In reading, differing styles with a common goal

Philosophies about literacy vary substantially among area school districts.

In East Prairie and Sikeston, a Reading First initiative has begun. The federal program provides money and support for elementary schools to implement teaching methods backed by scientifically based research. Schools receiving Reading First grants must follow a set of stringent guidelines, including providing all students with 90 minutes of uninterrupted reading instruction a day. Students who are below grade level receive up to 60 additional minutes of reading instruction on top of the mandatory 90.

Many teacher editions of textbooks that qualify to be used under Reading First spell out what should be taught every day, activities to follow and even specific questions to ask or comments to make.

This differs from Cape Girardeau's and Jackson's approach, called balanced literacy, which allows teachers more flexibility in selecting materials and in tailoring instruction to meet student needs. Reading textbooks are not used; instead individual stories are selected for students grouped by skill level.

"There is a great amount of flexibility as long as teachers are continuing to assess and are abiding by the school's curriculum and state standards," said Shannon Heisserer, an instructional facilitator for Jackson.

East Prairie applied for a Reading First grant last year and did not receive one, but implemented the program anyway with limited funds. This year the district received $400,000 after reapplying for the grant. Similarly, Sikeston was not granted federal money this year but decided to emulate the program.

Reading First is a cornerstone of the No Child Left Behind act, and between 2002 and 2006 the federal government spent about $4.2 billion on the program. Missouri received about $17 million in 2006. In 2005, 68 districts and 113 schools participated.

Eligibility is based on the percentage of students at the Census poverty line and on third-graders' scores on the state's communication arts exam. According to Shirley Hall, a reading coach for East Prairie, 53 Missouri districts applied for a grant last year but only 17 received them. Other schools receiving grants in Southeast Missouri this year include Poplar Bluff and Clarkton.

Woodland School District in Bollinger County is in its third year of funding. "Before we used the Four-Blocks approach, where much more was left to teacher discretion. That's where we found a gap in our instruction. There was a lack of consistency," said Pam Bandermann, the district's director of federal programs and grants.

Woodland saw a jump from 14.7 percent to 43.5 percent of students being classified as proficient on the state communication arts exam between 2005 and 2006, a change the district attributes in part to Reading First. "The approach is very systematic, very specific. There is nothing left for guess or for chance," Bandermann said.

On a statewide level, the percentage of third-graders participating in Reading First scoring proficient on the state communication arts exam increased from 25.6 percent to 37.2 between 2005 and 2006.

The program has proved to be a big adjustment for some teachers in Sikeston, who now use hand-held computers to assess students' fluency levels and reading comprehension.

"There is a lot of information for the teachers to absorb," said Sikeston Kindergarten Center principal Jennifer Hobeck. Students in kindergarten through fourth grade are participating in the program.

Another challenge has been implementing work stations for students to rotate through while the teacher works with small groups of children, said Angela Zorbas, a principal at Matthews Elementary.

Teachers spent a week over the summer training for the new program. During the 90-minute block, only reading can be taught. Spelling, writing and grammar must be taught outside of the allotted time. Teaching methods focus strongly on vocabulary, fluency, phonics and comprehension.

Students classified as Tier 2 students, meaning they scored below grade level on Reading First assessments, are supposed to receive an additional 30 minutes of reading instruction, generally from the teacher. Students classified as Tier 3, meaning they are substantially below grade level, receive an extra half-hour on top of that, generally from a reading coach.

While balanced literacy and Reading First programs both call for work stations, small-group instruction and texts labeled by difficulty, there are some differences. In Cape Girardeau and Jackson, reading instruction is more fluid.

Balanced literacy at Cape Girardeau consists of reading, writing, word building and independent reading, which can be taught at different times of the day. Proponents of balanced literacy say a grade-level text can cause student frustration because not all students are on the same level even if they are in the same grade. Balanced literacy libraries provide books specific to the level the child is working at.

Bonnie Knowlan, principal at South Elementary in Jackson, stressed that although balanced literacy may not be as rigid as Reading First, it is also based in proven methods.

"Balanced literacy has enough good strategies that teachers are not out there reinventing the wheel every day," she said.

lbavolek@semissourian.com

Reading specialist Jennie Webb followed along with kindergartener Kalin Ellis during a small group reading session Wednesday at South Elementary in Jackson.

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