A. Questions to Ask About Your District's Reading Program.
B. Twelve Essential Components of Research-Based Programs for Beginning Reading Instruction
C. Eight Features of Classrooms and Campuses That Support Effective Beginning Reading Instruction.
1.Are each of the following components of a research-based reading program included?
| Oral Language Instruction | Do kindergarten and
first grade programs include a plan to teach the effective use and understanding of oral language? |
| Teaching Phonemic Awareness | Are children who are not yet reading given instruction in phonemic awareness so that they will think about words as a sequence of sounds? |
| Sound-Letter Relationships | Are children, from kindergarten on, explicitly and systematically taught sound-letter relationships and spelling patterns as well as the ability to decode new words while reading and spelling? |
| Decoding Instruction | Do children regularly practice with wordfailures and 'figure out" the identification of words? |
| Decodable Stories | Do beginning reading programs include stories comprised of words that contain known sound- letter relationships and frequently repeated irregular and special words? |
| Spelling Instruction | Does a spelling component exist that is coordinated with the phonics and reading components of the overall program? |
| Vocabulary Instruction | Is systematic vocabulary development included in the kindergarten, first, second, and third grade program? |
| Comprehension Instruction | Is systematic comprehension development included in the overall reading program |
2.
How is student teaming monitored?
3.What indicators are used to determine if children are making adequate progress
in reading?
4. How are these indicators recorded and reported?
5. According to the indicators used, how many students in each grade are not making
adequate progress?
6. Are sound instructional materials available in the district?
7. How is instructional time organized?
8. How much time is provided for reading and language ads instruction?
9. What steps are taken to help second and third grade children who begin the school year below grade level?
10. How are effective instructional practices defined in the district?
11. How are students'instructional needs accommodated in classroom grouping'.,
12. How is it determined that children are placed at the appropriate instructional levels?
13. How is day-to-day monitoring of student progress in reading accomplished?
14. What percentage of students cannot comfortably read the textbooks provided for their
grade level?
B.
Twelve Essential Components of Research-Based Programs for Beginning Reading Instruction
1. Opportunities to expand use and appreciation of oral language.
2. Opportunities to expand use and appreciation of printed
language.
3. Opportunities to hear good stories and informational books read aloud daily.
4. Opportunities to understand and manipulate the building blocks of
spoken language.
5. Opportunities to understand and manipulate the building blocks of written language.
6. Opportunities to learn the relationship between the sounds of spoken language
and the letters of written language.
7. Opportunities to learn decoding strategies.
8. Opportunities to write and relate writing to spelling and reading.
9. Opportunities to practice accurate and fluent reading in decodable stories.
10. Opportunities to read and comprehend a wide assortment of books and other texts.
11. Opportunities to develop and comprehend new vocabulary through wide reading
and direct vocabulary instruction.
12. Opportunities to team and apply comprehension strategies as students
reflect upon and think critically about what they read.
Information provided by the Texas Education Agency
C.
Eight Features of Classrooms and Campuses That Support Effective Beginning Reading Instruction.
1. Careful Use of Instructional Time
* 90 minutes or more for language arts daily
* high quality fiction and non-fiction literature
* systematic instruction as early as kindergarten
2. Effective Instructional Practices
* flexible grouping patterns
*frequent student talk and positive feedback
*appropriate reading level materials
3. Sound Instructional Materials
*phonemic awareness
*decodable text
*alphabetic knowledge
*vocabulary development
*alphabetic principal
*comprehension
*decoding strategies
*spelling and writing
4. Reading Opportunities
*large, varied classroom and library book collections
*daily reading, both individually and in groups
*meaningful classroom discussions
5. Variety of Assessment Tools
*ongoing evaluations of student progress
*progress reports to parents
*in-depth assessment for individual students
6. Positive Campus Climate
*attractive environment
*book rich environment
*student work on display
*positive, encouraging teacher talk
*pride in accomplishments of teachers and students
7. Professional Development
*teachers participate in retraining
*teachers work with mentors and consult each other
*principals support and participate in training
8. Sound Administrative Practices
*campus budgets are spent on instruction
*administrators visit classrooms and monitor programs
*administrators encourage and support new practices