MODULE 4:
TIERED
INSTRUCTION
4: Unit 1
3, Session
1
Unit Module
3, Session
Adolescent
Literacy – Professional Development
CHOOSING THE BEST INTERVENTION FOR
YOUR STUDENTS
4.3.1
Module 4: Unit 3, Session 1
Session Overview
Unit 3, Session 1 Questions:
What should your approach to literacy intervention
include?
How do you evaluate the programs & tools that exist to
assist in intervention?
Unit 3, Session 1 Objectives:
Understand how to choose effective literacy
interventions
Be exposed to existing literacy programs that can assist
students with specific deficits
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Warm-Up: Student Literacy Assessment
Complete the questionnaire to decide which
literacy skills are weakest for your students.
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Intervention Decisions
Use of a prescribed program with fidelity to
prescribed instruction?
OR
Flexible use of a prescribed program’s resources
in correlation with teacher-generated materials?
OR
Unique, individualized teacher-generated
materials?
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Selecting a Literacy Program
Consider 4 elements:
1. Program’s target audience: Does it focus on
struggling readers? Adolescents?
2. Strength of literacy focus: Does its vision
match the goals of your TI plan?
3. Resources: Are there adequate instructional
& assessment materials for teacher &
student?
4. Research-base: Is there evidence to support
reliability?
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Evaluating Literacy Programs
Does the program offer the school…
Clear goals and benchmarks?
Professional development opportunities?
Assessment tools?
Motivation to read?
Technology components?
Cross-curricular application?
Flexibility of use?
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Discussion: Available Programs
What resources, materials, and/or
programs already exist within the school
building to aid literacy interventions?
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What is Decoding?
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Decoding Strategies
Knowledge of individual phonemes
Combination of phonemes to make sounds
Phonetic patterns
Syllable types
Syllable blending
Irregular patterns
Prefixes, suffixes, endings, and roots
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Decoding Program Examples
Lindamood-Bell: Phonemic &
orthographic awareness
Intensive, one-on-one or group
Assessment-driven
Print & web resources
Professional development opportunities
Significant research base
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What is Fluency?
Reading orally with…
Appropriate speed
Pronunciation accuracy
Proper expression
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Fluency Strategies
Provide corrective feedback through…
Modeling reading
Repeated reading
Partner reading
Reader’s theater
Recorded reading
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Examples of Fluency Program
Read Right:
1978, basis in neurology
Small group modeling & practice oral reading
900+ book library & student management
systems
Assessment & progress monitoring tools
 Intensive teacher training offered
Frequently replicated, rarely externally studied
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What is Comprehension?
The ability to discern meaning from text
Stated or implied…
Main ideas
Details
Purpose
Audience
Increasingly important at the secondary
level because of the demands of content
curriculum.
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Comprehension Strategies
 Effective pre-reading
 Learning & applying background knowledge
 Assessing text structure
 Answering questions
 Taking active reading notes
 Summarizing
 Visualizing a text
 Creating questions
 Critical thinking & analysis
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Example of Comprehension Program
Disciplinary Literacy: Professional
development program devised by the
Institute for Learning at the University of
Pittsburgh
How to read/think in each discipline
Rigorous teacher training course
Administrative guidance skills
Direct application to lesson plans
No packaged student materials
No research base
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What is Vocabulary?
Knowing the definitions of words that are
essential to the comprehension of a text.
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Vocabulary Strategies
Prefixes, suffixes, endings, and roots
Context clues
Memorization through repetitive practice
Visualization
Etymology
Application to content
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Example of Vocabulary Program
Vocabulary Improvement Program: Devised
for Spanish ELLs, but applied to all students
Text-based 18-week curriculum
Context clues, morphology, cognates
Books & assessment tools
Available Professional Development, but
thorough manual is enough
Several positive longitudinal studies
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Program Summary
Many programs address several areas of
literacy at once
Program choice depends on student
need & school plan
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Important Considerations
Level of reading independence
Areas of greater deficit
Age/maturity level of student
Interests (as related to reading
motivation)
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Wrap-Up
Things to Remember:
Literacy interventions should address
reading holistically, but focus on areas of
student weakness.
Evaluate and research programs before
deciding on which one to implement.
Keep student needs in mind when choosing
programs.
Be flexible and patient.
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Wrap-Up Activity
Use the evaluation of literacy programs
in Shanahan (2005) to examine one
program and evaluate its effectiveness
for the student indentified in the warmup activity.
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For Next Time
Keep in mind…
The student whose profile you used during
the warm-up activity
The program you evaluated during the
wrap-up activity
Evaluate how effective the program
would be for this student.
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References
Boardman, A. G., Roberts, G., Vaughn, S., Wexler, J., Murray, C. S., & Kosanovich, M. (2008). Effective instruction
for adolescent struggling readers: A practice brief. Portsmouth, NH: RMC Research Corporation, Center on
Instruction.
Denton, C, Bryan, D, Wexler, J, Reed, D, & Vaughn, S. (2007). Effective instruction for middle school students
with reading difficulties: The reading teacher’s sourcebook. University of Texas System/Texas Education
Agency.
Kamil, M. L., Borman, G. D., Dole, J., Kral, C. C., Salinger, T., and Torgesen, J. (2008). Improving adolescent
literacy: Effective classroom and intervention practices: A Practice Guide (NCEE #2008-4027). Washington,
DC: National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S.
Department of Education. Retrieved from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc.
Shanahan, C. (2005). Adolescent literacy intervention programs: Chart and program review guide. Retrieved
from http://www.learningpt.org/literacy/adolescent/intervention.pdf
Slavin, R.E., Cheung, A., Groff, C., & Lake, C. (2008). Effective reading programs for middle and high schools: A
best evidence synthesis. Reading Research Quarterly, 43, 3, 290322.
www.bestevidence.org/word/mhs_read_Feb_2008_RRQ.pdf
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