11 Aligns to IDEA, Part B The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation. According to the website, IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education, and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities. (Please see http://idea.ed.gov/explore/home for access to regulations, legislation, and more information.) The following chart shows how New Connections to English classroom paperback libraries can support children with disabilities under IDEA, based on some of the key criteria and recommendations. The criteria include the Response to Intervention (RtI) framework for allocating instructional services and resources in response to students needs. 1. Provide research-based and scientifically validated interventions, to the extent possible New Connections to English classroom libraries feature carefully selected paperback books and supplemental reading instruction that build oral language proficiency in English while developing content-area knowledge and literacy skills. Designed for English Language Learners (ELLs) in Grades K-8, the program offers varying degrees of challenge for students at different stages of development. The scaffolds and strategies that New Connections to English provides for differentiating instruction can also support ELLs who have special learning needs. New Connections to English was developed upon a strong research base. The Professional Guide begins with the research paper Strengthening Language Comprehension and Production Through Book Discussions by Dr. Maria S. Carlo of the University of Miami. The Guide then presents lessons and activities that it directly aligns to pertinent reading research findings about the importance of developing: If you have any questions about New Connections to English or would like to place an order, please call your sales representative at 800-387-1437 or fax to 877-242-5865. Phonological awareness Alphabetic knowledge and phonics Vocabulary Fluency Comprehension skills At the back of the Professional Guide, there is a bibliography of reading research studies that helped inform the development of New Connections to English. April 2009 1
Provide research-based and scientifically validated interventions, to the extent possible, Continued The instructional strategies and activities used in the program are supported by a wide range of research findings, including: The volume of independent, silent reading students do in school is significantly related to gains in reading achievement. (Cunningham & Stanovich, 1996) Like native speakers of English, second language learners need to be read to, on a daily basis, by fluent models of English reading. (Hudelson, 1994) For English Language Learners to succeed, they must master not only English vocabulary and grammar, but also the way English is used in core content classes. (Echevarria & Short, 2004) The first thing to remember about language learning, whether it is a first or second language, is that people learn language because they are in real situations communicating about real and important things. (McKeon, 1994) Second language learners need to be exposed to meaningful literacy activities. It is vital for teachers to make reading and writing appealing and significant to the children. (McLaughlin, 1995) If English Language Learners are to catch up academically with their native English-speaking peers, their cognitive growth, and mastery of academic content must continue while English is being learned. (Cummins, 1994) Available upon request, the Scholastic Classroom Books Compendium of Research provides more research results that show how classroom books can help increase reading achievement for students with a range of abilities and learning differences. Some of these include: The amount of reading is a strong predictor of reading comprehension, outweighing intelligence, economic background, and gender. (Reutzel & Gikkubgsworth, 1991) Reading aloud to children is a proven way to develop vocabulary growth and language expansion and plays a causal role in developing both receptive and expressive language capabilities. (Lyon, 2002) April 2009 2
2. Provide access to the general core curriculum taught to regulareducation students and/or Use supplemental instructional materials, where appropriate, to strengthen the efficacy of the comprehensive core curriculum New Connections to English teaches the same essential reading components and oral language skills that regular education students learn in order to become successful readers. Instruction and practice activities address: Phonemic and Phonological Awareness Based on students assessed needs, instruction can include identifying initial or final sounds, counting the number of words in a sentence, segmenting, blending, and substitution. Students listen to repetitive text and rhyme during readaloud sessions. The Professional Guide contains strategies for working with articulation, photographic examples of mouth positions, and consonant and vowel phoneme charts. These tools can also be used with students who are receiving speech therapy services under IDEA. Phonics and Alphabetic Knowledge Instruction includes recognizing letters, sound-spelling patterns, and high-frequency words, as well as blending words. Students apply decoding skills as they read the books in the program and complete activity sheets. Fluency Students listen to the teacher model fluent reading using correct phrasing and intonation. The program recommends that teachers read aloud on a daily basis. Students individually read a passage aloud several times with guidance and feedback from the teacher. Students engage in echo reading by repeating lines that the teacher reads aloud. Students independently practice reading high-frequency words and passages and then are timed by the teacher. After the teacher models fluent reading of a passage, students discuss what they noticed about the teacher s speed, accuracy, and expression. April 2009 3
