WHAT IS THE ALABAMA READING INITIATIVE

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WHAT IS THE ALABAMA READING INITIATIVE?
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• A statewide movement
• Anchored by reading research
• Aimed at ultimately achieving
• grade-level reading for all of
• Alabamas public school students

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HOW IS IT ACHIEVING ITS GOAL?

• Through intensive teacher development efforts
  that are the heart and soul of the initiative.

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HOW ARE READING INITIATIVE SCHOOLS SELECTED?

• It is voluntary
• Schools are selected from a pool of applicants
  who make 7 commitments

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SEVEN COMMITMENTS OF ARI SCHOOLS

• 1. Set 100 literacy as a goal.
• 2. Achieve commitment of at least 85 percent of
  faculty.
• 3. Attend the 10-day training program.
• 4. Be led by the principal.

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SEVEN COMMITMENTS OF ARI SCHOOLS

• 5. Adjust their reading instruction accordingly.
• 6. Model research-based reading instruction for
  other schools.
• 7. Be evaluated by an outside evaluator.

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GROWTH IN THE NUMBER OF ARI SCHOOLS

• 16 schools in 1998-1999
• 81 schools in 1999-2000
• 267 schools in 2000-2001
• 423 schools in 2001-2002
• 449 schools in 2002-2003

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BUILDING CAPACITY

• Trained 17,000 teachers
• Trained 300 reading coaches
• Certified 500 trainers
• Provided technical assistance
• through 15 regional coaches

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EARLY SUCCESSES

• 1,500,000 in contributions from businesses,
  professional organizations, and government
  supported the first two training efforts.
• 17,000 teachers in the 449 schools gave rave
  reviews to the first training institutes.

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EARLY SUCCESSES

• The Alabama legislature has
• appropriated funds for 4 years
  6,000,000, 10,000,000, 11,300,000, and
  12,500,000.
• Three outside evaluators report that students in
  ARI schools score better than students in
  comparison schools.

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NATIONAL ATTENTION

• Wrote Alabamas story in the Winter 1999 journal
  published by the National Education Association.
• Received the State innovation award from the
  Education Commission of the States in August
  2002, for exemplary policy related to literacy.

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NATIONAL ATTENTION

• Were awarded one of first three Reading
• First grants in July, 2002 (102,000,000
• over six years).
• Spotlighted at White House Reading
• Summit in September, 2002.
• Were featured in U.S. Department of
• Education publication, The Achiever in
• November, 2002.

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HOW ALABAMA READING INITIATIVE (ARI) AND
SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES (SES) COOPERATED
EARLY 1996-2000
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COMMON GOAL All students learn to read well.

• DIFFERENT PATHS

All Students Read Well
SES
ARI
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• COOPERATIVE

RELATIONSHIP
All Students Read Well

• SBRR
• Intervention (3-12)
• Prevention (K-2)
• Professional Development
• Voluntary Approach

SES
ARI
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WAYS WE ASSISTED EACH OTHER EARLY

• Taking SBRR to High Schools
• Securing National Resources
• Seeking the best and brightest to serve
• on committees and as trainers
• Participating in each others training
• sessions
• Advocating for early assessment (K-2)
• of reading progress

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WHY IS THIS CONTEXT IMPORTANT?

• Had Already Established A Goal of ALL
• Students Reading on Grade Level
• Had Already Set the Expectation of Having A
  Research-based Program
• Had Already Established A Climate of
• Voluntary Competition
• Had Already Developed Professional Development
  Modules on Five Essential Components and a Cadre
  of Certified Professional Development Providers

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FINDINGS FROM THE ALABAMA READING INITIATIVE
EVALUATIONS
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ARI Schools Stanford 9 Reading Scores
Cumulative Reading Comprehension Gains
Chart 1
1.8
1.8
Data is based on gains
1.6
Cohort 1
of individual students
relative to their scores
1.4
Cohort 2
one year earlier
Cohort 3
1.2
1.1
1.0
1.1
NCE Point Gain Relative to non-ARI Schools
0.8
0.8
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.2
0.1
0.0
Cohort 1 16 Schools Cohort 2 65 Schools Cohort
3 186 Schools TOTAL 267 Schools
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ARI Schools Stanford 9 Reading Scores
Average Reading Comprehension Gains, by Grade
Level

