STAR - STudent Achievement in Reading:
What We Learned During the First Year of Training
by Ken Appelt, TCALL Professional Development Specialist
During the 2008-2009 academic year, 43 Texas teachers and administrators participated in the STudent Achievement in Reading (STAR) training on evidence-based reading instruction for adults. In this article, the third in a series of articles over the past year, I will discuss what we learned during this first year of STAR training in Texas. The two previous articles (referenced below) give information on the content of the STAR training and the Texas training cohort.
Texas’ state leaders had several questions going into the first year of training by the national STAR trainers. They were interested in the quality of the materials and design of the series of three professional development workshops. They wanted to know if it would be effective in helping programs implement evidence-based reading instructional practices in the classrooms of teachers with students reading at a 4 to 8.9 grade level equivalent. What additional program costs would be required for implementation? What additional technical assistance support would be necessary to help programs and teachers implement and sustain evidence-based reading instruction? Would any of the reading instructional methods from the STAR training be useful for the many ESL students in Texas?
TCALL researchers collected pre-training and post-training data from the STAR training participants. The Pre-training Survey asked participants to state their current classroom practices regarding reading instruction and any previous training in reading instruction. The Post-training Survey had open-ended questions on changes to their teaching practices, training specific content, and the applicability of the instructional methods with ESL students. Administrators also responded to questions on required program changes to implement STAR and additional programs costs.
Here are some of the things our researchers discovered:
Before attending the STAR training institutes, almost all participants used the TABE test for reading assessment. 43% mentioned using additional methods – observing oral reading ability, using computer assessments, and observing students work in class. 20% of the participants had no reading specific training. 60% of the cohort mentioned workshops. Of the participants claiming college reading courses, 46% had K-12 certification in Texas.
When asked how they would help students who were having trouble decoding words, only 35% of the participants mentioned instructional strategies that could be classified as phonics or alphabetic instruction. Only 35% mentioned specific comprehension strategies they taught to students.
Post-training
86% of the cohort responded that STAR improved reading assessment in their program, allowing teachers to plan instruction to the needs of the student. For example, “Now I use the STAR assessments to break down reading skill into its four components. Knowing specific strengths and weaknesses allows me to guide students in exercising specific areas of alphabetics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.”
Changes in vocabulary instruction included focus on Tier II words, shorter word lists to allow depth of learning, and more oral and written exercises using vocabulary words in different ways by adding suffixes to transform them into different parts of speech. After the STAR training, teachers could also name specific strategies for teaching alphabetics and phonemic awareness to students who have difficulty identifying and sounding out words. Responses to the question about teaching comprehension strategies were greatly different on the Post-training Survey. Most named several activities or teaching strategies they learned during the STAR Reading Institutes which they now use in the classroom.
When asked if any of the strategies learned in the STAR training would apply to ESL learners, most thought the alphabetic and vocabulary strategies would work well with ESL students and those who recently transitioned from ESL into ABE classes.
Alignment of STAR content with Other State
Initiatives
STAR is not a reading curriculum; it is a reading reform initiative designed to increase the use of evidence-based practices. The content of the STAR Training is compatible with other state initiatives such as Effective Instruction for All Adult Education Students Including those with Special Learning Needs. The reading instruction methods in both of these trainings are nearly the same and have a common research foundation.
Because STAR focuses on effective methods of reading instruction for adults, STAR does not have conflicts with Texas Adult Education Content Standards and Benchmarks for ABE/ASE and ESL Learners.
Recommendations
Based on the responses of the participants to the surveys and the observations of the training sessions and technical assistance visits, the researchers suggest several things that state administrators should keep in mind as they seek to expand and sustain evidence-based reading instruction in Texas adult education programs.
Administrators are critical to the implementation of STAR. While the administrators did not think STAR would have excessive implementation costs, their involvement is critical for solving any organizational or structural issues. STAR is designed to work best with managed enrollment; if structural changes in the program are required, the administrator will have to be involved and must have a clear understanding of the reasons for the change. Some changes may be needed in the way students are assigned to classes after initial TABE testing at intake. For long-term sustainability of STAR, the administrator will need to support and plan for the training of additional teachers. Also, administrators will be better at supporting, coaching, and monitoring their teachers if they are fully trained themselves.
Diagnostic Testing requires time and personnel. Teachers may need an assistant or tutor in the classroom while they are testing individual students. In larger programs that have specific personnel to handle TABE and BEST testing, those responsible for testing will need to be trained to administer the reading assessments used by STAR. Administrators will have to be knowledgeably involved in solving difficulties in implementing STAR at the local program level.
Teachers will need a bit more planning time. Once teachers have the results of the diagnostic testing, they group the students according to skill levels and needs, and then plan instructional activities for each group with appropriate pull-out time for any direct instruction that is needed. According to the STAR trainers, as teachers become more comfortable with STAR materials and the new classroom practices, this planning will take less time.
Technical assistance is essential for quality implementation and to help staff solve local implementation problems as programs move step by step toward full implementation. Implementing STAR may be a big change from the normal way of doing business on some campuses, and with change, comes uncertainty. Teachers can become uncertain about how to implement STAR once they return to their campus. On technical assistance site visits, STAR trainers were able to offer suggestions on teaching technique after observing the teachers in the classroom and were helpful in offering possible solutions to any perceived implementation barriers. Teachers were always assured that implementation requires step by step progress.
TCALL Resources
Appelt, K. (2008). STAR: Evidence-Based Reading Instruction for Adults Reading at the Intermediate Level. Texas Adult and Family Literacy Quarterly,12(4), 1.
Appelt, K. (2009). STAR Reading Training in Texas - A Success Story With More Benefits to Come. Texas Adult and Family Literacy Quarterly,13(3), 20.
Appelt, K., Mancuso, D., & Garcia, S. J. (2009). STAR Pilot Report: Evaluation of the STAR Institutes and the Applicability of the Content for Texas Adult Basic Education. Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy & Learning. 
 
|
