Helping Readers Make the Grade
by Carolee Drake, Teacher Trainer for the Institute for Multi-Sensory Education

Every fall, fourth graders across America negotiate an unofficial, yet important milestone in their intellectual development. It is during this year that these young learners are expected to make the transition from learning to read to reading to learn. Yet 30-40% of these students are ill-equipped to make that leap, because they are reading below grade level. Somehow, in their early elementary years, these children did not master the skills they need to become proficient readers. What did these students miss out on, and why?

What they're lacking, according to Jeanne Liuzzo-Jeup, Director of Training for the Institute for Multi-Sensory Education, is explicit instruction in reading skills. "Current research indicates that organized, direct instruction in linguistic understanding, phonetic rules and word attack strategies are essential components of a successful reading program, but many of today's teachers have not received the necessary training to promote those skills in their students. That is why we developed our training program." The Institute for Multi-Sensory Education (IMSE) is a national company that specializes in on-site, customized professional development using the revised Orton-Gillingham multi-sensory method of language instruction, developed by neurologist Dr. Samuel T. Orton and educator Anna Gillingham. The program was originally used to teach dyslexic children to read, but has been found to benefit all learners. "We combine the direct instruction of Orton-Gillingham with a multi-sensory approach to learning that focuses on each student's visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning pathways to maximize mastery and retention," said Liuzzo.

Reciprocal Teaching, developed by Palinscar and Brown, provides the program's comprehension strand with activities to increase students' ability to read for meaning. "This is a structured, sequential, balanced approach to reading that enables learners to capitalize on their strengths while strengthening their weaknesses," continued Liuzzo. "Our approach allows a teacher to weave together systematic phonics instruction, multi-sensory learning and the use of literature to nurture reading skills."

Instruction begins with strategies that help develop phonemic awareness in emerging readers (the ability to analyze, combine and connect the smallest units of sound with the letters that represent them). "Researchers have found a strong correlation between a lack of phonemic awareness and reading failure," said Liuzzo. "So we emphasize mastering that skill to build a strong foundation for learning for authentic literacy. Teachers who have experienced our training gain a solid understanding of the structure of language on its most basic level and acquire the tools to pass that understanding on to their students." Included in the training program are guidelines for weekly lesson plans, teaching and assessment materials, and a comprehensive training manual. "The response we have gotten from the teachers we've trained has been overwhelmingly positive," Liuzzo remarked. "They keep telling us that this is the piece of their reading program that's been missing."

Based in Birmingham, Michigan, the IMSE has provided a wide range of training for teachers, administrators and parents in schools across the country. The programs offered range from a 16-hour core training program to a comprehensive 30-hour program to Greek and Latin roots training and refresher workshops. "It's important for us to be flexible, said Bronwyn Hain, Training Coordinator. "Each district has its own needs, and it own budgetary constraints. But all districts want to produce proficient readers, and we are committed to working with them to accomplish that end. We can train special education teachers, or those who work with at-risk children, or our program can be fully integrated into the existing curriculum of the general education classroom to expose all students to the benefit of these strategies."

The IMSE has recently expanded its program to provide training for teachers of older students, up to and including those of high school age. Auxiliary programs to educate and train parents are also available. Anyone interested in learning more about the Institute and its programs can call (800) 646-9788, or visit the IMSE web site at Orton-Gillingham.com

The California Task Force on Reading:  Every Child a Reader

In 1995 California declared a statewide crisis in reading. Their NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) reading scores had dropped to dead last. Every Child a Reader: The California Task Force on Reading was written based on the recommendations and research of national experts in the reading field. The task force concluded that a balanced reading program should include:

• a strong literature, language, and comprehensive program that includes a balance of oral and written language;
• an organized, explicit skills program that includes phonemic awareness, phonics, and decoding skills to address the needs of the emergent reader;
• an ongoing diagnosis that informs teaching and assessment that insures accountability;
• and a powerful early intervention program that provides individual tutoring for children at risk for reading failure.

