Colleagues:
 
The following post is from Michelle Meeks.  The discussion on the STAR
program has sparked a lot of interest on other discussion lists as well.
On the NLA (National Literacy Advocacy List), the discussion is highly
focused on reading instruction and what research the instruction is
based on.  The ARCS and Assessment Strategies and Reading Profiles is
also discussed.  There is also a discussion thread on the Adult Literacy
Professional Development List.
 
ASRP/ARCS is at http://www.nifl.gov/readingprofiles/index.htm
 
Subscribe or view the archives of the NLA at
http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/aaace-nla/
 
Subscribe or view the archives of the Adult Literacy Professional
Development List at
(http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Professionaldevelopment)  
 
Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator
 
******
                                         
The STAR program seems very similar to the ARCS information located on
the NIFL website.  Using the ARCS website in conjunction with Susan
McShane's book - Applying Research in Reading Instruction for Adults is
awesome!  I would suggest everyone take a look at these 2 resources as
well as the STAR.   Locating which of the 4 components of reading an
adult is struggling with will help you streamline instruction and not
spend time playing detective as to what the student needs.  
 
Michelle Meeks, Director
San Juan College Project Read
203 W. Main
Farmington, NM  87401
(505) 326-3503
meeksm at sanjuancollege.edu
GOT STRENGTHS? - Adaptability, Communication, Positivity, Relator, and
Strategic
 
"Serenity Now!"
            Frank Costanza

  _____  

From: assessment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces at nifl.gov]
On Behalf Of Tina_Luffman at yc.edu
Sent: Wednesday, February 07, 2007 5:48 PM
To: The Assessment Discussion List
Subject: [Assessment 649] Re: STAR Struck for Reading Instruction
 
Marie,
 
In college I did research into whole language versus phonics for Reading
acquisition in elementary schools. The reason for my interest in this
research was watching my older two children learn how to read well with
a more phonics-based program. When my younger two children entered
elementary school, the district switched to whole language. When I
visited their classrooms, the teacher stood in front of the room with a
large book and had the children "read" along with the text of a book
they had memorized. I had a fit. These kids had no idea what the words
said on that book. By the time these kids got to second grade, the
teachers were similarly having a fit wondering why many of their second
graders could barely read. My son, unfortunately,was one of them, and
the only reading he could do was from a one month summer school program
he went to that was phonics-based. His sister did not read as well as
her older siblings, either.
 
In my research I did learn that some children do learn better with whole
language, and that whole language does seem to create faster reading
comprehension rates. Other children tend to learn best with phonetic
decoding skills, learning the sounds of the letters, and then building
words from that. Phonics, however, does tend to create slower readers,
according to the whole language information I had read. 
 
I do not know if this resesarch is valid in adult education; however, I
am personally biased toward phonics-based reading methods, yet I do not
rule out entirely the value of some whole language. I am interested in
learning what STAR has to offer. I do not discount what Tom is saying
because he has been around long enough, as have many of the rest of the
NIFL list practitioners, to have seen many programs come and go. I am
new enough to Adult Education to be willing to give this new program a
chance.
 
Tina




Tina Luffman
Coordinator, Developmental Education
Verde Valley Campus
928-634-6544
tina_luffman at yc.edu
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