Phoenix Union High School District

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1 NEWSLETTER 08 JANUARY 2006 District Increases Test Scores by 33% The most recent NAEP data shows no real progress for high school students during the last 30 years. But Phoenix Union High School District has proven it s never too late to raise reading achievement. Phoenix Union High School District (PUHSD) faces all the challenges of big, urban districts across the country. Serving 24,275 students in Grades 9 12, the district includes 64% students who receive free/reduced lunch and 21% English Language Learners. Throughout the 1990s, PUHSD was performing far below state averages on Arizona s Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS) test, which is used to measure AYP under No Child Left Behind. The leadership of PUHSD was united in their belief that an improvement in reading achievement would lead to an improvement in overall achievement. The quest for a solution to the problem of low reading achievement began in earnest in 2002, when a team of 50 teachers (from reading, English, ESL, and special education) met to develop a District Literacy Framework. Using their framework as a guide, the team evaluated several reading intervention programs and unanimously chose READ 180. The focus was on ninth graders reading significantly below grade level (as measured by the SAT-9). Because high school students take the AIMS test for the first time in Grade 10, PUHSD wanted to provide them with an opportunity to improve their reading skills prior to taking the test. Intense effort was placed on implementing the program with fidelity. Schedules were adjusted to provide double blocks for reading, investment was made in technology, and teachers were provided with extensive staff development. PHOENIX UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT (PUHSD) GRADE 10 STUDENTS WHO MEET OR EXCEED A.I.M.S. READING ASSESSMENT COMPARED WITH ARIZONA STATE-WIDE AVERAGE 70% ARIZONA PUHSD 46% 63% 39% 57% 61% 38% 38% 75% 71% Post- READ What a difference a year makes. After completing READ 180, participants made significant gains in their performance on the SRI (Scholastic Reading Inventory ) and the SAT-9 assessment of reading proficiency. More than half (57%) of participating students achieved two or more years of growth in reading ability and 34% achieved four years growth or more. READ 180 was one component of a districtwide literacy strategy that has made headlines in Arizona. Dramatic gains on the AIMS test tell the story. A year after implementation of READ 180 in PUHSD in fall 2003, the number of PUHSD students who met or exceeded proficiency on the AIMS test increased by 33%, compared to the state-wide gain of 14% (see chart).

2 Have you heard? Visit READ 180 s NEW COMMUNITY PAGES! In celebration the newly launched of READ 180 Enterprise Edition, Scholastic unveiled a brand-new READ 180 Website. You can check out the new Website at where you will find indepth information organized around the following topics: READ 180 COMMUNITY: The READ 180 Community Website is created specifically for you, the educators who use READ 180 in your classrooms. The site features message boards to connect you with other READ 180 educators, success stories from READ 180 classrooms, downloadable copies of past newsletters, and Ask Noelle a Web forum that connects you directly with one of Scholastic s most senior educational service consultants and a former READ 180 teacher. Visit the READ 180 Community today and let us know what you think! We are always looking for suggestions on how to improve your experience. TEACHING RESOURCES AND SUPPORT: The new Teaching Resources and Support section has enhanced tools geared to extend instruction beyond the classroom. All three Stages of our rbook TM (new with READ 180 Enterprise Edition) provide additional projects and workshops from which students can choose to inspire reaction and extend instruction. These projects are highlighted on this section of the site. To help reinforce the school-home relationship, Scholastic offers templates for letters teachers may use and edit to facilitate communication with parents of READ 180 students. Other resources on this site include a certificate maker, so teacher can easily honor their READ 180 students. In the best practices section we feature ongoing professional development tips and tools, as researchers and teachers unveil their best practices in many forms. GETTING STARTED: Start off on the right foot! Click the Getting Started tab within Community to read about the recommended three-step process of setting up your READ 180 program. Thorough information regarding your QuickStart Kit, Installation Software, and overall Student Improvement are among the topics covered in this section of the Website. Getting Started also features a professional guide to setting up your READ 180 classroom. And during your first three weeks of teaching READ 180 the tips from experienced READ 180 educators, shown in check list form, are a great resource for you. READ180 EDUCATORS: Under the Connect with READ 180 Educators tab, you can Ask Noelle, a READ 180 Master teacher, advice. She has become the core of the READ 180 Community; she stimulates discussions and responds to your inquiries about READ 180. Viewers can also submit tips, ask questions, and partake in an actual, ongoing, READ 180 communal discussion through the use of Scholastic s Message Boards a terrific way to network and learn from your READ 180 colleagues nationwide!

