The Literacy in Action SF program, designed to meet the needs of the District’s most struggling readers, is helping elementary students at all grade levels improve their reading skills.

Within the program, 15 reading specialists "pushed in" to classrooms to model top quality reading instruction for classroom teachers and keep students in the same room with their classmates while working with groups of no more than four students at one time. The specialists met with 1,078 students in 16 elementary schools (an average of 72 students per reading specialist). Lessons were focused around five key areas: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension.

Based on Developmental Reading Assessment scores, 255 students increased their reading level by 0.5 grade level; 299 students increased one grade level; 179 increased 1.5-2 grade levels, and 32 students increased more than 2 grade levels. Throughout the year, feedback was received on the program praising the ability to serve students at all grade levels, the opportunity for reading teachers to be a collaborative resource, and regarding the tremendous gains students made in the program.

Moving forward, additional study is needed to determine how to best use the 15 FTE reading specialists among all 24 elementary schools. Additional professional development for the "push-in" model and additional collaboration time between specialists and classroom teachers would also positively support student success.

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