Artifact # 4
Context: After being in the reading program at Appalachian State University I have become more aware of the shortfalls that exist in public schools for addressing the needs of the struggling reader. By being a student of reading instruction, I was troubled by how middle grade students can arrive and exit middle school and still be reading on elementary levels. With this in mind, I approached the principal and suggested we implement a reading intervention program. Several concepts from various reading classes have been implemented. These include: grouping students on instructional levels, adding spelling/word study instruction to fill the gap in vocabulary development, and a major portion of instruction time devoted to reading of high interest material on the student's instructional level.
Impact: The implementation of an effective remedial reading program for middle grades is a concept that needs to be addressed and studied. Faced with the growing numbers of students reaching middle school and not reading on grade level makes this an important issue. We have instituted the above program and are confident we will see growth in many of the targeted students. Initially, we selected the students that scored a level I or level II on the state's End of Grade test in reading. We are maintaining a lessons learned file and plan to make minor modifications next year. These are more in the areas of student and staff selection. The basic format of the lesson plans and the grouping at instructional levels are areas that seem to be steady and sound in principle.
Alignment:
Standard A: Instructional Expertise By completing the summer practicum, I have been better able to modify instruction for struggling readers based on assessments of reading inventories. This modification has been supplemented by developing lesson plans that links subject matter to the diverse student needs and integrates curriculum standards to the learning environment.
Standard B: Knowledge of Learners The summer practicum clearly reveals that learners enter middle school with a wide range of reading ability levels. By being able to conduct a reading inventory and then accurately place students an an instructional level that will foster reading growth is a teaching skill that is needed. This skill makes a classroom that allows struggling readers to read more and gain a better understanding of word usage while building a larger vocabulary to use in both reading and writing.
Standard C: Research The "Reading Assessment and Correction" practicum allowed me to better evaluate students EOG scores in order to better meet their reading deficiencies. This has allowed our school to develop a reading intervention program that targets struggling readers and hopefully improve the school's reading performance scores on the state EOG reading assessments.