RFTEN engages deans and presidents in the process of change to ensure support for the implementation of scientifically-based reading strategies. Administrators ensure that learning from the seminars is extended to other faculty responsible for preparation of pre-service teachers. In the process they provide the infrastructure for building a professional learning community which includes supporting alignment of the reading program with NCATE accreditation standards and IRA standards. Quality Assurance Consultants assist administrators in formulating action plans that support the implementation of scientifically-based reading strategies.

 

ABOUT RECITE

 

Reading Early Competencies in Teaching Excellence (RECITE) is Alabama State University’s NCATE/ RFTEN model.  It was developed for our early childhood and elementary education candidates who are enrolled in REA 373 The Teaching of Reading and REA 374 Reading and Language Development. Called RECITERs, the candidates tutor struggling readers in selected schools from the local school system. They plan and teach five reading competencies, phonic awareness, phonics, fluency, text comprehension, and vocabulary.

     The goals and Objectives for RFTEN/RECITE at Alabama State University (ASU) are as listed:

• To provide SBRR training for our reading faculty
   
• To provide SBRR training and practices for our preservice teachers
   
• To offer reading tutorials to struggling readers in selected schools
   
• To compile research data for monitoring progress

Some processes used to ensure that these goals are met include an advisory board (school principals, teacher candidates, reading faculty, and department chair) that meets twice a semester, orientation sessions for reading faculty and teacher candidates, constant review, revision and realigned reading curriculum and instruction for course syllabi for two required reading courses, REA 373 The Teaching of Reading-374 Reading and Language Development, orientation for principals and reading coaches at selected schools, and allow elementary candidates enrolled in the reading courses conduct pre-clinical in actual elementary classroom settings.

ASU embraces all components of SBRR and continues to seek implementation of them. The corresponding activities that have been used to execute those specific components are centered on what one expects to see when walking into a teacher candidate’s classroom exhibiting scientifically based reading research, one expects to see:

• Activities to develop students’ phonological awareness are identify phonemes, categorize phonemes, blend phonemes to form words, segment words into phonemes, delete or add phonemes to form new words, and substitute phonemes to make new words.  Instruction focuses only one or two rather than several types of phoneme manipulation. Small-group instruction is used with this skill because students often benefit from listening to their classmates respond and receive feedback from the teacher.
   
• Systematic explicit instruction in phonetic decoding strategies and spelling provide ample opportunities for children to apply what they are learning about letters and sounds to the reading of words, sentences, and stories. Students are taught individually, in small groups, or in whole classes. Practice materials are in the form of short books or stories that contain words that provide children with practice in using the specific letter-sound relationships they are learning.
   
• Activities that build fluency in both word recognition reading and reading of connected text are by modeling fluent reading and by having students engage in repeated oral reading.  Some additional activities are student-teacher candidate-reading, choral reading, partner reading, and reader’ theatre.
   
• Explicit introduction of strategies for text comprehension is taught through explicit instruction, through cooperative learning, and by helping readers use strategies flexible and in combination. One main instruction strategy used is cooperative learning.  Four comprehension strategies are asking questions about the text they are reading, summarizing parts of the text, clarifying words and sentences they don’t understanding; and predicting what might occur next in the text. Teacher candidates and students use these strategies flexibly as they are needed in reading literature and informational texts.
   
• A variety of vocabulary building activities are developed indirectly, when students engage daily in oral language, listen to adults read to them, and read extensively on their own.  It is developed directly when students are explicitly taught both individual words and word learning strategies.  Teacher candidates use word-learning strategies to teach vocabulary.  Word-learning strategies include: how to use information about word parts to figure out the meaning of words in text; how to use dictionaries and other reference aids to learn word meanings and to deepen knowledge of word meanings; and how to use context clues to determine word meanings.

    Additionally, we have created a reading center and have constructed various lesson planning and evaluation forms. Survey forms are being developed this semester.  Theses instruments will focus on the candidates, principals, reading coaches, and struggling readers.