3 Help Your Students Select the Right Books You can build independence by modeling routines around choosing and completing a book. PURPOSE PROCEDURE Teaching students how to choose appropriate books helps: Develop strategies to make good selections for independent reading Promote student accountability Prevent students from wasting time by starting books without completing them Model the most effective way to use resources and strategies to make just-right book choices. Demonstrate this procedure at the beginning of the year: 1. Explain how the books are organized in their crates. Point out the differences between the leveled Paperbacks and the Audiobooks. 2. Model how to use the Audiobook and Paperbacks poster by verbally presenting the book covers and reading one of the summaries. 3. Encourage students to choose Paperbacks at their Lexile levels. 4. Invite a volunteer to select a Paperback or Audiobook title that looks appealing from the poster. Demonstrate how to locate it in the crate. 5. Model how to select a book by thinking aloud about it. What does the cover tell me about what this book might be like? Let me read the back. Does the topic/story seem interesting to me? Is the book at my level? Do the illustrations grab my attention? Are the chapters a good length for me? How long will it take me to finish the book? 6. After self-questioning, students can decide if they are pleased with their selection or if they need to start over by choosing a new book. You can download a PDF of Dr. Fleishman s entire paper at products/read180/ literacyresources.asp Scholastic Research& Results Adolescent Literacy: A National Reading Crisis Ernest B. Fleishman, Ed.D. Every school day in America, 3,000 students drop out the majority of them poor readers. According to the Alliance for Excellent Education (2003), one key risk factor for dropping out of school is a low reading achievement level. Students with below grade level reading skills are twice as likely to drop out of school as those who can read on or above grade level. Adolescent illiteracy is quantified each year in The Nation s Report Card the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) which reports that more than twothirds of the nation s eighth graders (68 percent) read below the proficient level and approximately one quarter are unable to read at even the most basic level (Grigg, Daane, Jin and Campbell, 2003). For African- American and Hispanic students the numbers more than double with almost half of African-American and Hispanic eighth graders reading below basic level. And according to a recent study by the Urban Institute, half of all African- American, Hispanic, and Native American students who entered U.S. high schools in 2000 will not graduate this year (Swanson, 2004). The landmark No Child Left Behind act has directed attention and increased funding toward improving early literacy at both the federal and state level. But far less attention has been paid to the middle and high school students who cannot read. Clearly, getting all kids reading on grade level by the third grade is an important national priority, as children s early reading skills are strong predictors of long-term academic success. However, we cannot afford to let the six million adolescents The reality is that most at-risk adolescent students never receive the intensive reading instruction they need. Of the more than 16,000 school districts across the country, less than one in five have high school reading specialists designated to serve the most at-risk older, struggling readers, according to Quality Education Data (QED) research (2004). who are already reading below grade level fall through the cracks. We know that students who are poor readers cannot succeed in other core subject areas such as English, social studies, science, and math, and are at increased risk of dropping out of school. The societal implications of widespread adolescent illiteracy are sobering. Today s young adults who either graduate with low literacy skills or drop out of school have little chance for employment, even in low-paying jobs, and are more likely to end up on public assistance. Those who do find work are often stuck in minimum wage jobs that pay too little to support a family in today s society. Even more disturbing is the increased likelihood that high school dropouts, who enter society lacking work skills and life skills, will end up in a correction facility (Coalition for Juvenile Justice [CJJ], 2001). The reality is that most at-risk adolescent students never receive the intensive reading instruction they need. Of the more than 16,000 school districts across the country, less than one in five have high school reading specialists designated to serve the most at-risk older struggling readers, according to Quality Education Data (QED) research (2004). Even as the nation seeks to improve early literacy, there must be a commitment of resources, time, and staff to provide reading instruction for adolescents with low literacy skills. Investing in ageappropriate, research-based reading intervention now will avoid future spending on public welfare, unemployment benefits, and the criminal justice system. It will also allow the current generation of adolescent students to experience success in school and in life.

