By Daniel Gomes ’08

Sound it out. Just soooound it out. Sound familiar? Many of us were encouraged to do this when reading an unfamiliar word by well-meaning parents and teachers. But did it help? Reading out loud in class was terrifying enough without the added humiliation of struggling with the words too.

Enter Reading Recovery. Reading Recovery was created to improve a child’s efficiency at reading with life-long benefits. The brainchild of New Zealand educator and researcher, Marie M. Clay, the program has its roots in her involvement with classroom teachers who, despite well-designed programs and good teaching, were not able to change the path of progress for particular children.

Associate professor Janet Bufalino works one-on-one with a student from the Grace B. Luhrs University Elementary School in the Reading Recovery Program. The early individual attention pays life-long benefits.

“What made Dr. Clay’s research so effective,” said Peggy Hockersmith, associate dean of the College of Education and Human Services, “is that she took a proactive approach in using a variety of disciplines. She did extensive work in reading, special education, psychology, and linguistic development.”

Beginning in New Zealand schools, the success of her research and subsequent program quickly spread to Australia, the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. Since it’s inception in 1984, the United States has brought Reading Recovery to over one million children.

“It’s a wonderful program,” said Janet Bufalino, associate professor of teacher education and Reading Recovery trainer.

The program targets lower-achieving first graders – those in the lower twenty percent of their class – and offers them personalized one-on-one help. It is designed to supplement good classroom techniques and to be available to every child who needs help. Depending on the problem, a struggling student meets with an assigned Reading Recovery teacher for a half hour every day. Together they follow a program tailored specifically to the student’s needs.

Sessions continue for an average of twelve to twenty weeks. Once the student shows significant growth and demonstrates the ability to read at the average level of the rest of the class, the sessions are finished. And the Reading Recovery teacher is assigned another student.

“What we wish to stress,” said Bufalino, “is individual attention is given to each student. Rather than putting lower-achieving students in a catch-all remedial program, Reading Recovery is tailored to accommodate a variety of students. First grade is our focus because this is a key developmental stage and children benefit if they can catch up earlier in their schooling.”

By focusing on a child’s specific difficulties, students with disabilities are also helped. The program concentrates on what each child needs to be able to learn, and using a number of techniques helps them learn and learn faster. Because the Reading Recovery instructor meets with the student every day, rather than the usual once a week or two, the program allows for flexibility and far more adaptability.

A student, whose eyes were permanently crossed, was retained in kindergarten by the Uniontown Area School District, and was probably going to be retained a second time when he was recommended for Reading Recovery. Denise Cicconi, the Reading Recovery teacher, implemented ways for the student to compensate for his vision problems. By using flashcards and certain techniques, including a specialized way to focus on the vowels and work outward rather than sweeping across the page, he made rapid progress. For him, sounding it out was not viable advice.

Facilities built into the Luhrs Elementary School allow university students to observe techniques without distracting students with their presence.

“I began to see improvement in his work almost immediately,” said Cicconi. “He began to take part in class and even offered to help other children. His self-esteem skyrocketed.” He continued to do well and scored honors on his report cards.

Reading Recovery works in rural, suburban and urban schools. With the concentrated short-term intervention approximately 75 percent of the students who enter the program reach grade-level reading proficiency. And the benefits of the program do not end there.

Recommendations and suggestions to future teachers are added to the student’s file. And the lessons learned stay with the students. Perhaps most importantly, children can proceed with their classmates without being deferred to special education classes.

“It is a different way to learn,” said Hockersmith. “It’s more organized and structured than other programs but is also versatile. It really allowed for the teacher and student to bond and reflect.”

In an ideal world, schools would welcome Reading Recovery with open arms. Unfortunately, funding is often an issue.

“It can be frustrating at times,” admitted Bufalino. “The districts have to initiate the program, and sometimes schools are too focused on the immediate costs of having one-on-one instruction. One also has to consider all the money saved from keeping kids out of long-term programs, like special education. Reading Recovery is fast and effective.”

Dr. Barbara Watson, a visiting Reading Recovery Trainer from Auckland, New Zealand, shares her expertise with SU students.

The Reading Recovery process is not limited to the classroom. Parents are allowed, encouraged even, to attend the sessions, watch their children being taught, and then use these methods at home with their children. In addition, the Reading Recovery teachers meet six times a year to share experiences and receive additional classroom training.

“It’s the perfect blend of theory and practice,” said Bufalino. “We’ve had such great results. When children are able to learn, their whole attitude, even their posture and behavior change.”

Shippensburg University plays a key role in making Reading Recovery available to those in need. The university is one of twenty-three training centers supported by the Reading Recovery Council of North America. It is responsible for training teacher leaders in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia.

As the training center director, Bufalino is responsible for the post-master’s program. Established teachers attend sessions to learn the techniques and tools of Reading Recovery and the means to successfully teach them to others. At the end of the one-year program, these teacher-leaders return to their school districts and train additional teachers in using the program.

To date, Bufalino has trained more than seventy teacher-leaders who have in turn trained more than 2,000 Reading Recovery teachers—affecting the lives of thousands of children.

In addition, each year the university hosts the regional Reading Recovery conference. Part of the program is the selection of a child who serves as a focal point for the program. The first “poster child” from this is now attending Millersville University and the second poster child is busy deciding which university to attend.

Dr. Barbara Watson, a visiting Reading Recovery Trainer from Auckland, New Zealand, shares her expertise with SU students.

The Reading Recovery program combined with the Grace B. Luhrs University Elementary School has added benefits. With special rooms, designed for observation, university students can see techniques in action plus observing the changes taking place in the student.

Visit the Reading Recovery Council homepage at www.rrcna.com for more information.

Daniel Gomes, the SU Magazine intern for the fall semester, is an English major involved with Reflector and other campus activities. He will graduate in May.