Interventions
Below you will find a list of intervention programs that we have available throughout the Marshall County district in our elementary schools. A brief description is provided explaining what area of weakness that intervention addresses. This list does not contain every intervention that is used, but does give information on the ones used the most frequently in our schools.
Reading
Corrective Reading - This program addresses difficulties in the area of reading fluency - most specifically accuracy and rate. This program focuses on teaching children to "decode" or provides them strategies on how to attack words. It is sequenced (meaning it follows a sequence of lessons and cannot be used by skipping lessons or by pulling out select lessons to use) and it is scripted (meaning that the interventionist is told exactly what to say and how to present the information to the student). This program is generally used for students in grades 3 and older who are not at grade level in the area of reading because either their accuracy (ability to read without making errors) is below 95% or their rate (speed of reading) is not at grade level. There are some comprehension components, however the decoding program should not be used as the sole intervention for comprehension weaknesses.
Visit the Corrective Reading website for general information.
Visit What Works Clearning House for its review by clicking here.
Visit the Corrective Reading website for general information.
Visit What Works Clearning House for its review by clicking here.
Reading Mastery (Signature Series Grades Pre-K-3) - This program addresses difficulties in the area of reading fluency. We use this program in our schools as an intervention option for grades K - 3. The most basic beginner lessons address concepts such as directionality, matching pictures/letters, and phonological awareness (can the students hear the different letter sounds at the beginning, middle, and end of words as well as break apart words by sounds). As the levels progress, areas such as letter sounds, blending letter sounds, and eventually reading sentences fluently, become part of the instruction. It is direct instruction which means the teacher gives them specific guidance, instruction, and feedback as to their performance. It is sequenced (meaning it follows a sequence of lessons and cannot be used by skipping lessons or by pulling out select lessons to use) and it is scripted (meaning that the interventionist is told exactly what to say and how to present the information to the student). This program is generally used with primary students who are having notable difficulty with letter sounds and blending.
Visit Reading Mastery website to gain more information about the product.
Visit What Works Clearing House for its review by clicking here.
Visit Reading Mastery website to gain more information about the product.
Visit What Works Clearing House for its review by clicking here.
Wright Group - This is an intervention program that addresses students in grades K - 3. There are leveled readers, Big Books for teacher instruction and guidance, word sort cards, and more. Generally this is used with students that fall below the 20%ile in reading when we look at benchmark scores.
Wright Group Literacy Fact Sheet - This does a great job of explaining its purpose at each level.
Visit the Florida Center for Reading Research for more information about its effectiveness by clicking here.
Wright Group Literacy Fact Sheet - This does a great job of explaining its purpose at each level.
Visit the Florida Center for Reading Research for more information about its effectiveness by clicking here.
Saxon Phonics - This is a program that can be used whole class or in small intervention groups. The levels range from K through 3rd grade, although we generally use it in K & 1st in our district. This program provides explicit instruction on letter sounds, phonemic awareness concepts, blends, and parts of grammar including vowel sounds and rules and alphabetization skills.
Saxon Phonics Publishers - This gives an overview of the skills that are covered at each grade level.
Saxon Phonics Publishers - This gives an overview of the skills that are covered at each grade level.
Visit the Florida Center for Reading Research for more information about its effectiveness by clicking here.
Orton-Gillingham Strategies - This is a multi-sensory approach to reading instruction, meaning that a variety of strategies that incorporate the different senses, are used to teach reading. The best description of these strategies comes from the website below and states:
"The Orton-Gillingham methodology utilizes phonetics and emphasizes visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning styles. Instruction begins by focusing on the structure of language and gradually moves towards reading. The program provides students with immediate feedback and a predictable sequence that integrates reading, writing, and spelling. The Orton-Gillingham method is language-based and success-oriented. The student is directly taught reading, handwriting, and written expression as one logical body of knowledge. Learners move step by step from simple to more complex material in a sequential, logical manner that enables students to master important literacy skills. This comprehensive approach to reading instruction benefits all students."
For general information about Orton-Gillingham strategies click here.
Visit the Florida Center for Reading Research for more information about its effectiveness by clicking here.
Visit the Florida Center for Reading Research for more information about its effectiveness by clicking here.
Literacy Toolkits - These toolkits were put together by the reading specialist from our Western Kentucky Educational Cooperative. They encompass all of the areas of reading including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. There are several research-based strategies in each area that the specialist compiled from her educational research and experiences. They were all taken from a variety of programs that are evidenced based and compiled into a toolkit for teachers to access. Every elementary school has access to these and they include step-by-step instructions on how to deliver the instruction as well as which area of reading the intervention targets. Please e-mail me if you would like an electronic copy of these toolkits.
Wilson Reading - This program is appropriate for grades 2 - 12 and even adults. It is a ten-part lesson plan that addresses decoding, encoding, oral reading fluency, and comprehension. It uses a "sound-tapping" system for helping the students blend words.
For general information about Wilson Reading click here.
Visit What Works Clearinghouse for a review on its effectiveness by clicking here.
For general information about Wilson Reading click here.
Visit What Works Clearinghouse for a review on its effectiveness by clicking here.
Great LEAPS - The Great LEAPS website does a great job of explaining the components of this program. The website states:
"Great Leaps is divided into three major areas: (1) Phonics: developing and mastering essential sight-sound relationships and/or sound awareness skills; (2) Sight Phrases: mastering high frequency words while developing and improving focusing skills and the ability to "chunk" small pieces of meaning; and (3) Reading Fluency: using age-appropriate stories specifically designed to build reading fluency, reading motivation, and proper intonation.
