2021 Summer Literacy Pilot

Often people see the public school system as an obstacle instead of a partner in providing sound literacy instruction rooted in science-based practices.

 

We set out to prove otherwise! 

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LAC partnered with two public school principals at a Summer Rising school site for 6 weeks this past summer. Our pilot provided professional development in a structured literacy program, PAF, to three DOE public school teachers and paired them each with a mentor teacher experienced in PAF. We chose 30 students who scored in the red for being "at-risk" on the Acadience literacy assessment. Our co-teaching teams provided reading instruction every morning, Monday through Thursday.

 

Our results exceeded expectations! 

 

DOE teachers, while reserved at first, rose to the challenge and were open-minded and eager to learn from their co-teaching partners. By the end of the 5 weeks, the true collaborative spirit was on display, with DOE teachers taking the reins leading a full class in a structured literacy lesson. 

 

Many students started our 6-week adventure already draped in the body language that accompanies the inability to read. Many told us outright that they could not read and did not want to take our assessment. By the end, they readily displayed the reading skills they had been taught and there was so much pride in their accomplishment.

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85% of students improved in oral reading fluency from pre- to post-test!

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