Transcript RIF Summer - Scholastic

PICTURE
HERE!
Summer Learning Loss:
Problems and
Research-Based
Solutions
Judy B. Cheatham, Ph.D.
Scholastic FACE Symposium
October 1 & 2, 2012
New Orleans
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RIF Overview
Founded in 1966, RIF is the
nation’s oldest and largest
children’s and families’ literacy
non-profit.
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RIF Overview
• Vision: A literate America in which all children have
access to books and discover the joys and value of
reading.
• Mission: RIF is dedicated to motivating young children to
read by working with children, their parents, and
community members to make reading a fun and
beneficial part of everyday life.
• Focus on Children 0-8 years
• Multicultural Initiative
• Parent Engagement
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Books For Ownership Program Overview
What?
• Book distributions
• Activities that encourage reading
• Family & community involvement
Where?
• 17,000 sites such as schools, libraries, Head Starts, clinics, and
community centers
• All 50 states, U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia
Who?
• Organizations serving children with an average of 80%
or greater free and reduced meal eligibility
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RIF Targets At-Risk Children
• Low-income children,
particularly in highpoverty areas
- 80% or more eligible
for free or reduced
lunch
• Military families
• Children with
Disabilities
• Foster children,
homeless children, and
migrant children
• Children without access
to libraries
• Institutionalized or
incarcerated children
• Children whose parents
are institutionalized or
incarcerated
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RIF Impact in 2011
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RIF Impact to Date
400 million new, free books to
more than 35 million children
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Loss of Federal Funding
30
25
20
15
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$24.8
million
$0
5
0
RIF's Federal Funding in FY10
RIF's Federal Funding in FY11
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National Literacy Grant Competition
• For FY11, Congress voted to eliminate the
federal funding RIF has received since 1976.
• In FY12, Congress provided $28 million for a
national literacy competition through the
Department of Education—half for school
libraries and half for national literacy
organizations.
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WHAT THE RESEARCH SAYS ABOUT
THE READING LANDSCAPE
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71% of children living in poverty cannot read
at the most basic level.
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America’s Literacy Crisis
• In low-income neighborhoods, there is only 1
book for every 300 children.
• 34% of children entering kindergarten lack the
basic language skills they will need to learn to
read.
• Only 1 in 5 low-income children read on grade
level by the end of 3rd grade.
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What Do We Know About Children and Reading?
• A child from a low-income family enters
kindergarten with a listening vocabulary of 3,000
words, while a child from a high-income family
enters with a listening vocabulary of 20,000
words.
• 88% of children who have difficulty reading at the
end of 1st grade display similar difficulties at the
end of 4th grade.
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What Do We Know About Children and Reading?
• 75% of students who are poor readers in 3rd grade
remain poor readers in high school; after 3rd grade,
cognitive demands increase yearly.
• 36% of American 4th graders read below the Basic
level on NAEP.
• Among 4th graders, 58% of African-American, 54% of
Hispanic, and 52% of American Indian children
scored below the Basic level on NAEP.
• 54% of all 4th graders eligible for free or reduced
lunch scored below the Basic level on NAEP.
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National Assessment of Educational Progress:
The Poverty Achievement Gap
Sources: National Center for Educational Statistics
Note: NSLP = National School Lunch Program (provides
free and reduced-priced lunches to children of lowincome families.)
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LITERACY (reading, writing, listening,
speaking) is the VEHICLE to content material,
• Science
• Social Studies
• Mathematics
• Health
• Technology
• Engineering
ESPECIALLY when LEARNING TO READ
changes to READING TO KNOW.
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Literacy Issues Can Affect Content . . .
Current State of Affairs: PISA
Math
China (PRC)
Science
US
US
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HERE’S the BIG PROBLEM:
The GAP doesn’t close!
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Current State of Affairs: Science NAEP
 Overall, 65% of 8th grade students scored at or above Basic in 2011
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian/Pacific
Islander
American
Indian/Alaska Native
Gender Gap
Race Gap
M
F
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7 Things a Person Needs to Know to Read English:
Back to Basics
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
The alphabet
Sounds and symbols
Concept of print
Vocabulary
Spelling patterns
Lots of sight words
Reflective practice
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Vocabulary Acquisition by Age 3
Children of Welfare Families
Children of Working Class Families
Children of Professional Families
0
500
1000
1500
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From Research in the Second Language Field . . .
Vocabulary: BICS vs. CALP
• Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills
(2 years to develop for ELLs)
– Develop through social situations in informal
school settings (cafeteria, playground, school
yard)
Cummins, 1984; Echevarria, Voght Short, 2008
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From Research in the Second Language Field . . .
