Training presentation for San Antonio Youth Literacy (SAYL) Site Directors

1. San Antonio Youth Literacy
Campus Site Director Training

2. Program Goals
• To provide opportunities for guided reading practice
with a caring individual
• To foster an enjoyment of reading
• To enhance motivation and self-esteem of at-risk
children through the experience of reading

3. Early Beginnings
Developed the “Let’s
Read” Program in 1999
Served 877 students in
65 sites during the
2013-2014 School Year
15 schools in NEISD, 6
in NISD, 1 in JISD, 3 in
EISD, 4 Afterschool
Sites and 47 in SAISD

4. A Little More Detail, Please?
• The SAYL Reading Buddy program provides one-on-one tutoring
• Our Reading Buddies are mostly community volunteers along with
some corporate partners and service learning college students
• Tutors will work with the same students throughout the entire school
year (barring service learning students who work with the same
students for one whole semester)
• Reading Buddies commit to one hour per week in which they tutor with
two students, thirty minutes per student
• All our Reading Buddies are required to pass your site’s background
check and attend a one hour training that we provide

5. Site Director Responsibilities
• Communicate with Staff and Teachers
• Coordinate Days & Times for Students to be pulled (one full hour
several days a week)
• Have a complete Student Priority Listing for you site (approx. 5
students per class)
• Provide a space for the Trunk & Reading Sessions
• Inform Program Staff of Field Trips, Testing Dates and Special Events
as soon as you know
• Provide support to Reading Buddies throughout the year

6. Being A Point of Communication
• You are the main point of contact between our program and your
school
• Please ensure that your campus (principals, teachers, front desk staff)
are familiar with our program goals and objectives
• You are the first contact Reading Buddies have with a campus
• Please ensure you are available to meet the Reading Buddies at the
front desk on their first day
• You will then show them to the reading trunk, the reading materials,
help them find their students and show them their
designated tutoring space

7. Being A Point of Communication Cont.
• Maintain communication with your school’s SAYL
Program Staff
• We will continue to make monthly site visits to ensure the
quality of the program
• We will provide feedback and look forward to your
feedback as well
• If you have not heard from a Reading Buddy for more than
two weeks notify us immediately

8. Coordinating Days and Time
We also need you to coordinate an
one hour window (or more)
several days a week that will work
with your second grade team
The more flexible your second
grade team is on days and times,
the more Reading Buddies we can
match with your school

9. How Do We Determine Reading Level
• First year using Fountas and Pinnell Reading Grade Level (RGL)
scores
• Site Directors are responsible for pre-screening using 1st grade
end of the year Fountas and Pinnell scores
• Students that are a good fit will be in the D-J range
• This data will be used to create a tentative Student Priority
Listing in order for us to begin matching tutors to your campus
• Updated Fountas and Pinnell scores collected in October will
replace the 1st grade scores

10. Creating a Student Priority List
After you have collected the 1st grade end of year Fountas &
Pinnell data:
•Prioritize the students by placing those with the lowest
reading scores at the top and the higher scores at the bottom
•Students that fit into the target D- J range will be on the list
first
•Please list the A through C students at the very bottom of the
list in a separate category, if SAYL can provide RB’s at this
level we will let you know

11. Creating a Student Priority List Cont.
Fill in appropriate
information for each
student/tutor pair
As tutors start at your
site, use the SPL to
assign them their
SanAntonioYouth Literacy
HealyMurphyCenter
Summer 2014
students
Student Name Grade Pre-SortTutor Name Tutoring Time/Day Sessions Hours Start Date End Date
Jonathan Solis 2 D Brenda Ryan 0
Emily Lopez 2 H Sara Marple 0
Terrance Scales 2 C Brenda Ryan/ Catherine Schneider 0
Total Students: 3 Total Hours 0
Total VRTs: 3 Average # o#fD SIVes/0s!ions

12. Student Folders
 All of the students on the SPL will need to have a student folder
prepared and ready for the tutor
 Fill in on the folder all of the appropriate information
for that student

13. SAYL Reading
Buddy Trunk
Trunks are at each
site and are
maintained by SAYL
Combination: 2-3-4
Guided Level
Reading books A-N
Paperwork & Folders
Extension Activities

14. Best Practices for Site Director
• Notify your Reading Buddies ahead of time of any change’s in their
student’s daily schedules - field trips, award ceremonies, or any testing
dates that affect the tutoring session
• Be available to the Reading Buddies - if you are not available or are
absent that day please arrange to have another staff person or volunteer
available to assist
• Help the Reading Buddies troubleshoot any situations that may arise:
o A locked trunk
o Tutoring space is occupied
o Student is not in usual pick up location

15. Best Practices for Site Directors
• Provide support:
o Remember that tutors go out of their way to volunteer their time helping
the children of our community
o Please be friendly and courteous at all times
o Smile often and thank them for their commitment
• Provide Recognition: It is important that we do what we can to
recognize volunteers
• Examples: Student letters to Reading Buddies, Appreciation Events,
holiday cards

16. Frequently Asked Questions
• What do I do if a student moves or wishes to withdraw from the program?
o Contact the Program Staff assigned to your school and from there you both will
decide which new student should be placed with the tutor
• If a Reading Buddy cancels are they allowed to make up their session?
o Yes – If the Reading Buddy contacts us first, we will ask you to discuss with the
teachers an appropriate time to reschedule the session
• What if I have a student who needs reading help but is not in Second Grade?
o Our focus is on Second Grade but if all of your Second Grade students have been
matched, we will place tutors with First and Third graders if there is a need

17. Next Steps …?
• Provide days and times students can be pulled by Friday, August 29
• Have Student Priority Listings completed and emailed to your
Program Staff by Friday, September 6
• As volunteers are trained and approved through the background check
process, we will start to contact you about their first tutoring session
• Please be prepared to try and meet with these volunteers on their first
day in order to familiarize them (and yourself) with who they will be in
contact throughout the year

18. Thank you!
We could not do this without you!
CHRISTINA MARTINEZ
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
MARY FLANNIGAN
DIRECTOR OF VOLUNTEERS & COMMUNICATIONS PARTNERSHIPS
COLTON POWELL
PROGRAM MANAGER
ROBYN MYERS
PROGRAM MANAGER
LAURA NYGAARD
VOLUNTEER MANAGER
PAT MEDINA
FUND DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR