Implementing a team-tutoring program for literacy instruction
Abstract
Low-performing readers can benefit from regular one-on-one instruction with a volunteer tutor. However, many programs face difficulties recruiting volunteers who are willing to commit to multiple sessions during the week. With funding from a grant from the Michael Eisner Foundation, the Frostig Center developed the Reading Partnership Program, which provides students with a team of volunteer tutors. The team-tutoring approach provides each student with an hour of one-on-one instruction four days a week. This effective practice shares the program's methods for recruiting tutors and implementing a team-tutoring system.
Issue
Using proactive recruitment methods to enlist community members for effective team tutoring, and providing quality literacy instruction to students as a result.
Action
Program Set Up
Getting into the community early to make contacts with local stakeholders was crucial for attracting potential volunteers. Local merchants, library personnel, and corporate volunteer programs provided publicity support through their respective channels.
To attract the large group of community volunteers required for program success, notices were placed in:
- Local newspapers
- Community organization newsletters
- Local cable access channel
- Online resources, such as VolunteerMatch.org
Staff members of the participating organizations were also encouraged to spread the word through their networks of professional and social contacts.
When the initial recruitment effort resulted in a smaller-than-anticipated volunteer pool, a new focus was centered on building relationships with the work-study and service-learning programs of local colleges, such as AmericaReads Federal Work-Study and CAL WORKS.
Using students from Pasadena City College CAL WORKS job development program proved very beneficial. These tutors were excellent role models: they came from the community and were enrolled in post-secondary classes despite facing adverse economic and family situations.
Establishing the program quickly and efficiently would have been much more difficult without first making a site visit to a similarly constructed project. This allowed for:
- Observation of tutors being trained
- Observation of tutors interacting with students
- Discussions with staff about positive and negative aspects of the project design
Tutoring
Tutors attended team-building sessions before and during each 10-12 week period of instruction. It was found that the 12-week sessions enabled students to more easily complete a full level of the reading program, even if they missed some days of instruction.
Each tutor made a commitment to work at least two of the four days per week that instruction was offered. Although students didn't always work with the same tutors, tutors were rotated to assure that every student worked with a "team" of two tutors each day they attended the Reading Partnership Program. The 2:1 ratio also allowed students to interact with more than one tutoring style and adult role model.
The program used the Corrective Reading Program by Science Research Associates. The scripted, highly sequential, and extremely organized curriculum provided a good structure and adequate support for the volunteer tutors who received as little as two hours of initial training.
Additionally, tutors logged detailed notes of every student's tutoring session so that the following team of tutors would know exactly where the student had left off in the curriculum. These notes included:
- The date of tutor session
- Names of tutors
- Lesson number
- If the lesson was not completed, which exercise was last finished
- Observations of any difficulties the students may have had with the lesson.
After completing a full level of the program students received certificates, which motivated students and parents to continue their involvement in the program.
Context
The Boys and Girls Club of Pasadena proved to be a good base from which to draw students into the program. Students were already on site because they were enrolled in after-school or summer programs. Parents knew and trusted the staff and readily agreed to participate in a tutoring program.
Outcome
The Reading Partnership Program served 58 students, ages 10 to 15. All participating students received direct one-on-one instruction from a trained tutor for one hour a day, four days a week, during 10- to 12-week sessions.
With the focus of instruction on improving decoding skills, the students averaged seven months growth in only two-and-one-half or three months of intervention. This is a significant finding, as most of the students in the program were below-average achievers yet their growth rate was better than that of students achieving at normal levels. Some improvement in reading comprehension and vocabulary skills were seen, even though that was not a focus of instruction.
A majority (65 percent) of volunteers came into the program largely as the result of presentations to the community through high schools, colleges, community organizations, and media sources. Another 29 percent of the volunteers were recruited from word-of-mouth connections.
An indication of possible volunteer retention came at the end of the year as many asked when the program would start again so they could participate once more.
Parents and children spoke glowingly about the support they received from program staff and volunteers. Parents and grandparents excitedly noted the improved behavior, grades, and attention to study for children who participated in the program.
Evidence
To determine eligibility for the Reading Partnership, applicants were administered the Corrective Reading placement test and the decoding / word recognition sub-test of the Wide Range Achievement Test -Third Edition (WRAT-III). Applicants who scored one or more years below grade level on the WRAT-III were eligible to participate in the Reading Partnership Program. Students whose score on the WRAT-III was 18 or more months below grade level had priority admission status.
Once accepted to the Reading Partnership Program, students were administered the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test to assess silent reading comprehension and reading vocabulary skills. Although the focus of instruction for the Reading Partnership was on decoding skills, students did practice reading comprehension. Since students who decode poorly often fail to comprehend adequately, it seemed important to consider if improving decoding skills might result in improved comprehension.
Improvement in reading abilities was measured primarily through pre and post administration of the WRAT-III. Since the focus of instruction was on improving decoding skills, the WRAT-III, which provides a standardized measure of decoding skills through a word recognition task, was chosen as the most direct measure of achievement.
Additionally, some improvement in reading comprehension and vocabulary skills were seen. The Gates-MacGinitie was used to measure improvement in these skill areas. Although the improvement was not as dramatic as for decoding skills, the focus of instruction was not directly aimed at improving reading comprehension or vocabulary.
Posted On
May 1, 2001For More Information
Source Documents
Related Practices
Related sites
Keywords:
- Login or register to post comments
-
- Print-friendly page
- Send to friend