Chart 3
0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
NCE Points Relative to Non-ARI Schools
0.3
0.2
0.1
0.0
Elementary
Middle
High
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OTHER HIGHLIGHTS FROM SPECIFIC EVALUATIONS

• Year 2 - Population of struggling readers
  decreased by 10
• Year 2 - Discipline referrals decreased
• - 67 after two years
• - 23 in first year
• Year 2 - Special Education referrals decreased
• - by 28 over two years
• - by 14 in one year

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM SPECIFIC EVALUATIONS

• Year 4 - Cohorts 1, 2, and 3 are still faring
  well. Gains are not yet visible in Cohort
  4.
• Year 4 - In higher-achieving schools
• Systematic phonics programs are used more
  frequently school-wide
• Code emphasis reading programs are used more
  frequently with struggling readers

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TAKING VARIABLE PERFORMANCE SERIOUSLY
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FACT

• The Year 3 Evaluation of the ARI and the Year 1
  Evaluation of Reading Excellence Act (REA)
  identified 78 out of 267 schools where gains were
  less than the gains made by non-participating
  schools.

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WHAT WE CHANGED IMMEDIATELY

• Halted the rapid expansion of ARI and
• put more emphasis on ongoing
• professional development
• Recertified Cohort 1 schools
• Retooled the 78 schools not making
• sufficient progress

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WHAT WE CHANGED IMMEDIATELY

• Used Put Reading First as training text
• Devoted 50 of professional
• development time to
• - modeling with students
• - having teachers practice with students
• Offered DIBELS assessment to 323 ARI
• schools

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TRANSITION TO READING FIRST (ARFI)
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IN TARGARETED READING FIRST SCHOOLS

• Required the purchase of a scientifically based
  
• comprehensive reading program from a short
  list of
• programs approved by the SDE.
• Required each ARFI school to hire a full time
  reading
• coach.
• Are preparing ARFI principals, reading coaches,
  and
• district reading coordinators to assume
  their instructional
• leadership roles.
• Will hold two monthly professional development
  meetings
• for the ARFI reading coaches to build SBRR
  expertise in
• every ARFI school.

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FOR STATEWIDE IMPACT

• Will administer DIBELS
• statewide in 2003-2004.
• Will provide professional
• development to all K, 1, 2, and 3
• teachers beginning in 2003,
• utilizing Teacher Reading
• Academies.

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PROVIDING LEADERSHIP AND SUPPORT

• Hired nine additional reading
• coaches to work only with the
• ARFI-eligible LEAs in 2002 and
• the selected ARFI schools in 2003.
• Dedicated the equivalent of two full-
• time senior ARI staff to ARFI.

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TOWARD COORDINATEDSTATEWIDE READINGACTIVITY
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Four Sections Within the SEA are Currently
Involved in Literacy-related Activities

• Alabama Reading Initiative (ARFI)
• Special Education Services (BRM,
• Language!, Direct Instruction)
• Federal Programs (NCLB)
• Classroom Improvement (Standards,
• Assessment, Textbooks, Assistance to
• Failing Schools)

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• Standards Revised reading standard
• Assessment Replaced state-developed K-2
• assessments with DIBELS.
• Accountability Four sections have worked
• together extensively.
• Professional Development Agreed to use
• Teacher Reading Academies to train both
• K, 1, 2, and 3 teachers over next four years,
  
• currently working on a joint principal
• professional development effort.

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• Instructional Materials Federal Programs is
• promoting programs approved for ARFI
• schools, and we could impact the textbook
• review process.
• Monitoring Regional coaches provide constant
• feedback to state staff regarding
  implementation
• Federal Programs will provide outside
• monitoring.
• Management Department Management Team
• holds meetings periodically. All four
  sections
• participate on State Reading Leadership Team.

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LEADERSHIP
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• Any worthwhile endeavor
• necessarily involves obstacles.
• The more worthwhile the
• endeavor, the more the obstacles.
• Leaders must inspire others to
• overcome obstacles.

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• Knowing how to do a job is the
• accomplishment of labor.
• Showing others how to do a job is the
• accomplishment of teaching.
• Making sure that the work is done is
• the accomplishment of management.
• Inspiring others to do better work is
• the accomplishment of leadership.

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CONTACT INFORMATION

• Website www.alsde.edu
• Click Sections
• Click Alabama Reading Initiative
• Click Alabama Reading First
  Initiative
• Contact Katherine Mitchell
• kmitchll_at_alsde.edu
• 334-353-1570

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