Provide access to the general core curriculum and/or supplemental instructional materials, Continued Vocabulary and Oral Language Students build listening, speaking, reading, and writing vocabulary. Teachers help students build vocabulary through a variety of modalities, including: o Visual displays o Pantomimes o Role playing o Writing exercises o Class discussions o Reading aloud books o Hands-on activities o Modeling how to use a dictionary and thesaurus Students apply skills by: o Reading and rereading words in context during independent reading o Identifying key words in the text and then defining them o Writing vocabulary words on cards or in sentences o Using picture clues to determine word meanings o Completing activity sheets, including a variety of graphic organizers The program contains instruction on how to use cognates to support students acquisition of new vocabulary and to facilitate native language transfer to English. Comprehension Students learn a variety of comprehension skills and strategies, including: o Previewing o Predicting o Activating prior knowledge o Building background knowledge o Asking and answering questions o Identifying nonfiction text features o Identifying main idea and details o Summarizing o Recognizing story structure o Using mental imagery and retelling a story using pictures o Using graphic organizers, including story maps and charts, to apply strategies Teachers use think-alouds to model strategies. April 2009 4
Provide access to the general core curriculum and/or supplemental instructional materials, Continued Students apply strategies during independent or partner reading of the program s authentic literature, as well as by completing activity sheets. Students read or listen to books teachers read in a variety of genres and topics. These include: o Alphabet books o Social Studies o Poetry o Sports o Fiction o History o Nonfiction o Multicultural o Reference o Science o Bilingual o Mathematics o Humor o Health New Connections to English provides strategies to be used during read-alouds and partner reading. Accompanying reference books are ideal for independent study and small-group projects. The program s paperback books were selected based on: Linguistic and academic content Developmental appropriateness Grade-level expectations Quality of literary experiences they provide Each of the seven grade-level New Connections to English classroom libraries (for Grades K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6-8) contains all the components needed to successfully implement the program. 100 appealing paperback books in a variety of topics and genres: o Two copies each of 45 authentic titles, which are used for partner reading and allow students to find materials to match their reading levels and interests o 10 engaging read-aloud books that reflect a range of genres and subject matter and that extend students oral language, academic vocabulary, comprehension, and content-area knowledge Seven bestselling references that help build vocabulary, content knowledge, and research skills: o Scholastic First Picture Dictionary o Scholastic First Dictionary o Scholastic Children s Thesaurus o Scholastic Dictionary of Idioms o Scholastic Atlas of the World o The Pledge of Allegiance o Hello World!: Greetings in 42 Languages Around the Globe April 2009 5
Provide access to the general core curriculum and/or supplemental instructional materials, Continued 32-page Professional Guide with research-based instructional strategies for English-language acquisition and English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction, classroom management tips, and professional development Activity Resources CD with reproducible graphic organizers and other practice sheets that support students use of explicit reading strategies, as well as parent letters, reading logs, and other resources 3. Educate students in the least restrictive environment consistent with their educational needs New Connections to English provides many scaffolds and strategies for differentiating instruction to allow students to be educated in the least restrictive environment. The program may be used in any of the following settings: Mainstream classes that include ELLs The classroom library serves as an essential complement to the curriculum, providing appropriate resources for ELLs. Pull-out ESL programs Specialists can use the classroom library as part of their program. Bilingual, dual language and self-contained ESL classes The classroom library can be used as the primary source of English-language books for ELLs to assist with English-language acquisition and literacy development. 4. Implement a multitiered strategy designed to provide increasingly intensive interventions to those students who are not making adequate progress in the core curriculum (RtI) New Connections to English can be flexibly implemented to provide increasingly intensive interventions. The Professional Guide provides valuable strategies for differentiating reading skills instruction during small-group, read-aloud sessions. Teachers can observe students level of understanding of the text and reinforce skills as needed to help them gain language proficiency at an acceptable rate. Some of the read-aloud strategies provided by the Professional Guide are: Building relevant background knowledge and preteaching novel vocabulary using illustrations or drama prior to reading aloud the book Modeling strategic reading skills through think-alouds during reading Paraphrasing and restating selected passages from the book after reading to increase students comprehension April 2009 6
Implement a multitiered strategy, Continued In addition, teachers can lengthen the time of small-group sessions, increase independent reading time in the classroom, and closely monitor students completion of books and activities. Books in the New Connections to English program are available at three proficiency levels, so that students can read appropriately challenging books without frustration and still increase their skills and knowledge. Teachers can choose which of the three levels is most appropriate for a child, with Level 1 books providing the most reading support and Level 3 providing more challenging texts. Level 1 Books are written in simple texts. The texts and content of each book build emergent reading skills, including concepts of print, voice-to-match, and strong picture support. These books also contain predictable or repetitive texts. Level 2 Books are slightly longer and contain highfrequency words, supportive illustrations, and clear picture-to-text support. These texts build on oral language skills and draw on sound-spelling patterns to help students decode words as they build their vocabulary. Level 3 More challenging texts, including chapter books, encourage students to read for more sustained periods of time. Fewer pictures provide much less support, and there are more sophisticated language structures and details. These books also provide students with more challenging vocabulary and text structures. Motivational components New Connections to English actively engages students in their reading development and increases their motivation to meet their academic goals and objectives as set forth in their IEPs. The programs does this by: Allowing them to choose personally relevant, interesting books that are culturally appropriate Providing authentic, leveled books that ELLs can read successfully with a partner, which increases their confidence in themselves as readers Providing double copies of 45 books to support partner reading and student interactions April 2009 7
