School & College

Reading Recovery

Introduction
Establishing Reading Recovery in a school
Reading Recovery teacher training
Case studies
Information for parents of Reading Recovery students
References
Contacts

Introduction

Reading Recovery is early literacy intervention which was developed in New Zealand by educator and psychologist, Dame Marie Clay. It is the result of intensive research to explore the extent to which it is possible to undercut reading failure in an education system through a series of early intervention lessons.

Reading Recovery has been adopted as an effective literacy intervention in countries including New Zealand, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. It was first implemented in Tasmania in 2000.

The key to success

Reading Recovery demonstrates that high percentages of at-risk students can achieve success. The key to success is intervention with specialised teaching that will enable students to improve quickly before they are labelled as failures.

Reading Recovery lessons must occur daily. The power of early intervention to effect change is diminished if the child is not attending or the teacher is not available to teach. Principals must protect the teacher's daily access to her pupils in the interests of achieving the greatest progress in the minimum number of lessons. When daily, intensive programing is not achieved the quality of the teaching and the outcomes of the intervention can be seriously affected.

Essential to the success of the intervention is the in-service training for teachers. These experienced, early childhood literacy teachers participate in a year-long in-service training conducted by a certified Reading Recovery teacher trainer.

Establishing Reading Recovery in a school

The school will:

nominate for training, in consultation with the school community, a teacher who meets the established selection criteria
ensure the early literacy intervention is delivered daily according to Reading Recovery standards
enhance their literacy strategy through a team approach involving school leadership, classroom teachers and the Reading Recovery teacher
follow due process for identifying students
monitor and support the progress of students beyond their participation in Reading Recovery
nominate a teacher to assist the Reading Recovery teacher in the assessment, identification, post testing and monitoring of students, according to their specific educational system's guidelines
advise parents of their child's inclusion in Reading Recovery.

Parents of Reading Recovery students are encouraged to work in partnership with the school by:

maintaining their commitment to their child's regular attendance at school
supporting their child's participation in literacy learning activities.

Identification of students for participation in Reading Recovery

At the beginning of each year, students in year one who are having difficulty learning to read and write are identified for Reading Recovery. The Reading Recovery teacher then administers Clay's Observation Survey to all these students.

Student progress

Reading Recovery requires careful record keeping and ongoing monitoring of student progress. Evaluation and data collection are therefore in accordance with recognised international standards for implementing Reading Recovery.

The Reading Recovery teacher

The primary responsibility of the Reading Recovery teacher is to teach students in the school setting. The teacher also works closely with other colleagues in the school as well as effectively communicating with the parents of Reading Recovery students.

Teachers selected have:

recent successful experience in teaching literacy in the early years of schooling
active membership of a recognised teaching service
commitment to the program for the training year.

The teacher is responsible for:

identifying students with the greatest need in literacy learning
implementing Reading Recovery in a school
collecting, analysing and maintaining student data to inform their teaching and the education system
communicating with school personnel and parents.

Reading Recovery teacher training

Reading Recovery teachers are trained over a period of one year by Reading Recovery teacher trainers (tutors). During this year, teachers:

teach a minimum of four students individually in daily lessons of 30 minutes, five days per week
participate in assessment training sessions in systematic observational procedures
participate in scheduled professional development sessions
participate in school visits with the Reading Recovery teacher trainer and colleagues as requested to discuss student progress and improve teaching practice
teach for their peers as required
collect and analyse data on students.

Ongoing Reading Recovery teacher professional development

Following the training year, teachers who are continuing to implement Reading Recovery:

teach daily the required number of students as directed by the school principal
attend scheduled professional development sessions
collect, analyse and maintain data on students
teach for their peers as required
consult with the teacher trainer about students not making satisfactory progress and other implementation issues
take the opportunity to participate in visits to colleagues
receive visits from the Reading Recovery teacher trainer
submit annual student data to the Reading Recovery teacher trainer for review and subsequent submission to the nominated coordinating executive office.

Case studies

Reading Recovery at Latrobe Primary School [Word 34KB]
Reading Recovery at Perth Primary School [Word 49KB]
Reading Recovery at Snug Primary School [Word 50KB]

Information for parents of Reading Recovery students

Reading Recovery is an early literacy intervention that provides specialist one to one teaching for students who have made slow progress learning to read and write after their first year of school. This catch-up opportunity is designed for identified students who are in a regular year 1 classroom. With one to one teaching children make faster progress because the teacher can design the lessons to suit a particular student's strengths.

What happens in a Reading Recovery lesson?

This intervention is intensive language support with reading and writing. It involves daily 30-minute lessons, working in a one-to-one teaching situation out of the classroom. The series of lessons usually run for twelve to twenty weeks. Each day your child will write a short story and read several little books.

You are welcome to visit your school and sit in on a lesson with your child and the Reading Recovery teacher. This is best done a few weeks after your child has begun the intervention. Contact your child's Reading Recovery teacher to arrange this visit. Parents are also encouraged to contact their child's Reading Recovery teacher to discuss their child's progress at any stage of the series of lessons.

How can I help my child?

Your interest and support will be of valuable assistance and will help your child to make good progress in Reading Recovery. Attendance at school is vital. Daily lessons are essential for children who have found literacy learning hard. In Reading Recovery each day's lesson builds on the learning of the day before so it is very important that your child attends school every day.

Parents are asked to hear their child read a sent home text (which will be of an easy level) each night. Take an interest in and discuss these stories with your child. After the first 10 lessons, the child may also take home a cut-up sentence (of the story he/she has written). It is helpful if your child reassembles the story at home and reads it.

References

Clay, M. Marie. (2005). Literacy lessons designed for individuals, Parts One and Two. Auckland: Heinemann Education.

Clay, M. M. and Watson, B. (1981). An Inservice Programme for Reading Recovery Teachers. Education 4 (19), 22-27. Reprinted in Clay, Marie M. (1982). Observing young readers: Selected papers. Exeter, NH: Heinemann Educational Books

Clay, M. M. (2002). An observation survey of early literacy achievement (2nd ed.). Auckland: Heinemann Education.

Australian Reading Recovery Trainers' Organisation: National Set of standards for Reading Recovery

Contacts

For more detailed information please contact:

Elaine Pedersen
Reading Recovery Teacher Trainer
Ph: 03 - 6229 8137
Email: elaine.pedersen@education.tas.gov.au

Ann Wise
Reading Recovery Teacher Trainer
Ph: 03 - 6229 8137
Email: ann.wise@education.tas.gov.au

Sally Rowlands
Reading Recovery Teacher Trainer
Ph: 03 – 6424 5310
Email: sally.rowlands@education.tas.gov.au

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