School of the Year

Richmond Street School

El Segundo, CA

2018 Read Live School of the Year

Submitted by Lisa Haun, Reading Specialist, Richmond Street School

Our grand-prize winner, Richmond Street School, has been using Read Naturally Strategy programs for over 15 years. Reading Specialist Lisa Haun, who has been working with Read Naturally Live since 2012, and her lab assistants have implemented the program with fidelity for their targeted group of 3rd grade students. Read Naturally Live is also used with 4th and 5th grade students, and by the special education teacher within their learning center.

Ms. Haun submitted data in the form of charts and reports that indicated students using Read Naturally Live at Richmond Street School during the course of the current school year made significant progress in their reading proficiency.

“I've been working as a Reading Specialist since 1998, and incorporated Read Naturally using the audio tapes," Ms Haun wrote. "We've both come a long way since then! I upgraded to Read Naturally Software Edition at my new school in 2003, to fortunately using Read Naturally Live for the last several years (since 2012) with the students that struggle with literacy at Richmond Street School.

“Intervention is provided in the computer lab with two assistants and myself, circulating between 6-8 students per session. I have been formally trained and have done much research in my Master’s program in the area of fluency. In turn, I have trained the assistants to ensure we implement the program with the utmost fidelity. The high-interest stories keep my students engaged and we ensure they are working at targeted levels with individualized goals. This kind of differentiation is one of the keys to our success.

“The focus on non-fiction and vocabulary development is also a great benefit, particularly, for my English Language Learners. I also feel there is no greater value than the immediate, positive feedback through the visual charts. The kids beam every time they hit/exceed their goals and we make a big deal over their achievements every day by celebrating their graphs. My most targeted group utilizing Read Naturally Live is with third graders, 2-3 days a week, for approximately 30 minutes. This high-energy group benefits immensely from the structure and established routines implemented consistently.

“Read Naturally Live is additionally used with 4th and 5th graders and by our SPED teacher within our Learning Center. When working with the students, we require both the cold and hot timings to be done with an adult to provide ongoing, direct coaching. We also spend focused time on the Retell, as this is a difficult task required throughout the grades. We use a graphic organizer that I created to assist students in organizing their ideas in a cohesive retelling that includes an introduction, beginning, middle, end, and conclusion.

“In the accompanying videos, Bella was trying to express that because of the retelling practice, she finds it easier to complete her weekly homework requiring her to retell. It is also imperative to ensure the students are whisper reading during the Read Along and Practice steps. Students are increasing their reading volume as a result, which is especially critical for the students who often choose not to read or “pretend” read during class.

“My students are reading more accurately, fluently, and thoughtfully, in turn improving their understanding of text. At the start of the year, 10 out of 15 of my 3rd grade students were reading with less than 95% accuracy, impacting their comprehension. In March, only 2 out of 15 students had less than 95% accuracy.

“Additionally, as of March, 65% of my 3rd graders already met their end-of-year expected comprehension growth goals as measured by Lexile. Of the 35% who have not met their growth goals, two students (12%) have since qualified for special education and another two students (12%) only started the program in February. Thirteen of 15 have moved at least one proficiency level, including five that have moved two levels, from below basic to proficient.

“The students at Richmond Street School are thriving as a result of Read Live! Their increased self-esteem and confidence is the greatest outcome of all.”

Videos

Reading Specialist Lisa Haun talks about Read Naturally Live features that enable them to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of individual students and target both fluency and comprehension.

Students talk about what they like about the Read Naturally Live program at Richmond Street School and how the program has helped them become better readers.