Technology Tools to enhance individualized reading instruction

1. Using Technology
Tools to Individualize
Reading Instruction
Zulma Whiteford
Our Lady of Perpetual Help School

2.  Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Ellicott
City, Maryland, is a Catholic Elementary
School of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and
as such presents a Catholic Christian value-
based curriculum, in accordance with
Baltimore Archdiocesan guidelines.

3.  In cooperation with the Archdiocese of
Baltimore, Our Lady of Perpetual Help
School participates in Stanford 10 testing
for our students.

4.  The Council for American Private Education
(CAPE) recently released information on
nationally normed achievement tests which
helps schools identify themselves as being
in the top 10 percent of all schools
nationally.

5.  Our Lady of Perpetual Help students in
Grades 3-8 took the Stanford 10 Test in
Spring 2010. The following chart shows
OLPH scaled scores and percentiles in
comparison to those needed to achieve the
90th percentile. Nearly all scores meet or
exceed this very high level.

6. 2009- 2010 Stanford 10 Results

7.  How can I use technology tools to continue
to improve reading scores for students in
Grades 3 to 8?

8. Accelerated Reader
 The implementation of the Accelerated
Reader program is a research based
computer tool that promotes reading
success by analyzing student’s performance
and determining an individualized student
goal.

9. How does it work?
 Student chooses to read a book from the
extensive AR database (over 140,000 titles)
• Once finished, students come into the
computer lab to take their on-line test.
• The program compiles the results in a
variety of reports for the teacher to review
and develop an instructional plan for each
student.

10.  The first step is to establish a baseline for
the student population prior to the
introduction of Accelerated Reader. The
baseline will be established by using the
2010 Lexile scores and the Grade
equivalency and ZPD results from the Star
Reading Assessment tool. This will provide a
basis of comparison for the end of the year.

11.  The second step is to set individualized
student goals using the test results and the
conversion chart provided by Renaissance
Learning at www.renlearn.com

12. The third step is to compare the OLPH
Student’s progress between the 2010
and the 2011 Stanford 10 results and
the results of the Star Reading
Assessment test administered at the
end of the school year.

13.  Promotes the invaluable practice of reading
 Meets the needs of individual students
 Concept is research based
 Develop life-long readers
 Empower children with choice!

14. As an administrator…
 One must support the school-wide AR initiative.
 Ensure that everyone is onboard in order to promote
student success.
 Monitor that the curriculum supports the program.
 Collaborate with faculty to monitor computer test
results, analyze data and allocate resources to improve
student performance.
 Educate the parent community to create a partnership
between school and home.

15. Tools
 Accelerated Reader software program
 Star Reading Assessment program
 Kidblog

16. The more that you read, the more things you
will know. The more that you learn, the
more places you'll go.
-- Dr. Seuss