The Challenge
Just three years ago, the majority of Chandlers Elementary School primary students were reading below grade level. As the school year went by with no improvement, teachers and administrators became increasingly distressed, knowing how crucial it is for students to learn how to read by the end of third grade. "Our scores were alarmingly low," said Lana Whitaker, literacy coach at Chandlers Elementary School. "We were ranked among the worst in the county."

In an effort to curb the disturbing reading trend, Chandlers Elementary applied for Reading First designation. Reading First allocates federal funds to states and districts to implement scientifically based reading instruction, and ensures accountability through ongoing screening, and diagnostic and classroom-based assessment. Schools demonstrating the greatest need are given top priority. Chandlers Elementary was approved, and it was up to them to identify how to best allocate the funds to students' advantage.

About Chandlers Elementary
Chandlers Elementary is located in rural Logan County, Kentucky, and educates five hundred students from preschool through eighth grade. There are 167 primary students, 95 percent of whom are Caucasian. At Chandlers Elementary, 23 percent of students' families live in poverty, and nearly 65 percent of students qualify for free or reduced-priced lunches.

First Step: Change the Curriculum and Instruction
With the influx of federal funding, Chandlers Elementary adopted a uniform reading curriculum, hired Whitaker as literacy coach, and took a hard look at classroom instruction. Chandlers Elementary historically favored the traditional student lecture approach, but after careful evaluation, decided it was time to thoroughly train teachers on a new method: differentiated instruction.

Differentiated instruction tailors teaching practices and strategies to address students with varying academic abilities, learning styles, personalities, experiences, and levels of motivation for learning. The method has gained popularity in recent years because it can maximize learning for all students—regardless of skill level or background. "We wanted to do a better job teaching our academically diverse pool of students—some needed dramatic intervention, some required a little extra help, and some were doing well," said Whitaker. "Differentiated instruction provided us with a research-proven method to address all of their needs more effectively."

When students began the new school year, they took both the Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE) and Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skill (DIBELS) tests to assess their reading levels. Based on their scores, students were assigned to an appropriate tier for differentiated instruction.

Tier I
Tier 1 students are reading on or above grade level, and receive the standard ninety minutes of reading instruction per day. Between GRADE and DIBELS assessments, scheduled three times a year, Tier I students' progress is monitored to ensure that they are not falling behind.

Tier II
Students identified with some literacy risk are strategically targeted with Tier II instruction, which includes the benchmark ninety minutes, plus an additional thirty or forty minutes, depending on grade level. Lessons are designed to specifically focus on students' areas of need with the help of leveled readers in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Tier II students are formally evaluated with the DIBELS test every two weeks, and with classroom-based monitoring tools between assessments.

Tier III
Students identified as being at risk for reading failure receive tailored instruction in the Tier III intensive intervention. Collaboratively, the literacy coach, intervention specialist, and teacher analyze each student's data and learning style to develop an individualized plan. Intervention instruction is provided daily for thirty to forty minutes above and beyond the 120 minutes of Tier I and II instruction. Tier III students' progress is formally monitored each week through the DIBELS test and classroom-based assessment instruments.

"We're constantly analyzing our data, collaborating on lesson plans, and evaluating teachers' effectiveness to ensure Tier III students are making progress," said Whitaker. "If they're not improving, we go back to the drawing board and try something else to intervene. We made a deep commitment to bring our students up to grade level."

Second Step: Focus on Family Literacy
In addition to differentiated instruction, Chandlers Elementary identified family literacy as a critical component in fostering student reading success. With some parents of Chandlers Elementary students struggling with literacy issues themselves, it became important to ensure that the gains students made in the classroom were reinforced at home. Chandlers Elementary redoubled its efforts to engage students' families in the literacy process with proactive outreach, including:

• reading workshops for parents
• monthly family reading nights at the school
• backpack program—books and audiobooks are purchased and sent home on a weekly basis so students can read with their parents and report back to teachers
• complimentary literacy magazine subscription for all families
• complimentary new book each month selected by each family
• tutoring assistance through extended school services afterschool and during fall and summer breaks
• extended school library hours to meet both parents' and students' needs

"Parents really responded to our new efforts to engage them in the literacy process," said Whitaker. "I don't think they were aware of how crucial their role is in improving student performance until we reached out to them both collectively and individually."

Results
By critically addressing students' poor reading performance with both school and home intervention, Chandlers Elementary primary students dramatically increased their GRADE and DIBELS scores in a short timeframe. When Chandlers Elementary initially received Reading First funding in fall 2004, students scored 47.7 percent on the GRADE test. By the spring, students ranked first in the state with 75.4 percent. Kindergarteners made the greatest DIBELS gains—26 percent in the fall compared to 82 percent in the spring—putting them on track to be proficient readers by the end of third grade.

"Our holistic approach to helping students close the reading achievement gap had a profound effect on all of our lives," said Whitaker. "Teachers, administrators, and parents alike take great pride in our students' success because we all joined together to make it happen. What we've accomplished is nothing short of amazing."