Implement a multitiered strategy, Continued Including reading forms and logs on which students can list the books they have read, rate the books according to their interest and readability levels, and provide their reading partner with feedback on his or her fluency Providing individual award certificates to recognize the number of books read in the program 5. Provide ongoing progress monitoring of students response to high-quality, research-based intervention and use it to guide the Individualized Education Program (IEP) New Connections to English provides multiple opportunities for teachers to observe students progress in the program and use results as input during the development of an IEP. Teachers can: Listen to students during partner echo reading to informally assess fluency, as well as time students as they read aloud high-frequency words and passages Observe students responses during small-group instruction and discussions to assess their comprehension Evaluate students performance on activity sheets and the number of books read in the program, based on the book log, to gauge whether they are on track for meeting their IEP goals and objectives 6. Include literacy instruction that targets English language learners who have not yet been identified as needing special education services (RtI) New Connections to English is specifically designed to help ELLs succeed in developing English language and literacy during the early and most challenging stages of growth. Each grade-level library contains read-aloud books and partner reading books appropriate for students at these stages of development: Language acquisition: preproduction, early production, and speech emergence Literacy development: emergent, early, and early fluency The program supports three groups of ELLs: Students in Grades K-2 who may or may not be learning to read in their primary language, but who are beginning to learn to read and speak English Students in Grades 3-8 who are literate in their primary language, but have just begun to read and speak English Students in Grades 3-8 who have limited prior academic development or literacy in their primary language and are beginning to learn to read and speak English April 2009 8
Include literacy instruction that targets English language learners who have not yet been identified as needing special education services (RtI), Continued The Professional Guide provides strategies for effectively using New Connections to English to raise the English proficiency/academic level of ELLs. These include how to: Use the read-aloud books to strengthen strategic reading skills, develop oral vocabulary, build contentarea knowledge, and improve comprehension Support partner reading to foster student s development of independent reading skills Reinforce the five essential elements of reading while engaging with meaningful, authentic literature and independent practice activities By reading the authentic, leveled literature in the program, students can successfully apply skills in real-world texts. This allows them to become more active, strategic readers who not only can read, but will want to read for personal and academic purposes. The program s reference books allow students to broaden their learning and can be used in other school subject areas. 7. Inform parents of general education services that would be provided and strategies to support their child s rate of learning To keep parents informed about how New Connections to English is supporting their child s rate of learning, the program provides: Home Letters, available in English and Spanish, which briefly explain the program and suggest ways for parents to help their child develop good reading habits and a love for reading Books that students can borrow, take home to read, and share with their families Reading logs of books that students have read in the program Skill practice sheets that students can bring home after completion to show their parents what they are learning and how well they have learned it Achievement certificates that help parents and their child celebrate the child s success together April 2009 9
8. Provide a high-quality professional development plan to support teachers providing special education services and those implementing RtI Each New Connections to English classroom library includes an in-depth, 32-page Professional Guide that outlines effective instructional strategies to support the use of the library with students at various stages of Englishlanguage acquisition. The guide includes important information about: Language and literacy development Program organization Classroom organization The role of read-aloud books The importance of independent reading The benefits of partner reading Issues in second-language acquisition The Professional Guide also includes: Sample lesson plans that teach the five essential elements of reading Instructional resources, such as consonant/phoneme and mouth position charts Each library is accompanied by an Activity Resources CD, which provides printable activity pages and teaching aids that support students language and literacy development. These include: Skill-building graphic organizers Parent letters Reading logs Writing templates Certificates of achievement Classroom management forms 9. May coordinate with activities funded by, and carried out under, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) New Connections to English can be effectively integrated with school activities that are being funded by other federal, state, or local sources. The federal programs for which this Scholastic product qualifies include, but are not limited to: Title I, Part A Improving Basic Programs Title I Supplemental Educational Services Title III English Language Acquisition Title V Innovative Programs 21 st Century Community Learning Centers April 2009 10