PATHS TO LITERACY INITIATIVES PROGRAMS
We train teachers to be leaders in reading recovery
The program for training in Reading Recovery prepares teachers to observe, assess and address reading problems in children in the first grade, using assessment, observation and early intervention/prevention and teaching procedures developed by Dr. Marie Clay. Two levels of training are offered: teacher training and teacher leader training.
The Georgia State University Reading Recovery Program meets the requirements established by Professor Marie M. Clay, the faculty of The Ohio State University College of Education & Human Development, and the Reading Recovery Council of North America (RRCNA). It has been granted a royalty-free license to use the name “Reading Recovery” in conjunction with the program.
This program is a fixed sequence with enrollment fall through the spring term. Admission to the program occurs once a year, and a school district and/or consortia must submit a site application and supporting materials. (Call 404-413-8252 for materials required for such applications.) The program begins in the summer with the Observation Survey Institute.
Students selected for training in Reading Recovery must apply for admission to an appropriate level of graduate study (e.g., nondegree, M.Ed., Ed.S., graduate transient) in the College of Education & Human Development and must meet published criteria for admission.
A student must earn a cumulative grade point average of 3.00 in Reading Recovery courses to become a registered Reading Recovery teacher or teacher leader. Completion of Reading Recovery Teacher Training or Reading Recovery Teacher Leader Training qualifies the completer for the Georgia Teacher Certification Reading Endorsement.
For more information, course listings and descriptions, please visit the catalog listing for the Reading Recovery Program.
Reading Recovery Teacher Training
Reading Recovery Teacher Training prepares teachers to:
- Observe, assess and select children for Reading Recovery understanding
- Teach children using Reading Recovery methods and procedures
- Make informed instructional decisions using records and materials unique to the program
- Accelerate the progress of Reading Recovery children to meet the average level of reading achievement in each child’s classroom
- Communicate with other teachers, principals, parents and their peers about the effectiveness of the program and its impact on the school and community.
Teachers in training continue to work full-time in their school districts in addition to attending class once each week. Teacher training requires school and district support to release the in-training teacher from classroom duties at least half-time for one academic year. This requirement allows the teacher in training to work with four children in his or her school for 30 minutes per day, five days per week.
Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree and a current teaching certificate, among other criteria. Contact the department for further details.
Reading Recovery Training is an inquiry-based, apprenticeship model that embeds reflective professional learning within the instructional practice. An integral component of the model is the opportunity for extensive observational and analytical conversations regarding student learning, teacher-student interactions and the art of teaching (Schmitt, Askew, Fountas, Lyons & Pinnell, 2005). Generally, these conversations occur behind a one-way glass while one member of the training class teaches a child.
A group discussion occurs right after the behind-the-glass lessons. The framework of an in-depth discussion of the theory and practice in the context of student learning expands the teacher’s knowledge, skills and dispositions associated with the early literacy development of children who are having more than the usual difficulty with literacy learning.
During the full academic year, teachers-in-training participate in the following:
-
- Complete graduate-level courses (9 credit hours) taught by a registered teacher leader at his/her licensed district-level training site.
- Teach students in a clinical setting for peers during class sessions, gaining experience observing and describing teacher-student behaviors and developing moment-to-moment decision-making skills to inform instruction.
- Provide instruction to at least four Reading Recovery children daily and fulfill other district-prescribed roles which often includes teaching small groups of children who need additional differentiated instruction to achieve grade-level literacy skills This results in the Reading Recovery teacher being able to address the literacy needs of more children than the typical classroom teacher is able to serve across the school year.
- Work with school administrator(s) and colleagues to establish school teams or to join an existing team for the purpose of monitoring student progress and the quality of the Reading Recovery implementation at the school level.
Successful completion of the training qualifies teachers for the Georgia Professional Standards Commission Reading Endorsement.
Nationally, most Reading Recovery teachers are Title I teachers who incorporate the Reading Recovery one-to-one intervention as part of their Title I teaching assignment. Across the school year, Reading Recovery teachers teach 30-45 students each, 8-10 of whom receive Reading Recovery lessons because they are having the greatest difficulty learning to read and write.
Half of the schools that implement Reading Recovery use Title I Part A to fund the Reading Recovery teacher’s position.
In addition to Title I, some schools use
- Title II funds to train highly qualified teachers.
- Title III funds for limited English proficient and immigrant students.
