2012 GPS Summer Report Scott, Jamie GPS/NCEF 9/24/2012
During summer 2012, the Naples Children and Education Foundation initiative, Guidance Programs for Success (GPS), focused on serving more Immokalee students and enhancing current summer programs. Three existing programs (Parks and Recreation, RCMA and The Immokalee Foundation) had the capacity to provide the support necessary to increase learning opportunities, increase student self-efficacy, support school success, and reinforce academic resilience. The additional students were provided GPS scholarships to participate in the summer programs. GPS enhancements infused programs with hands-on, engaging academics designed to combat summer learning loss. Program Description s Served # of Weeks in Summer # of Days/Week # of Hours/Day Location Focus Parks and Recreation RCMA The Immokalee Foundation TOTAL Students K-6 K-6 K-2 and 5-6 9 weeks 8 weeks 6 weeks 5 days 5 days 4 days 8 hours 9 hours 5 hours Parks + Rec Field/Facility RCMA ICS school Lake Trafford E.S. Theme-based academics; Academics: Reading, Reader s Theater; Math small group tutoring; Writing, Math; games; art Word Problems; library field trips; movies; movies/field trips (3) bowling; field trips; sports Target Number of Youth in Regular Summer Program 42 100 0 142 Number of Regular Youth Attending (ADA)* 17 56 0 73 GPS Additional Youth 48 35 125 208 Actual GPS Numbers Attending (ADA) 46 35 82 163 Total Youth in Summer Program (ADA) 63 91 82 236 IOSTP funding $30,000 $27,000 $44,000 * ADA: Average Daily Attendance 1
2012 Summer GPS Program Enhancements Parks and Recreation: Small Group Tutoring ACTIVITIES All students (scholarship and fee-based) who participated in the Parks and Recreation Summer Camp were a part of Reaching for the Rainbow small group tutoring. Three days a week, students worked in small groups on grade level specific reading activities. DATA COLLECTION At the onset of the GPS Summer Reading Program, students completed a Reading Interest Inventory. The goal was to assess student attitudes toward reading and to gain a perspective on the types of reading materials they enjoy. The results were utilized to select reading titles. In addition, students were given an individual reading diagnostic to determine reading level. The assessment utilized (Flynt-Cooter) provided a snapshot of comprehension abilities, reading accuracy and types of miscues. Additional data was obtained using an array of models: Students in grade K were assessed on Letter Identification and Letter Sound Recognition and mastery of the 220 Dolch Word List Students in 1 were assessed on their mastery of the 220 Dolch Word List Students in s 1-5 were provided with a Fluency Check to determine the number of words they were able to read per minute at their respective grade level; the baseline number established student goals for the summer Weekly Fluency Checks were conducted as a component of Fluency Friday and students tracked growth on their WPM Rate bar graph each created 2
# of Students Mastery Skills % of Students Increasing RESULTS: When fluent readers read, they recognize words automatically. They group words quickly to help them gain meaning from what they read. Fluent readers read aloud effortlessly and with expression. Their reading sounds natural, as if they are speaking. Readers who have not yet developed fluency read slowly, word by word, thus their oral reading is choppy. Table 1 represents the percentage of Parks and Recreation students increasing in fluency by grade level. Because fluent readers do not have to concentrate on decoding the words, they can focus their attention on what the text means. They can make connections among the ideas in the text and their background knowledge. In other words, fluent readers recognize words and comprehend at the same time. Less fluent readers, however, must focus their attention on figuring out the words, leaving them little attention for understanding the text. Developing fluency no doubt compliments comprehension, which is in essence the ultimate goal of reading instruction. Table 1 94% 92% 90% 88% 86% 84% 82% 92% 86% Fluency 89% 91% 92% 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th By the time many children come to school, they are able to sing the alphabet song. Some are even able to recognize the letters in their names. Beginning readers need to learn how to visually recognize letters of the alphabet. They also need to be able to name letters quickly and easily. Learning the alphabet is more than being able to "recite" the alphabet or sing the alphabet song. Children need to be able to identify and name all 26 uppercase and lowercase letters. Table 2 shows that all 11 kindergarteners mastered letter/sound recognition by the end of program. Table 1 Findings: 1 st graders made an average gain of 19 WPM 2 nd graders made an average gain of 16 WPM 3 rd graders made an average gain of 20 WPM 4 th graders made an average gain of 21 WPM 5 th graders made an average gain of 20 WPM Letter/Sound Recognition 11 10 8 8 6 6/11/2012 4 3 7/11/2012 2 8/10/2012 0 Kindergarten (11 students) Table 2 3
Classrooms # of students that made gains 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Site Word Recognition 3 1st (11 students) 11 11 0 Kinder (11 students) 7/11/2012 8/10/2012 Table 3 Successful readers use a number of tools to help them understand texts. One of the most effective and powerful reading tools that teachers can help children develop is sight word recognition. When a child is able to grasp and identify sight words he/she is well on his/her way to becoming a thriving reader. Recognizing sight words immediately allows a reader to focus on decoding the more challenging words and understanding the text. More importantly, knowing sight words instills confidence when learning to read. The sight word list, also known as high frequency words are most frequently used and repeated words in the English language. This list of words includes