ALP II teachers provide accelerated learning for Wake County elementary school readers

March 25, 2002 - Wake County public schools are moving closer to Goal 2003 through the hard work of elementary students and their teachers. Helping the youngest students learn to read is a critical part of developing the skills students need to succeed.

The Accelerated Learning Program II (ALP II) puts literacy teachers who are funded through the federal Title I program, to work with kindergartners, first-graders, and second-graders, helping them to read. The resources of Title I and locally funded positions place at least one literacy teacher in most of the county's elementary schools.

Knightdale and Zebulon ALP II teachers

"It's really an amazing process," said Jennifer Dahmen, a Knightdale Elementary ALP II teacher. "I was a first grade teacher for a long time and watching children learn to read is really magical. It's an effort the classroom teachers and ALP II teachers support, giving the children a double dose of reading activities."

While the results of the students' and teachers' drilling and practicing may seem magical, Zebulon Elementary teacher Sheila Parker said the development of a child's ability to read is hard work, and it's something children and teachers work at every day.

"One of the first things children learn is the alphabet," Parker said. "After they learn the alphabet, we work on sounds. When they learn sounds, they use what they have learned to word attack. Using the knowledge that they have of sounds, they can go 'k-ah-t,' and put those sounds together to form a word, 'cat.' When they form 'cat,' then they can form 'mat,' and they can form 'pat.' We start with simple three letter words, then we go to the four letter words, and we work on rhyming words. It's why Dr. Seuss and The Cat and the Hat are so famous with children. It is a process, and we build on that process."

Brentwood ALP II teachers


Students are ready with answers for teacher Dottie Murray in her ALP II classroom

In a small room at the Brentwood Elementary media center, Dottie Murray works with a group of five students. Each student has a white board on which they write. The teacher provides a word, and the students write new words by changing the first letter. Murray calls out the work 'sick,' and the students respond creating the words: 'stick, nick, thick, flick."

"Let me find one I did not give you before," said Murray moving on to another exercise. "This is going to be tricky. Give me a word that begins like 'hard' and ends like 'bed.' It can look alike, or it can look different."

"I know. I think I know," a student said. "I think it is 'head.'"

While other students are working on reading in their classroom, Murray's five students have been pulled out for 45 minutes to receive ALP II instruction to strengthen their reading skills.

"They are children that need a little extra help in getting them up to grade level," Murray said. "They are second-graders and most of them are at beginning first-grade reading level. They are now reading orally, pretty close to where they need to be, but continue to need help with some comprehension, reading for meaning, and in their writing. We are trying to get that up."

Every ALP II classroom is built on the 45-minute instructional model. In Murray's class that day, students read familiar books. They read for meaning. They worked on phonics. They shared poems that introduced what they will be writing in their journals later. They are writing more, practicing editing skills. The lessons are fast paced and move quickly from task to task.

"When they first come in, they are doing their familiar reading," Murray said. "I'm usually doing an assessment, a running record where they read to me, and I'm monitoring and marking while they are reading. I write down on stickers as I watch them read about the things that they are doing, how they are decoding, if they are decoding, if they are watching the pictures with text, all the different things like that. I make a note, date it, and stick it in their folder, so that gives me a record for the five children. I watch what they are doing individually and can go back and check. Then I can teach to their needs."


Jan Cardenas

Jan Cardenas is another ALP II instructor at Brentwood with a classroom near Murray's in the media center.

"We need ALP II because there are children who start school at many different levels," Cardenas said. "Some children are solid learners and ready to go. Some other children are not. Language is a major factor. We need to give children a boost to help them become stronger. The most important subject that a child can have at the beginning of school is reading. Reading affects the learning of all subjects. Reading and writing are essential for understanding and expanding math, social studies, and science. Language is our form of communication, and it directly affects our critical thinking and our problem solving."

At the beginning of the school year, the ALP II teachers work with classroom teachers to identify students who will benefit from the ALP II class.

"One of the gifts of our program is that we have very small identified groups, so we can work with their specific needs," Cardenas said. "The materials that we are using are programmed for the children's needs. The materials are leveled so each child can progress to the levels that they need to achieve by the end of the year."

For early readers, it's essential to get parents involved. Daily homework books are sent home for the parents to read to their child and for the child to read to their parents. They use technology to help the students create their own publications, strengthening student confidence and getting parents excited about their children's success.

"Home is the very first teacher for all children," Cardenas said. "The school builds on the child's home and language formation. Language development is crucial to all future reading, writing, and problem solving situations a child may encounter. Reading paves the way for all successful learning."

