1. Reading by Third Grade is Way Too Late Pam Betten Director of School Improvement March 31, 2012

2. Demographics District Student Enrollment17,763 Hispanic 87.7% Anglo 5.6% Native American 4.1% African American 2.1% Asian/Pacific Islander 0.5% English Language Learners Grades K-5 42.1% Grades 6-8 23.4% Grades 9-12 16.2% K-12 31.6% Eligible for free and reduced meals 14,434 students 83.6% Homeless 5.8% Graduation Rate 70% Staff 1,128 Certified School site administrators 37 Central administrators 29 Support staff 1,044

3. Challenges and Barriers • ELL 4 Hour Model • S.B. 1070 anti-immigration • Segregated Schools • 49th out of 50th in State Funding • Dropout Factory image • Low literacy rates • No sense of urgency

4. Literacy Counts “Adolescents entering the adult world of the 21st century will read and write more than at any other time in human history. They will need advanced levels of literacy to perform their jobs, run their households, act as citizens and conduct their personal lives.” Richard Vacca

5. Reading By 3rd Grade Matters

6. Rising Literacy Demands • 25 fastest growing professions have far greater than average literacy demands • 25 fastest declining professions have lower than average literacy demands • Approximately 70% of new jobs will require post secondary education

7. Key Advances in new 2010 ELA Standards • Reading • Balance of literature and informational texts • Text complexity, depth of knowledge • Writing • Emphasis on argument and informative/explanatory writing • Writing about sources • Speaking and Listening • Inclusion of formal and informal talk • Focus on student presentations • Language • Stress on general academic and domain-specific vocabulary

8. A.R.S. 15-704 Reading Delivery System • Presently being implemented by LEAs in K-3 programs: • Select and administer screening, ongoing diagnostic and classroom based reading assessments • Evaluate and adopt a scientifically based reading curriculum that include essential components • Devote reasonable amount of time to explicit instruction and independent reading • Provide intensive reading instruction of 3rd grade students who do not meet or exceed the standards

9. Comprehensive Assessment System • Monitor student progress to inform instruction • Use data to make decisions • Use of assessments: • Outcome • Universal screening • Diagnostic • Progress Monitoring

10. A.R.S. 15-701 Move On When Reading • A student shall not be promoted from the third grade if the student obtains a score on the AIMS reading test that demonstrates he or she is reading far below the third grade level • Takes effect in the School year 2013-14 • Will impact this year’s 1st graders

11. Intervention • Children who are having difficulty learning to read do not, as a rule, need completely different instruction • The differences are primarily in intensity, quantity, and the maintenance of high quality literacy interactions.

12. Instructional Elements • Effective early interventions provide 4 essential instructional elements: • Alphabetic principle • Guided and independent reading of progressively more difficult texts • Engaging students in practicing comprehension strategies while reading text • Writing exercises

13. Critical Components for Remediation Plan • Comprehensive assessments • Evidence based instructional materials • Explicit, systematic instruction • Data driven instructional/intervention model • TIME • Exit plan

14. Time Allocations for the Remediation Year • Tier 1 – grade level core • 90 minutes per day uninterrupted instruction • AND • Tier 2 – targeted intervention • 45-50 minutes per day • OR • Tier 3 – intensive intervention • 60-75 minutes per day Total Time 90 + 45/50 = 135/140 minutes/day (Tier 1 & 2) 90 +60/75 = 150/165 minutes/day (Tier 1 & 3)

15. Sunnyside’s Literacy Initiative

17. Sunnyside’s Literacy Initiative Walk-to-Read • Walk-to-Read K-5 • Students are grouped by reading and language proficiency to accommodate ELD needs. • 90 to 120 minute block of reading instruction • Based on NRP Big 5: • phonetic awareness • phonics • vocabulary • comprehension • fluency • Walk-to-Read in Middle School • Students are grouped by reading proficiency • ELD students grouped separately by language proficiency according to AZELLA • Homogeneous grouping allows for focused instruction

18. Sunnyside’s Literacy Initiative Literacy Interventions • Interventions K-5 • Mind Play, reading Plus, Lexia, DynEd (Technology) • SFA, Read Well, REACH, Voyager • Interventions Middle and High School • Reading Plus, DynEd, Read 180, System 44 • Inside (MS), Edge (HS)

19. Thank you Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Cohn $25,000 Kindle Literacy Program