"Reading Recovery Literacy Groups"

The Challenge: Thirty-two at-risk readers in the first grade did not know how to read letters nor did they recognize letter sounds. The students who participated in this project were in the lower 20 percent of their class in reading scores. Sixty-three percent of the students were limited English proficient and all were eligible for the free lunch program. Intervention was a necessity if these 1st graders were to improve their English reading and writing skills.

The Solution: Ms. Waddell provided services to high-risk first graders four times a week. Reading Recovery proved to be the answer in supporting these at-risk students in overcoming their lack of English literacy. Ms. Waddell selected and ordered a series of books written for different reading levels. This was key to the program, as it provided enough books to the students so they could advance quickly through the material. It also allowed students to achieve their reading goals at an accelerated rate in an attempt to "catch-up" with the class.

Accomplishments:Each student made significant progress. Of the 32 students in the Reading Recovery program, 13, or 40 percent, were reading above a 2nd grade entry level with a DRA score of 18, 20 and 24. Eleven students, or 34 percent, had scored at a 1st grade exiting level of DRA 16. Four, or 13 percent, scored slightly below DRA 16 and the remaining four children scored DRA 8, which was a significant improvement from nine months previous. Overall, the program was considered a 100 percent success.