The Phonics takes students from identifying sounds in isolation to being able to sound out cvc, cvcc, and cvce patterns. The section concludes with work in prefixes and suffixes. This enables students to (with contextual clues) decode unknown words with a high degree of success.
The Sight Phrases uses phrases to teach high frequency words while significantly increasing focusing skills. Teaching high frequency words in isolation has not worked for most students with reading problems. Though the student learns the word in isolation, the high rate of contextual errors continued. The Great Leaps approach of using sight phrases helps to minimize the age old problems of readers continuously missing words such as: these, them, of, off, from, etc.
As students achieve goals in each area of concern, they advance to a more challenging next step. Each step in Great Leaps has been designed to follow the previous step in a very organized, consecutive manner."
"Great Leaps is divided into three major areas: (1) Phonics: developing and mastering essential sight-sound relationships and/or sound awareness skills; (2) Sight Phrases: mastering high frequency words while developing and improving focusing skills and the ability to "chunk" small pieces of meaning; and (3) Reading Fluency: using age-appropriate stories specifically designed to build reading fluency, reading motivation, and proper intonation.
The Phonics takes students from identifying sounds in isolation to being able to sound out cvc, cvcc, and cvce patterns. The section concludes with work in prefixes and suffixes. This enables students to (with contextual clues) decode unknown words with a high degree of success.
The Sight Phrases uses phrases to teach high frequency words while significantly increasing focusing skills. Teaching high frequency words in isolation has not worked for most students with reading problems. Though the student learns the word in isolation, the high rate of contextual errors continued. The Great Leaps approach of using sight phrases helps to minimize the age old problems of readers continuously missing words such as: these, them, of, off, from, etc.
As students achieve goals in each area of concern, they advance to a more challenging next step. Each step in Great Leaps has been designed to follow the previous step in a very organized, consecutive manner."
Visit the Florida Center for Reading Research to view its effectiveness by clicking here.
Sing, Spell, Read, & Write - Sing, Spell, Read, & Write website does a great job of describing the intervention:
"Sing, Spell, Read & Write uses phonics songs, interactive charts, and games to teach the alphabetic principle, phonemic awareness, sound/letter correspondence, short vowel sounds, and blending - in a fun and meaningful way. By the end of Kindergarten students will be reading fully-decodable story books with single-, short- vowel words."
This intervention is most appropriate for Pre-K - 2nd grade students. It's unique in the fact that it combines music and singing with intervention strategies.
Visit the Florida Center for Reading Research to view its effectiveness by clicking here.
"Sing, Spell, Read & Write uses phonics songs, interactive charts, and games to teach the alphabetic principle, phonemic awareness, sound/letter correspondence, short vowel sounds, and blending - in a fun and meaningful way. By the end of Kindergarten students will be reading fully-decodable story books with single-, short- vowel words."
This intervention is most appropriate for Pre-K - 2nd grade students. It's unique in the fact that it combines music and singing with intervention strategies.
Visit the Florida Center for Reading Research to view its effectiveness by clicking here.
Rewards - This is a program that is geared towards grades 4 - 8 and focuses on strategies that assist students in decoding longer, multi-syllabic words. The purpose of this program is to help increase oral and silent reading fluency.
Visit REWARDS reading website by clicking here.
Visit REWARDS reading website by clicking here.
Visit the Florida Center for Reading Research to view its effectiveness by clicking here.
Math
Math in Focus - This program has been adopted as the "core" program for all of our general math classes grades 1st - 5th at the elementary level. We use this program as an intervention as well because of its extensive resources and strategies offered to grasp a math concept. If a student is struggling with a particular concept, we have the interventionist trace back to the root of the problem and determine where Math In Focus begins to teach strategies that eventually build to successful understanding of the concept. For example, if a student is having difficulties with multiplication facts in the fourth grade, the interventionist would go to the initial lesson on multiplication (grade 2) and start with the hands-on, manipulative-involved strategies. Once the student masters those concrete steps, the interventionist gradually works through the more abstract strategies in the area of multiplication building up to mastery at the abstract level. In other words, the student is lead from the very basic concrete steps of the concept through strategies that eventually get the student to the ability level where he or she can answer problems abstractly, or without using manipulatives and pictures to solve the problem. This intervention is helpful because it gives the students a variety of ways to reach an answer instead of relying on memorization or just one method to arrive at an answer.
This information about the program can be found on the website by following the Research link listed below:
"Math in Focus teaches fewer topics in greater depth for increased mastery. The focused instruction provides time for students to learn, consolidate, and apply concepts.
Students use manipulatives and visual representations throughout the program. The concrete-pictorial-abstract approach supports a seamless transition into complex problems and algebra.
Math in Focus encourages students to reflect on the "how" and "why" when solving problems. This emphasis results in effective strategies and greater student confidence in mathematics."
View research behind Math in Focus by clicking on the following link:
Math in Focus Research
Great LEAPS Math - The Great Leaps Math Program focuses on building fluency in the basic facts, including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. It features concrete lessons (using manipulative objects) and representational lessons (using student drawings) to help the student understand math operations.
Visit this website to view a sample of what the program has to offer.
Rhymes and Times - This math intervention is multi-sensory as it addresses the four learning styles of visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile.
Visit the Rhymes 'N' Times website for general information about this intervention.
Visit the Rhymes 'N' Times research page by clicking here.