Other potential sources of funding include:
- State Improvement Grants
- Striving Readers
- Title IV – Twenty-First Century Community Learning Centers
- Innovative Program state grants under Title V
- Special Education
- Local funding
In Georgia, Reading Recovery is an approved Early Intervention Program (EIP) delivery model. Approved EIP delivery models are considered appropriate Response to Intervention (RtI).
Thus, funding sources for RtI are another potential source for supporting implementation of Reading Recovery.
Reading Recovery can be part of a school’s RtI plan. The National Center on Response to Intervention (NCRTI) recently listed Reading Recovery on its intervention site and reported large gains based on a 2005 study by researcher Robert Schwartz published in the Journal of Educational Psychology. NCRTI is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs to provide technical assistance to states and districts to help them implement proven models for response to intervention (RTI) and early intervening services. View these slides from RTI4Success.
For further information contact Georgia State University Reading Recovery Regional Training Center
College of Education & Human Development
Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education
P. O. Box 3978
Atlanta, GA 30302-3978
404-413-8252
Reading Recovery Teacher Leader Training
Teacher Leader Training prepares teachers to:
- Implement Reading Recovery in their home systems or regions
- Recruit, select and train teachers in Reading Recovery observation and teaching method
- Select children for service and assess their progress in the program
- Supervise Reading Recovery teachers
- Evaluate and oversee teaching decisions using record-keeping materials unique to the program
- Conduct public and professional awareness sessions for school systems and communities
- Conduct research on the effectiveness of the program
- Teach children using Reading Recovery techniques, procedures and methods
Teacher leader training requires support from the trainee’s home system, private school association or consortium. Trainees are expected to attend a yearlong study program full-time where they are trained through coursework, clinical sessions and field experience. Teacher leaders must hold a minimum of a master’s degree and meet other criteria for selection. (Contact the department for further details).
Because the training of Reading Recovery teachers and Reading Recovery teacher leaders is different, students previously trained as Reading Recovery teachers who are later selected for teacher leader training will be required to complete the entire training sequence.
Reading Recovery Training is an inquiry-based, apprenticeship model which embeds reflective professional learning within instructional practice. An integral component of the model is the opportunity for extensive observational and analytical conversations regarding student learning, teacher-student interactions and the art of teaching (Schmitt, Askew, Fountas, Lyons & Pinnell, 2005).
Generally, these conversations occur behind a one-way glass while one member of the training class teaches a child.
A group discussion occurs right after the behind-the-glass lessons. The framework of an in-depth discussion of the theory and practice in the context of student learning expands the teacher’s knowledge, skills and dispositions associated with the early literacy development of children who are having more than the usual difficulty with literacy learning.
During the full academic year, teacher leaders-in-training participate in the following:
- Complete graduate-level courses (27 credit hours) taught by registered Reading Recovery trainers at a licensed university training site, such as Georgia State University.
- Teach students in a clinical setting for peers during class sessions, gaining experience observing and describing teacher-student behaviors and developing moment-to-moment decision-making skills to inform instruction.
- Provide instruction to at least four Reading Recovery children daily.
- Engage in an in-depth study of literacy theories and research, including the theoretical foundations of the Reading Recovery program.
- Learn how to train, monitor, support and coach Reading Recovery teachers.
- Engage with district-level administrators (site coordinator) and other administrators to implement the program.
For further information contact Georgia State University Reading Recovery Regional Training Center
College of Education & Human Development
Department of Early Childhood and Elementary Education
P. O. Box 3978
Atlanta, GA 30302-3978
404-413-8252
Comprehensive Intervention Model-Literacy Intervention Specialist
The Comprehensive Intervention Model (CIM) is a well-coordinated, seamless design for providing intervention services to struggling readers. The CIM is a systemic model for reversing the reading failures of struggling readers through layered interventions. The system goal of the CIM is to change the achievement profile of a school by providing: a) research-based interventions that increase the literacy levels of low-performing children, and b) training and professional development for teachers that increase their knowledge and expertise in teaching the lowest children.
Literacy Lessons
Literacy Lessons professional development courses are taught by experienced, qualified, and currently registered Reading Recovery teachers leaders under the guidance of a practicing Reading Recovery university trainer. Professional development courses are available to teachers who serve English language learners, special education and other teachers in systems and schools implementing Reading Recovery.
Contact Us
Contact K. Journey Swafford, Ph.D. for more information about Paths to Literacy Initiatives