Parents play an important role

Teresa Cronin, a parent of a student who attended Brentwood Elementary serves on the state's Title I Committee of Practitioners as a parent representative. The committee serves as an advisory group.

"The small group size in the reading classes is very beneficial for children," Cronin said. "I know for my daughter the small group was the most beneficial thing, because she could have the help and ask questions. Sometimes when kids are behind, they are afraid to ask questions. When they are in a small group, they're not afraid and get more self-assured. I think it gives them a little more confidence, and when they go into the bigger classroom, they aren't as nervous. They feel better about themselves. That's the best thing about the program."

Cronin said it has been important for her to serve on the state committee. She has traveled to national meetings that highlighted the importance of parent involvement and developed insights into the education system.

"You have a profound impact on your child by being involved," Cronin said. "I went to a parenting education class where they showed you how to read a magazine. I had never thought about this. It was about how to ask the right questions. What's the title? How do the pictures fit the title of the magazine? Who wrote it? You can ask them to really look at it. While you learn how to help your kids, you are learning for yourself, which is exciting."

ALP II is part of school's efforts to meet the needs of students


Murray displays booklets of the students' work praising their hard work.

Last year, Brentwood Elementary had two ALP II teachers. Each teacher had five or six classes. The school served a maximum of 70 students. In the ALP I program, geared for students in grades 3 through 5, there were 100 students. Brentwood Principal Linda McMasters has supported the school's children every way she can.

The school had 22 Meredith College students working on their practicums by helping students in all elementary grades. Community Learning Partners tutors and volunteer tutors are paired with students who need assistance. The school received federal and local funds to help reduce class size. McMasters assigned the school's instructional resource teacher to serve part time as a fifth grade language arts teacher, reducing class sizes during mornings while students tackle the basics.

"When you ask me, 'What are you doing?' I'm doing everything I can to maximize human resources in this school," McMasters said. "Some students are pulled out for a segment of the day to get more help. During that time, the classroom teacher can address the needs of other students, providing greater individualization for them. For the ALP II students, it's an intensive time with a specialist to work on skills development. Our teachers are helping students to acquire new interest in reading on a personalized basis working in a very small group."

The ALP II teachers are reading specialists. They work closely with the classroom teachers on a consistent schedule in an effort to meet the needs of the participating students.

"Colleges and universities provide teachers a base foundation in the teaching of reading," McMasters said. "I believe reading specialists who have had another year in specialized coursework and more practicum experience, could support the development of new teachers, initially certified teachers, as well as experienced teachers in advancing some of these newer strategies for teaching reading."

ALP II provides a structure for reading instruction

This year, there are 150 literacy teachers working in 42 schools as part of the Title I/ALP II program. At five elementary schools - Carver, Creech Road, Smith, Vance, and Zebulon - there are pre-kindergarten programs for four-year olds. This is the second year of Title I/ALP II. WCPSS Title I Director Helen Adams said the program has changed focus from all elementary grades to students in kindergarten through second grade, and has developed a structured 45-minute instructional program that literacy teachers use in their classrooms.

"I think that early intervention will make all the difference because research demonstrates that early intervention is one of the best methods to keep students on target," Adams said. "Our goal is to work with students who are lagging behind, students who are below grade level, to give that supplementary attention that they need. We have a core program that everyone is using in kindergarten through second grade, and we are trying to make sure that we follow the format as closely as possible. At the same time, we must allow for creativity and flexibility from the teacher's viewpoint. I think that we are going to see major differences at the end of the year. This past school year, we did see some gains made by kindergarten, first- and second-grade students."

Adams has encouraged teachers and schools to strengthen parental partnerships.

"We want to put forth a special effort to get parents involved in the education of their children," Adams said. "We want to reach every parent. We do not want to leave a single parent behind. We want them to be involved in this effort along with the teachers. If we can get the whole community involved in the effort, we will be winners. It's a team effort."

Essays by Dottie Murray's ALP II students on 'How did the city grow?'

We just read a book about how do cities grow. Before there was a city it was filled with water and trees. Then people came with boats and brang goods too. Then a man made a map of how the city should look. Then they invented trains so people came. People made houses, post officces, churches and a school. Then people invented cars. Then they made roads so more and more people came and more and more houses were built. There was not a lot of space left so they built tall buildings.

Dana

The book I read is mostly about the city. Some people lived in the city. More people came to the city in boats. Next they invented trains. Then they invented cars. Now they invented tall buildings. Soon they put roads. The roads can make the city grow but people came to the city and we have to invent more stuff.

Rawan