Vocabulary: BICS vs. CALP
• Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency
(5-7 years to develop for ELLs)
– Content vocabulary (Tier THREE)
• Appears in specific areas of knowledge (math,
science, social studies, literature)
• Is TIER THREE vocabulary
• Is not used frequently
• Is thus more difficult for learners to internalize
Harmon, Wood, & Hedrick, 2006
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WHAT THE RESEARCH SAYS ABOUT
SUMMER READING LOSS:
CAUSES AND SOLUTIONS
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Summer “Slide”
• Learning loss that occurs anytime children are not in
school (summer as well as winter, fall, and spring
breaks)
• First documented in 1906, teacher of mathematics
• Subjects most affected – those that rely on skills that
require:
- constant repetition
- multiple opportunities for practice and feedback
- with a goal of automaticity
- like reading, writing, math, TIER THREE
vocabulary
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Summer “Slide”
The Loss?
• One month to three or even more of learning
from the PREVIOUS school year
The Implication?
• First day of school of new year: some children
know half to all the content material for the
coming year; other children have lost 1/4 -1/2
year of learning from last year
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Learning Loss and Socio-economics
• Middle income families – Enrichment activities
in the summer:
* parent at home, more educated
* travel
* camps
* bookstore and library in home or
neighborhood
*enrichment programs, classes
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Summer Reading Programs
as a Possible Solution to Close the Gap
• Kim and White (2008)
study
•
To prevent “decay” of
children’s reading
ability over summer,
children need a
program with at least
the FOUR following
components:
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Four Components of an Effective
Summer Reading Program
1. Access to books (6-8)
* at the individualized (lexiled), appropriate level
of difficulty for each learner
* with choice of topic within the lexiled level
2. Scaffolded activities and motivators
3. Professional development
4. Parent involvement
(Kim and White, 2008)
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Specifically, 2008 Kim and White Study
Found . . .
• Voluntary summer reading intervention
program with
* books based on lexiles and student interest
* specialized instruction by teachers, and
* directed scaffolding by parents
RESULTED in 1.7 to 5.1 months of additional
learning!
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Six Barriers to Parental Involvement
Many times,
• Parents do not believe
they can help.
• Parents do not feel
welcome at school.
• Schools do not provide
advice to parents
• Schools fail to alert
parents about
problems.
• Parents feel intimidated
by the school or vice
versa.
• Communication is not
two-way.
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Along with the “Usual Suspects”
• Lack of childcare
• Lack of transportation
• Lack of common language/culture
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New Study (Wilkins et al., 2012)
“Does a Summer Reading Program Based on Lexiles
Affect Reading Comprehension: A Final Report”
• Large scale, multi-districted study
• 8 books, matched to reading level and interest
area, chosen at the first of the summer
• Weekly postcard to parents
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RESULTS
• Program did not “move the needle” in terms
of improving reading scores
• Wilkins et al. concluded that, based on what
research says, this one did NOT include
scaffolded materials, teacher staff
development, multiple summers, parent
involvement, student responses to texts
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RIF - proposes a program that focuses on
SUMMER READING as part of a “cradle to
career” school/family literacy initiative
featuring
•
•
•
•
Books
Activities
Motivational events
Motivational collateral
• Staff Development
• Parent involvement
• Parent contact
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Books
• Choice and lexiles
• 6-8 per child, per summer
• Based on common core
– Half narration
– Half exposition
• STEAM-themed
– Tier 3 vocabulary
– Cradle to career focus
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Teachers
In-services and continuing focus on:
• Working with parents
• Helping children choose books
• Using the activities in the classroom and with
parents
• Common core alignment
• Exposition vs. narrative
• Tiers 1,2,3 vocabulary
• Active learning
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Parents
• On-going affirmation about their roles
• Special meetings at Summer and Fall Back to
School Reading Celebrations
• Special attention to parent activity sheets and
literacy calendars
• Weekly contact during summer reading, 6-8
weeks, via ways parents choose (text, phone,
email)
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Activities for Teachers, Parents, CBOs
Developed according to best practices
• Prediction, reflection, content connections
• Reading, writing, listening, speaking
• Multiple opportunities for learning
• Extension activities cross content boundaries
(tier 3 vocabulary) and promote active
learning
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Distribution
1. Family summer celebration kick-off
 Book-bag and motivational/educational
materials, including diary with both directed
and free writing prompts
 5 books, arranged according to topics and
lexiles on tables
 Food*
 Parent meeting, stressing parent’s role in
children’s learning and motivational activities
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Distribution (cont)
2. Weekly contact with parents, via the
method they choose (text, email, phone call) by
the school-based coordinator
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Distribution (cont.)
3. Four-week check-in
 3 books, on tables
 Flexible hours
 Another face to face time to touch base with
parents
 Additional scaffolded materials
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Two Award-Winning Expository
Texts from Scholastic
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Parting Thoughts and Suggestions:
•
•
•
•
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Whole school improvement
Multiple year program
Coordinator should be local and know parents
Pre-test and post-test
Keep your eyes on yearly progress from year
one
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And That Will Give Us . . .
• NOT the end;
• Book People Unite!
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