Texas Women’s University hosts Reading Institute
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DENTON - More
than 3,000 educators from across the country will convene in Dallas this fall for the
Reading Recovery/Early Literacy Institute, hosted by Texas Woman’s University.
The institute will take place Oct. 16-18 at the Adam’s Mark Hotel and is designed for
teachers, administrators, school support personnel, parents and all persons interested in
early literacy and intervention programs. “One of the key factors to a child’s
success in school is his or her ability to read,” said Dr. Billie Askew, director of
TWU’s Reading Recovery program. TWU is one of 23 Reading Recovery university training
centers in the United States and one of only two universities in the world providing
training for Descubriendo La Lectura, the Spanish language version of Reading Recovery.
“The cost of below average reading skills to the child’s education is
incalculable. Poor reading skills hinder a student’s learning,” Askew said.
Reading Recovery has a successful track record of helping poor readers and has been used
in Texas schools since 1988. Nearly 300 Texas school districts use the program. Call
940/898-3408, or 800/250-7808 for more information. Also available on the web at
www.twu.edu/lifelong.
During the 12-to-20-week program, first graders who have difficulty reading and writing
meet individually with a specially trained teacher for 30 minutes a day to improve their
skills.
"Most of the students who complete a full Reading Recovery program can learn in a
regular classroom setting and won't need additional remedial services," Dr. Askew
said.
Seventy-five percent of Reading Recovery students are considered average readers by the
time they complete a full program, according to the most recent tracking data. "That
is quite an accomplishment considering that only a few months earlier these students were
at the bottom of their class when it came to reading skills," Dr. Askew noted.
The tracking data also shows that as these students advance through the school system
their reading skills continue to improve. By fourth grade, 80 to 85 percent of students
who took Reading Recovery as a first grader are passing the reading section of the Texas
Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) test. More than 90 percent are passing the writing
section of the TAAS.
"The program's success is partly due to teamwork. When the Reading Recovery teacher
and the classroom teacher work together, the child succeeds," Dr. Askew said.
Teamwork also is responsible for establishing Reading Recovery programs in individual
school districts. Elementary school teachers known as "teacher leaders" spend a
year at one of the training universities learning how to implement the program
The setting is far from just learning theory. Teacher leaders actually teach Reading
Recovery during that year ˜ while being observed by trainers and other team leaders.
They discuss what works and what doesn't work.
Once teacher leaders complete their training, they then return to their school districts
to instruct other teachers on how to use Reading Recovery with students. Currently, there
are more than 100 teacher leaders in Texas.
Verizon is providing support for this year's institute.
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