Reading Recovery – Implementation
English home | Reading Recovery home | Implementation | Participation | Results | Research & Resources | Contacts
Effective implementation
This section explains how to effectively implement Reading Recovery, focusing on professional development, cost effectiveness and data collection.
The remarkable progress made by students participating in Reading Recovery shows a high percentage of at-risk students can achieve success.
The effectiveness of Reading Recovery in a school requires a team approach. There must be a joint commitment to the running and maintaining the quality of Reading Recovery from teachers, the principal and school council.
Each school needs enough Reading Recovery teaching time to ensure that all Year 1 students in need of additional assistance (10-20 %) have access to the intervention schools work with parents, discuss Reading Recovery with them, invite them to see their child working in Reading Recovery lessons and seek their support in helping their child succeed in reading and writing.
Professional development
The professional training of experienced teachers is essential to the implementation of Reading Recovery. During a year long in-service course teachers are guided in the use of specific Reading Recovery teaching procedures.
Reading Recovery Tutors train the teachers and support all aspects of the implementation of Reading Recovery at a regional level. Tutors undertake intensive training at Master degree level at the University of Melbourne with Department of Education and Early Childhood Development Trainers.
School implementation
Reading Recovery complements the programs that operate every day in Victorian early-years classrooms.
- Reading Recovery teachers design an individual reading and writing series of lessons to meet the student’s particular needs.
- Every day the student has a one-on-one Reading Recovery session with their teacher in addition to regular classroom lessons in reading and writing.
- The classroom teacher, Reading Recovery teacher and parents work together to support the child.
- Students stay in the lesson series until they can participate in classroom literacy activities with minimal help. The lesson series runs for 12-20 weeks, depending on the rate of progress made by each child.
- Students are closely observed in the classroom after they have completed Reading Recovery to ensure that they continue to use effective reading and writing strategies.
Cost effectiveness
Daily individual teaching that is not interrupted for any reason is essential. This implies that children’s absence from school and school-based disruptions must be minimised. The cost-effectiveness of Reading Recovery is reduced if a student does not participate in daily lessons.
Data collection
Ongoing evaluation is essential in Reading Recovery's success. Since Reading Recovery was introduced in Victoria in 1984, data has been collected for every student who has participated in a in Victorian Government school.
Reading Recovery teachers enter data on the Department Of Education And Early Childhood Development's secure website . Tutors review the data which is then used to prepare reports on the implementation and effectiveness of Reading Recovery.