Implementation - Schools
The remarkable progress made by children participating in Reading Recovery shows a high percentage of at-risk students can achieve success. This section provides schools with information about the benefits of Reading Recovery and the resources required for effective implementation.
Early intervention
The key to success is intervention with specialised teaching that enables students to improve quickly, before they are labelled as ‘failures’. Early intervention can:
- build on strengths
- encourage success and independence
- strengthen self esteem
- enhance a natural desire to learn.
Student progress
Reading Recovery enables students to become active and independent readers and writers, better able to join in the daily literacy activities of the classroom.
Benefits for teachers
Reading Recovery teachers become literacy specialists developing keen observational skills and a repertoire of intervention strategies that can be adapted to meet the individual needs of at-risk students.
Series of lessons
Students are selected for Reading Recovery based on individual assessment measures . Their usual classroom literacy program is then supplemented with daily one-to-one lessons of thirty minutes with a specially trained teacher. Lessons consist of a variety of reading and writing experiences designed to help children develop effective reading and writing strategies.
Intervention length
The Reading Recovery intervention runs for 12-20 weeks, depending on the rate of progress made by each student. It continues until the student can read within or above the class average and has demonstrated the use of independent reading and writing strategies. The student’s lesson series is then discontinued, providing the opportunity for another student to be selected for Reading Recovery.
Two positive outcomes
Reading Recovery has two positive outcomes. One positive outcome is that the student is able to continue progressing in the classroom without the additional support of Reading Recovery. The second positive outcome is that a student who has made progress in Reading Recovery, but not caught up to his peers, is identified for further help.
Commitment
Expressions of interest for schools’ participation in Reading Recovery are invited in Term Four of each year. Schools are encouraged to consider this when developing their Strategic plans.
Making it work
The effective implementation of Reading Recovery requires a team approach. The Principal and School Council, in conjunction with teachers, make a commitment to maintaining:
- the quality of Reading Recovery as it operates within the school
- the underlying fundamental principles of Reading Recovery, including daily teaching of children selected to participate
- shared responsibility in reducing reading failure within the school through support from the whole school community.
Making a difference
Implementation of Reading Recovery requires enough Reading Recovery teaching time to ensure that all Year 1 students in need of additional assistance (approximately 20 per cent) have access to Reading Recovery.
Lesson participation
Students in Reading Recovery should be given individual half-hour sessions, five days per week. The cost-effectiveness of Reading Recovery is reduced if the student does not participate in daily lessons.
Year-long intensive training
New Reading Recovery teachers participate in a year-long inservice program conducted by a trained Reading Recovery Tutor. The year-long program integrates theory and practice and is characterised by intensive interaction with colleagues.
Ongoing professional development
Following this training year, Reading Recovery teachers continue their specialised professional development through ongoing interaction with their colleagues, Tutors and Reading Recovery Trainers.
Through training and ongoing professional development Reading Recovery teachers become literacy specialists developing keen observational skills and a repertoire of intervention strategies that can be adapted to meet the individual needs of at-risk students.
Adequate resources
Schools require the following to ensure that Reading Recovery is implemented and operated effectively:
- appropriate time allocated for teachers to meet daily teaching requirements and attend in-service sessions in both initial and ongoing training years
- a quiet and adequately furnished workplace
- funding for books and other requisites
- the nomination of a staff member to train as an Independent Observer, who undergoes two days training in administering the Observation Survey of Early Literacy Achievement and is then able to discontinue students from the lesson series
- the collection of student data at the time of entry and exit from Reading Recovery.
Effective monitoring
Schools need to manage the monitoring of students once they have completed the series of Reading Recovery lessons. The progress of students should be checked to ensure that they are continuing to make progress. It is recommended that students are regularly monitored for the following three years and that individual support is provided if needed.
Parent involvement
Parental involvement is integral to the success of Reading Recovery. Parents should be invited to an initial meeting with the teacher when the student is selected to participate in Reading Recovery. In addition, consultation between parents and class teachers is recommended during the course of the intervention, including observation and discussion of lessons.
See: Reading Recovery: A guide for parents (PDF - 222Kb)
Small schools
There are special considerations for small schools participating in Reading Recovery.