The summary of this document states: "The Task Force members were unanimous in their conviction that reading is the most important academic skill and the foundation for all academic learning. If our children cannot read, they are on the road to failure. Teaching children to read must be our highest priority."

Louisa Cook Moats, Ed.D., a "Distinguished Visiting Scholar" at the Center for Improvement of Reading Instruction, Sacramento County Office of Education, has published an article about the educational reform taking place in California. California Reading Initiative, A Revolution in Education Policy discusses the legislation passed within the past year for early reading instruction. The legislation has been backed with $1 billion in funding. California districts must certify that 90% of their teachers in K-3 classes have received training in the specifically targeted elements of instruction that were shown by research to lead to reading success. These elements are:

• phonemic awareness;
• systematic, explicit phonics instruction;
• sound-symbol relationships;
• decoding;
• word attack skills;
• spelling instruction;
• comprehension instruction;
• and independent reading of high-quality books.

California Reading Initiative, A Revolution in Educational Policy and The Guide to the California Reading Initiative contain specific definitions, research findings, and analysis of important components of reading success.

How Johnny Should Read , by James Collins,
Time Magazine October 27, 1997

The October 27, 1997 issue of Time Magazine contains a relevant article about reading instruction. It is entitled, How Johnny Should Read, by James Collins. Collins discusses the current debate between whole language and phonetic-based approaches to teaching reading.

The statistics he cites are alarming. "According to the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress, 44% of U.S. students in elementary and high school read below the basic level, meaning they exhibit little or no mastery of the knowledge and skills necessary to perform work at each grade level."

Collins provides an in-depth analysis of whole language, citing Ken Goodman, a professor at the University of Arizona, as the leader of the whole-language movement. Frank Smith, a cognitive psychologist, and Goodman have determined that "readers rely on context to guess an upcoming word rather then using the word’s spelling." Also," readers did not see every letter in a word or every word in a text. If they did and if they tried to translate what they saw into sounds, it would be too cumbersome." Whole language stresses using children’s books, and the student is encouraged "to take risks without fear of being corrected."

He discusses the history of reading instruction for the past 20 years. "In the 1970’s, when students filled in endless phonics work sheets and read inane basals, whole language exercised a strong attraction. By the 1980’s, it had come to dominate the teacher's colleges and was strongly influencing publishers. The counterrevolution began in 1990 with the publication of the landmark book, Beginning to Read: Thinking and Learning About Print, by Marilyn Adams, a cognitive psychologist." Adams, after reviewing countless studies of reading instruction, came to the conclusion that "reading programs that included systematic phonics instruction led to better readers than programs that did not. Programs that combined systematic phonics instruction with a meaning emphasis seemed to work best of all." She stressed the importance of phonemic awareness and concluded that, "in order to read, a person must understand that the sounds in a word can be broken up; it must also be understood that letters represent these sounds."

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Institute of Health, directed by Reid Lyon, Ph.D., has also confirmed the importance of phonemic awareness in their studies. "Researchers have found that problems with phonemic awareness correlate closely with reading failure." Studies at the NICHHD have "reaffirmed the conclusions reached by Jeanne Chall and Marilyn Adams--that programs with some systematic phonics instruction lead to better outcomes."

The article concludes with the concept of balance in reading instruction. "It would be tragic if the shift to phonics went to extremes and if the genuine contributions of whole language were abandoned, so this embrace of moderation is welcome…. There are elements of phonics instruction, though, that cannot be diluted; it must be systematic and explicit, if the full benefit is to be derived from it. To deprive children of that benefit is destructive."

Front Page     Methodology    Research   Q&A   Parent Training

Current Issues on Reading    Staff Development  College Credit

"Sensational Strategies for Teaching Beginning Teachers"

Orton-Gillingham Staff Development for Special Education

Orton-Gillingham Staff Development for General Education

To receive additonal information and register for a free drawing, please view our feedback page.