Newsletters

In the January Issue:

Implementing Theories in the Classroom Setting

Reading specialists agree that informed instruction helps to compensate for, or even prevent reading difficulties before they develop, and greatly increases a student’s chances for achieving success and reading enjoyment. Sharon Weiss-Kapp, M.Ed., and Clinical Assistant Professor in the Language Laboratory at the MGH-Institute of Health Professions at Massachusetts General Hospital says, “Now we have the tools to apply this knowledge in the classroom in a way that meets the needs of individual students.”

It is important to consider the research behind the stages of reading acquisition and how theoretical knowledge is foundational in designing the most efficient instructional model. Once we understand the relationship between reading theory and practical application, we are able to make solid choices for technological products that best deliver the practice that many children need.

Many tutoring systems now contain an artificial-intelligence component. These programs track a student's work and make inferences about strengths and weaknesses in specific skill sets. An “intelligent agent” in a program can help move students along as they master skills, and provide additional practice when the student struggles. By no means do we consider intelligent agents a replacement for the classroom teacher; instead they serve to reinforce the lessons taught by the teacher and allow teachers to devote more instructional time to individual students and small groups. Lexia Learning Systems software incorporates an intelligent agent in its customized branching feature. For example, in the Early Reading program, Lexie the Lion provides positive feedback with each student response, and when necessary, supplies the student with additional, customized tasks to develop proficiency within an activity.

In addition to research on intelligent agents, executive functioning theory supports the efficacy of applied practice in executive skills. These skills include selective attention, planning, analysis, working memory, and performance monitoring, all of which are related to decoding skills. Many of the activities in the Lexia programs promote students’ use of executive management to successfully navigate through syllable types and spelling patterns. Meta-level skills, like phonological awareness (the ability to reflect on and manipulate the sound structure of language), are systematically organized to provide as much practice as students need to improve the skills that support their learning. Developing readers come to understand the “whys” and “how’s” behind the many rules of reading. By learning to identify the first and last sounds in a word, or learning about rhyming words, students become increasingly aware of the sounds of certain letters and letter combinations. The Lexia programs identify rhymes and provide practice in segmenting and blending of word parts to reinforce letter-sound correspondence skills. Once a reader can manipulate these sounds, it is much easier for them to recognize language patterns.

Weiss-Kapp also stresses the importance of monitoring time-on-task. Developing readers need time to practice, feel comfortable with, and master a skill before they move on to more advanced concepts. Thus, progress monitoring must be built directly into the instructional cycle. Instruction, followed by practice, with reinforcement for specific skills provided on an as-needed basis is a proven model of learning success. As a student becomes familiar with the material, they develop mastery and also build confidence; that confidence can help promote fluency. Success for all students is based on mapping practice to instruction and closely monitoring their progress. Assessment technology like the Lexia Quick Reading Test® can help teachers to align the various levels of practice with the needs of each individual student which ensures the most efficient use of student time on the software.

These practical applications of theoretical knowledge can be mapped to Torgesen & Greenberg’s Three-Tier Model and can be applied to Response to Intervention (RTI) models.

Click here for more information about using Lexia with the Three-Tier Model.

Success Story: Helping Youth to Read

As published in the The Springfield Republican
Springfield, MA
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
By Cicily Corbett

Pick a social problem in the city, any problem. Joblessness. Violence. Vandalism. Litter. Now trace it back to the root causes, and look for a real solution. The answer is always the same: education.

A good educational system means a skilled work force. It means citizens who can read a lease, understand a contract, follow directions, think logically—citizens who understand the connection between their behavior and the smooth functioning of the whole community.

Now ask any educator the basis of a good education, and you're sure to get this answer: reading. Reading teaches us to think in abstract terms, to make logical connections, to develop a sustained attention span. Finally, reading allows us to communicate with others across time and space, giving us access to the whole universe of human thought.

Programs and activities which improve reading skills, therefore, in or out of school, are valuable and should be applauded. One program tried out last year with great success at the YMCA of Greater Springfield's North End Youth Center is Lexia, one of the best-known and respected reading software programs in the country.

Through the efforts of Lexia sales representative Aaron Somoza and David Cruise, the LiteracyWorks project director at the Hampden County Regional Employment Board, 50 Lexia licenses were donated to the youth center, and the staff was trained in its use. The youth center has been using Lexia software for a full school year.

Lexia was developed in 1984 by Robert Lemire, the parent of a dyslexic child, and by Dr. Edwin Cole, noted neurologist and head of the Reading Clinic at the Massachusetts General Hospital, and Dr. Littleton Meeks, an expert in technology. It’s now used in more than 12,000 schools as well as homes, prisons, and a variety of after-school programs. It's easy, it's fun and it works.

Students pick from a variety of colorful, appealing modules which teach and reinforce reading skills (such as syllable counting, sound matching, or knowing when to keep silent “e”). Wearing headphones, they hear the lesson as they see it. As they master each section, they move ahead. Results are tracked so that individual and group progress can be evaluated.

David Caruana, part-time computer specialist at the youth center, praised the program. With only 20 minutes per child per day, he’s noted lots of progress. The modules synchronize nicely with what the children are learning in school, he explained. Caruano would love to do a controlled study at the North End Youth Center to showcase the results he's seen.

Somoza cited a 3-year longitudinal study published in May in the Journal of Research and Reading looking at the efficiency of Lexia. Improvement was especially dramatic for Title I students (students in schools with high numbers or high percentages of poor children).

More than 75 percent of all public school students in Springfield live in households at or below the federal poverty line. Statewide, it's only 28 percent; at Gerena and Lincoln schools in Springfield’s North End, the figures are 90 percent and 94 percent, respectively.

In the coming year, coordination will be improved between Lexia, the public schools, and the YMCA.

“One of the things we want to do in the fall is to connect up what they’re doing in the software with the school to ensure a seamless delivery system,” said Cruise. Susan Cassidy, associate executive director of the community services branch of the YMCA, says the Y has plans down the road “to coordinate it with the schools of our students.”

Cruise also would like to focus on more training for YMCA staff, and exploring other uses for the software, such as for adult literacy programs during the school day, when the North End Youth Center is not being used by children. With 50 user licenses available, and Lexia committed to making its newest versions available to the YMCA, a lot of progress in learning to read can be made by Springfield citizens. ©2006 The Republican

ANNOUNCING—Lexia Quick Reading Test® 2.0!

The new Lexia Quick Reading Test 2.0 is now available and will make testing and placement of your students easier than ever. If you are already using Lexia reading software, this quick screening will quickly and easily place new students exactly where they belong in the program. No guesswork, no placing students too low or too high. Practice begins at the point where the student needs it.

Are you already using Lexia Quick Reading Test? Then you will be pleased to know that this new version is network-enabled, integrates into the Lexia common management system, and automatically places new students in the appropriate level of reading software. If you are new to Lexia software, then you will find this computerized diagnostic tool generates an efficient, accurate assessment of students' decoding skills. In minutes, it tracks responses, interprets them, and generates reports that pinpoint where practice or instruction is needed. Whether you are using this to place your students or to periodically monitor their decoding skills progress, you will find that this is a great time saver. Click here to read more about this latest generation of Lexia assessment software or contact your local reseller to find out how you can get started. It could be the easiest decision you make today.