Moved
 LL Coordinator not available
in summer
 Shortage of Master Tutors to
mentor for internships
 Volunteers used to 1:1
settings rather than working
in proximity
 EC Volunteers receive daily
communication (and
materials) from classroom
teacher/school

40. Celebrations
 Student numbers
allowed for increased
observation
opportunities for interns
 Increased opportunities
for volunteers
 Sep 2013:
 One student was from
another GRPS Elementary
School. She will be
repeating 1st grade this
year.
 Direct feedback: this
student noticeably
increased her MAPS
Reading score to 49%ile
and has “finally” moved to
the yellow level on
DIBELS (from Intense to
Strategic)

41. Outliers
 Materials Management
 PF materials are
copyrighted and in use
only for Language Links
or SLD Tutoring Sessions
 Building Coordination
for School Year
 Consistent
communications with
district
 Collaboration outside of
GRPS
 Student numbers
allowed for increased
observation
opportunities for interns
 Collective definition of
data measurements
 Full data analysis
 Coordination of data
sharing and compilation
of report out

42. Research
Support
Hernandez, Donald J. (2012)
Double Jeopardy: How Third-
Grade Reading Skills and Poverty
Influence High School Gradution.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Kania, John & Mark Kramer (2011)
Collective Impact, Stanford Social
Innovation Review.
National Center for Reading
Disabilities. (2011). Parent’s Guide
to RtI.
National Reading Panel. Teaching
Children to Read. Summary
Report (April 13, 2000)
Slavin, Robert. (2011) Effective
Reading Programs for Title I
Schools. John Hopkins University.
Wolf, M. (2007) Proust and the
Squid: the story and sequence of
the reading brain. Harper Collins
Publishers.