the, a, is, of, to, in, and, I, you, and that. Table 3 shows that all 22 Kinder and 1 st grade students gained in the number of sign words recognized. The average number of words learned by Kindergarten was 31 The average number of words learned by 1 st was 40 The Immokalee Foundation: Summer Splash ACTIVITIES: TIF students receive daily customized, cohesive instruction in mathematics and literacy (reading, writing, listening, viewing and speaking). Time Focus Location Notes 7:30 Meet and Greet Breakfast Front of School & Cafeteria Hug, Handshake or High Five! Be Positive & Present 8:20 Class Meeting Review Daily Agenda Daily Brain Booster or Challenge Poem of the day or week Problem of the Day 8:30 Mathematics Model Drawing Fact Fluency 9:30 Modeled Reading Teacher Read Aloud/Think Aloud 10:00 Guided Reading & Literacy Tutors Arrive Rotations 4 twenty minute rotations with one being teacher s table 11:20 Class Meeting daily Summary Modeled Writing/Class News Summarizing 11:30 Lunch Cafeteria Tutors will eat with students at designated tables 12:00 Dismissal Front of School Hug Handshake or High Five! Be Positive & Present 4
% of Students Works Per Minute RESULTS Table 4 represents the gains in words per minute (WPM) by grade level. This table also shows some of the reading gaps that are still present. Although gains were made, It is evident that additional work in the area is needed. Table 4 Findings: 1 st graders made an average gain of 11.12 WPM 2 nd graders made an average gain of 11.94 WPM 3 rd graders made an average gain of 37.13 WPM 4 th graders made an average gain of 37.83WPM 5 th graders made an average gain of 30.25 WPM 6 th graders made an average gain of 45.64 WPM Table 4 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 53 1st 89.00 2nd Words Per Minute 107 3rd 123 4th 139 5th 150 6th Pre-Test Post-Test Level norm Table 5 Reading Comprehension 90% 80% 70% 69% 82% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 50% 50% 25% 20% 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th grade 6th Maintain Increase Reading comprehension is the ability to understand a written passage of text. Reading comprehension is what allows the reader to interact with the text in a meaningful way. It s the bridge from passive reading to active reading -- from letters and words to characters and contexts. Reading comprehension is the crucial link to effective reading -- a strong factor in our educational and professional lives. For many, reading comprehension also unlocks the door to a lifetime of reading recreation and enjoyment. Table 5 represents the students reading comprehension data over the summer. 5
RCMA ACTIVITIES A certified teacher is assigned to each grade level to develop activities that support the students academic needs. In small groups, students work on their reading, writing and math skills weekly. The curriculum that was primarily used was Investigations Math, Foss Science Kits, readers circle and Treasures curriculum. ASSESSMENTS All participating students were assessed using Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA). The NWEA test is an adaptive test for students. They are presented with test questions at different levels of difficulty that adjust based on their responses. At the end of a testing sequence, the student receives an overall score called RIT. This indicates the instructional level appropriate for him or her. The results show the RIT Score and a national percentile score. Both of these are norm referenced on a national level. It measures the Immokalee students against national norms. RESULTS Reading Table 6 Table 7 Math 220 230 210.91 215.75 215 210 220 200 210 187.8 Baseline RIT 190 200 180 Post RIT 190.67 180 190 Target RIT 170 180 160 170 3rd 5th 6th 3rd 5th 6th Baseline RIT Post RIT Target RIT Table 6 Findings: National Percentile 3 rd rs post-tested in the 48 th percentile 5 th rs post-tested in the 5 th percentile 6 th rs post-tested in the 49 th percentile Table 7 Findings: National Percentile 3 rd rs post-tested in the 46 th percentile 5 th rs post-tested in the 58 th percentile 6 th rs post-tested in the 39 th percentile 6
Findings and Recommendations Children participating in GPS classrooms over the summer were provided academic support that is vital to prevent summer learning loss. Based on assessment results, it is evident students participating in the GPS summer programs are better prepared to start the new academic year. In Summary: The GPS 2012 summer initiative expanded programing to an additional 208 Immokalee students and added academic components to battle summer learning loss. In the summer, Parks and Recreation summer camp children increased their reading fluency by an average 19.2 words per minute. All participating Kindergarten students mastered letter/sound recognition and made gains in site word recognition. Their strategy of using small groups with a ratio of 1:4 was optimal for recognizing individual student needs. The Immokalee Foundation Summer Splash program utilized Readers Theater as their main curriculum which contributed to an average increase of 28.9 words per minute. The NWEA assessment provided a great tool for the RCMA teachers to utilize. Reading and Math support during the program allowed for the students to maintain their skills for the upcoming academic year. The GPS 2012 summer programing has expanded and enhanced three separate Immokalee summer programs. Results of the summer program conclude in the necessity of summer programs that provide academic enrichment. Recommendations: Increased marketing and enrolment efforts to sustain a higher average daily attendance Increase the implementation of the 7 Habits of Happy Kids Increase alignment of the NWEA test results to the curriculum used to support growth Collect longitudinal data from a random sample of students who are not involved in summer programing to potentially detect the potential effect summer academics has on diminishing summer learning loss 7