4 Provide Your READ 180 Students with More Choice Here are some supplementary high-interest, leveled choices to enrich your independent reading libraries. FACT & FICTION COLLECTION LEVEL 1 AND LEVEL 2 PAPERBACKS Now your Level 1 and Level 2 readers can have more books from which to choose, keeping them motivated and making them better readers. Comprising brand-new fiction and nonfiction, each collection includes 80 books (16 titles, 4 copies each), a Teacher s Guide, and an attractive storage case. Available for Stages A, B and C. SCHOLASTIC ACTION BOOK COLLECTIONS HIGH-INTEREST READING WITH INTEGRATED SKILL SUPPORT These books include unique features for the struggling reader welcome pages, target words, comprehension tips, and glossaries all designed to carefully scaffold student reading. Each Action Book Collection includes 36 books (6 titles, 6 copies each), a Teacher s Guide, Reader s Notes for student accountability, and an attractive storage case. TY S TECH TIPS Technology Tips for your READ 180 Implementation What does the Topic Manager do in the Scholastic Management Suite? The Topic Manager is where you enable or activate the Topic CD s that all of the students in your database are using. For example, if you are a Stage B school, only the Stage B Topic CD s would be checked in this screen. The settings in this screen will impact every student in the database, so if you are trying to skip a Topic CD for an individual student, this is the wrong screen. To make changes for individual students, use the Student Status screen. What happens if my Stage A student gets placed in level 4? There is no level 4 content for Stage A students. If a student is at level 4 and tries to log in to a Stage A Topic CD, they will see a message asking them to pick out a different Topic CD. Set the student to level 3 to allow them to log in to Stage A Topic CDs. Should I un-enroll a student from READ 180 and SRI before deleting them from the Scholastic Management Suite? Upcoming Events: National Association for Bilingual Educators (NABE) Phoenix, AZ, January 18th January 21st We recommend that you un-enroll students from READ 180 and SRI before deleting them. This will ensure that the student licenses don t get locked out in the database. Note: These Tech Tips are for READ users. Join the READ 180 Community SCHOLASTIC SPRINT READING GREAT BOOKS AND DIRECT TEACHING INSTRUCTIONS This effective reading intervention program provides leveled text at specific Lexile levels and teaches the strategies readers need to decode and comprehend text. Scholastic Sprint Reading engages striving readers with motivating books aligned to your core curriculum and supports educators with comprehensive, practical plans for teaching essential skills. For more information, call READ or visit National Title 1 Conference Dallas, Texas, January 28th January 31st Texas Computer Educators Association (TCEA) Austin, Texas, February 6th February 10th Teachers of English Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Tampa, Florida, March 15th March 19th National Association for Secondary School Principals (NASSP) New Orleans, LA, March 17th March 19th (Event Only No Booth) Interested in partnering with Scholastic? Have a great READ 180 success story? us at Read180community@scholastic.com. If you d like READ 180 Community News to reach you at another mailing address and/or to receive this newsletter via , send a note to read180news@scholastic.com. Write Newsletter in the subject line. Future notices will also include special offers for READ 180 community members.

5 SCHOLASTIC FX BOOKS Introducing a collection of high-interest titles perfect for older struggling readers who need phonics practice. Unlike other phonics readers, this collection of 24 titles will motivate and engage adolescent readers. SCHOLASTIC FX BOOKS: Are fun, age-appropriate, and easy-to-read paperback books Provide decoding practice that struggling readers need Introduce skills that build phonics fluency and vocabulary while motivating students to read Increase in difficulty as students make their way through the 24 paperbacks EACH COLLECTION INCLUDES: 24 titles (3 copies each) Teacher s Guide Grades 6 12 Phonics Fluency for Older Readers For more information or to purchase call READ and mention code QAP PRST STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID SCHOLASTIC INC. Scholastic Regional Offices Far West (800) (818) Midwest (800) (630) Southwest (800) (214) Northeast (800) (201) Southeast (800) (214) International export@scholastic.com SCHOLASTIC, READ 180, SCHOLASTIC READING INVENTORY, and associated logos and designs are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc. LEXILE is a registered trademark of MetaMetrics, Inc.