Calling all hs English teachers

[Sabine]

Hey, I''ve posted on a few education boards, but haven''t gotten any responses yet (I think cause it''s the weekend...), and I know there are at least a few other English teachers out there, so I thought I''d try here too. At school we just found out we got a grant for new Laptop carts (great news!) but we need to decide within a few days what software we would like to be installed on them. We''re looking for reading programs that will basically present the students with reading passages of all sorts and ask questions about them. Basically we''re looking for standardized test reading preparation. We''ve tried using Homeroom.com and Princeton Review, but neither of their reading tests have shown any allignment to standardized test scores. So do any of you have suggestions for great reading software for high school level students?

 

[allikatac]

~Sabine~
I''m not a high school English teacher, but I am a guidance counselor that works with helping students improve their standardized test scores. I am familiar with two programs that we use at our school. One is Study Island and the other is Scantron Performance Series. They both have showed vast improvement over 1 year for our students, especially in the reading area! Scantron provides a practice standardized test that is aligned to state standards. After the student completes the test, it will give the student their individual report as well as suggested learning objectives. They can then use scantron to help them on their objectives. Study Island is a program that also has practice questions that are aligned around state standards, but it also has some fun games that the students enjoy. They don''t even realize that they are preparing for a standardized test! Like I said before, both of these programs have helped us tremendously! I work in a school that was having difficulty meeting AYP, but after a year of using these programs we had no problem making it in the reading area Good Luck!

 

[Sabine]

Thanks Allicatac! I will definitely look into these!

 

[Haven]

Hi, Sabine! I''m a HS English teacher and Reading Specialist, so I have a huge network of people that I can ask to get some info for you. However, I need to know where you live first, as standards are set by the state.

And I''m sure you already know this, but I have to add that the current research shows that the most effective reading interventions are those administered by qualified instructors, not computers.

As soon as I know where you teach I''ll put the word out and get some references for you.

 

[Sabine]

Ah, Haven, if only my administrators would listen to reason on this issue! This year we even created a specific course for remedial reading, and we hired a new person to teach it, but instead of hiring a reading specialist, they hired a brand new college grad. who is trying her hardest to help the students, but getting burnt out and feeling totally frustrated and inadequate in the process.

We''re in PA, and the PSSA is given in grade 11, so we''re looking to align to the PA state standards for grade 11.

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 11/17/2007 8:50:31 PM
Author: Haven
Hi, Sabine! I''m a HS English teacher and Reading Specialist, so I have a huge network of people that I can ask to get some info for you. However, I need to know where you live first, as standards are set by the state.

And I''m sure you already know this, but I have to add that the current research shows that the most effective reading interventions are those administered by qualified instructors, not computers.

As soon as I know where you teach I''ll put the word out and get some references for you.

Amen sister!

Sorry Sabine, but I wouldn''t be of any help at all on this subject. I just had to chime in though on what Haven said.

 

[allikatac]

Sabine,

I also work in PA! I very much agree with what Haven said as well. I think it is necessary to have specialists working with the children rather than just a computer, but unfortunately I didn''t have much say. Both programs I mentioned are computer based(very hesitant to even try them out in the beginning), but the scantron we mostly use for the students to take the practice standardized test. We then have a specialist work with them on their weaknesses and this is where we see the most results. The other program was purchased mainly for the intent of the student using it at home(hopefully the parents are involved!). Many of the teachers will give them extra credit during each 9 weeks if they accomplish a certain number of lessons or objectives on ther own. I work in the Pittsburgh area and I am aware of many local school districts that are using this same program. I worked in another school district previous to the one I am in now and the English department offered a reading remedial program, much like what yours sounds like. Lucklily, they had a few reading specialists involved and the program worked very well. I hope that you can find a program that will work best for your school!

 

[Haven]

Oh, Sabine--this is the tragedy of our current educational situation. NCLB is putting so much pressure on administrators that they are seeking "proven" quantitative measures to get their districts where they "need" to be as far as testing is concerned. It is really discouraging at times, but as one of my professional mentors reminds me, educational trends swing on a large pendulum, and this one is sure to be replaced with the "next best thing" someday.

This is a very interesting article, I found it on the PA DOE website:
Coaching PA

As for programs, Read 180 is the first that comes to mind. It''s a Scholastic product, and it''s quite expensive. It is aligned to NCLB standards, I''ve put in a link below. We use it in my high school for one of our special education classes. It''s comprehensive computer-based instruction, but like I said earlier, I think it has absolutely nothing on a qualified specialist who can work with the students one-on-one or in small groups.

Read 180

I''ll send out a call for references on my reading specialist group email list, I''ll let you know what I hear. (Although I''m sure it will be a lot of "What? Who needs computer-based instruction? What a waste of money!" I''ll try anway.

)

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 11/18/2007 9:09:20 PM
Author: Haven


I''ll send out a call for references on my reading specialist group email list, I''ll let you know what I hear. (Although I''m sure it will be a lot of ''What? Who needs computer-based instruction? What a waste of money!'' I''ll try anway.

)

Hi Haven,

Is the reading specialist e-mail list specific to your area? I''m certified as a reading specialist also, and I''m actually looking to join an online community of reading specialists and teachers so I can stay in the loop in the world of reading.

 

[TravelingGal]

Sabine, have you consulted an educational software reseller? I was in educational software for many years and resellers often can tell you what is new.

Two that I can think of is www.academicsuperstore.com and www.ccvsoftware.com

 

[Sabine]

Thanks again Allikatac, Haven, and Travlin Gal! I could go on for hours about how frustrated I am with my administration right now...but I''ll keep my complaining to the newest development...now that we have this new technology, we''re going to be "checked up on" to make sure that we are using it enough, and if we aren''t, we''re going to get reprimanded. Now, I''m grateful for the technology and I truly believe it will make learning more interesting and be helpful, but I do not like being told "I must use the computer for x amount of time or be rated unsatisfactory!"

 

[Haven]

Zoe--It''s just a group email of women who went through the MEd program with me, our profs, and a few local Reading Specialists. I''ve been looking for an online community of reading specialists, too--let me know if you find one! What state do you live in? I''m always curious about RS cert in other states.

Sabine--I''ve gotten a, shall we say, cold reception from my RS friends. A few were a bit upset that I was even asking about computer-based programs, and everyone else who replied basically echoed everything we''ve discussed here about how computer-based programs are not the answer. Hmph. I''m sorry I can''t be more help! Good luck! I''m curious to hear what you find.