(NOT the Official) DIBELS Clearinghouse

Ohanian Comment: Paw Paw Phooey! Note that the reporter says teachers are excited but then doesn't quote a single classroom techer. "One program we offer at the kindergarten level is K+, an intensive intervention for our kindergartners. These students attend K+ before or after their "regularly scheduled" half-day of kindergarten."

To the reporter's credit, she did get a (lame) quote from one student.

This is Paw Pay, Michigan.

by Deborah Klinger
The Courier-Leader
February 6, 2006

PAW PAW - The teachers and administrators at Paw Paw's elementary schools are excited about the preliminary results from a new reading intervention program they implemented this year.

Using Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) as a testing foundation, teachers test students three times a year in initial letter sounds, letter naming and nonsense words in Kindergarten and first grade. Older students are tested in oral reading fluency. Based on their scores, students are noted as "benchmark" (progressing at expected rate), or students needing practice or frequent interventions.

The Title 1 Instructional Specialists input all the testing data and print reports for each classroom teacher. The teachers, Title 1 staff and principals then identify the students who need more practice and/or interventions then determine what type of intervention to use and who will provide it.

"We're getting great results!" said Lori Cross, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum for Paw Paw School District. "At the Early Elementary, in just the first eight weeks of school, we decreased the number of students needing additional interventions by 40 percent," she said.

Within a couple of weeks these students are retested. If test results show that a student has not made the expected progress, then another intervention is tried.

"At this time, we are using a number of programs and strategies as interventions," explains Cross. "One program we offer at the kindergarten level is K+, an intensive intervention for our kindergartners. These students attend K+ before or after their "regularly scheduled" half-day of kindergarten."

"In K+ we have a program that reinforces letter names and initial sound fluency through learning centers, computer software and small teacher-led instruction," said Cross. "This is just the second year of K+, but after just one year we had a 25 percent increase in the number of kindergartners who were meeting or exceeding kindergarten benchmarks."

Instructional Specialist Cyndi Puzevic, who heads up the reading intervention program, also expressed excitement with the new program. "We have seen significant gains in reading progress since implementing the reading intervention program. The interventions are driven by research and data and are tailored to each individual child to support his or her needs and strengths."

Beyond the teacher's obvious enthusiasm, the truest testimony to the success of the program's reading interventions may be first grader Trey Carl, who, now boasts "I can read books better. Reading is fun and easy!" His confidence alone is worth getting excited about.