America Reads and Counts 2013-2014 Annual Report
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Table of Contents Acknowledgments
Page 3
Executive Summary
Page 4
About America Reads and Counts
Page 5
About our Tutors
Page 6
Professional Development
Page 8
National Literacy Action Week
Page 10
Global Youth Service Day
Page 13
Results
Page 16
Thank Yous
Page 21
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Acknowledgments The America Reads & Counts program could not have achieved so much without our program partners. We would like to thank the following schools and organizations for their ongoing collaboration and partnership as we work to improve educational opportunity in our area: • • • • •
Carrboro Elementary Estes Hills Elementary Grey Culbreth Middle Holmes Day Care Morris Grove Elementary
• • • • •
New Hope Elementary Seawell Elementary UNC-Chapel Hill School of Education North Carolina LiteracyCorps Chapel Hill Carrboro Youth City Forward
The following tutors contributed their time and talents: • • • • • • • • • • • •
Michelle Braun Shakeia Burgin Mia Carrington Maria Castrillon Amy Dingler Mark Fowler Shaza Gaballah Kali Hackett Ali Hernandez Quentin Hill Julienne Herrera Helen Kyriakoudes
• • • • • • • • • • • •
Brianna Leary Ashley Lee Melody Lee CrysAne McCallum Kevin McGowan Tamera McLeod Elsa Mondragon Miles Owens James Paige Joel Pinckney Luke Ponds Isabelle Potts
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• • • • • • • • • • • •
Lydia Potts Andrew Reckard Josh Reed Baker Renneckar Jessica Scaggs Spencer Smith Elizabeth Szep Asher Strickland Sarah Uffman Cindy Vallecillo Osvelia Valverde Beth Wilson
Executive Summary This year was a year of transition for America Reads and America Counts. Because of cuts to state and federal funding, all work-study positions for graduate students were cut at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. We previously employed four to seven graduate students to assist with the America Reads program, so this year we found ways to adjust without the staff support. Thanks to the flexibility of the schools and the patience of the tutors as we figured things out, I’m proud to say this year was as successful as ever. In the report that follows you will find a detailed account of the program design, activities and evaluation findings for the 2013-2014 year. Here is just a sample to highlight some of the exciting accomplishments made by those who participated in the program. • 36 tutor provided 4,236 hours of tutoring and training. • 87 students in pre-K, elementary, and middle school in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Orange County received tutoring. • The average reading levels of student tutored the whole year increased by 1.5, and those tutored one semester increased by .72 • 5 America Reads tutors also served as AmeriCorps members through SCALE’s North Carolina LiteracyCorps, contributing over 300 hours of service through additional events such as Make a Difference Day, the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service Book Drive, and the National Volunteer Week. • 100% of parents surveyed about their children’s participation in the program agreed, “My child’s writing skills have improved,” and “My child has a better understanding of what he/she reads.” • 90% of teachers noticed a positive change in reading achievement • 90% noticed a change in attitude towards reading To learn more about America Reads, visit our website at http://americareads.web.unc.edu, or SCALE’s website at http://readwriteact.org. You’ll find even more pictures from National Literacy Action Week and Global Youth Service Day, a profile of each of our tutors, and a blogpost sharing each tutor’s story. It was a fun year for me to see the tutees and tutors grow together. I hope you enjoy hearing about the program from the tutors and seeing the gains the tutees. Sincerely, Allison Reavis Literacy Programs Director
Wool E. Bull at the Martin Luther King Junior Day of Service Book Drive
One interaction I would like to share actually occurred with one of the preschoolers at Carrboro Elementary who I read with frequently, named McKayla. We were in the middle of a book one day, and McKayla stopped me, looked into my eyes, and said "I like to read, because it makes my brain good." Just this one line made my day and made me so excited about the opportunity to tutor, because I was helping this five year old girl recognize the value of reading and what it did for her. - America Reads tutor 4
About America Reads and America Counts History and Mission America Reads began in 1997 when President Clinton signed the America Reads Challenge Act “to help all children read well and independently by the end of the third grade so that they can succeed in school, later in the workplace, and in life.” Initially the campaign addressed the literacy needs of children from pre-K to grade 3, as these years represent a critical period of literacy acquisition with ramifications for later learning and academic achievement. America Counts serves students from elementary through ninth grade in developing a stronger foundation in mathematics. The America Reads & Counts program at UNC-Chapel Hill is managed by The Student Coalition for Action in Literacy Education (SCALE) and is housed within the School of Education. The program currently serves children from Pre-K-8th grade. Now in its 17th year of operation, America Reads & Counts includes partnerships with seven local schools, including one daycare. The main goal of SCALE’s America Reads & Counts program is to 1) help Pre-K–8th grade children in Orange County achieve their literacy goals and 2) to serve as a model for America Reads and Counts programs around the country by providing literacy tutors trained in research-based methods.
Program Design
President Clinton signs the America Reads legislation
SCALE provides struggling students with high quality tutoring thanks to the energy and commitment of trained college students combined with the support of knowledgeable staff who are dedicated to improving educational outcomes through partnerships with schools. Using federal work-study funds, SCALE’s America Reads & Counts program hires UNC-Chapel Hill undergraduate students as tutors to provide classroom support and individual instruction to struggling and at-risk students, with a focus on those who do not otherwise qualify for or receive specialized support services and interventions. America Reads tutors work with teachers, after-school coordinators, and administrators to provide age and school-appropriate lessons, while also utilizing a research-based curriculum to help guide their lessons. America Counts tutors provide in-classroom and after school assistance to middle school math students. Tutors provide consistent service to the schools by working with their learners at least twice a week in 40-minute sessions for 23 weeks.
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Meet our Tutors The America Reads & Counts program is an ideal way for SCALE to uphold its mission to support college students who want to make a difference through education. This year, we hired 36 undergraduate work-study students as tutors, including 5 Bonner scholars and 5 minimum-time AmeriCorps members. Most tutors are not education majors, but all of them share a passion for closing the achievement gap. To meet all of our tutors, visit: http://americareads.web.unc.edu/for-parents-and-parents/meet-the-tutors/.
College: Arts and Sciences Business Education Journalism Unknown Total majors:
72% 14% 8% 3% 3% 24
Hometowns: In state Out of state
69% 31%
Year in School: Freshman Sophomore Junior Senior
11% 22% 42% 25%
Returning tutors Males Females Would apply to tutor again
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31% 36% 64% 93%
America Reads has provided an excellent opportunity to show children the importance of literacy and social justice. The entire experience has been meaningful. Every time that I see my tutees, their eyes light up and they cannot wait to read. The realization that they actually enjoyed being with me was awesome. I feel that America Reads provided me with the resources to be successful. -America Reads tutor
“One of my tutees has had behavioral issues all year. She would constantly ask to leave and refuse to write or follow my directions. In the second semester of our tutoring, however, something changed. She was a little less disappointed when I came to get her from after school. She was especially excited to read the Arthur books available in the school library. We have read one each day for the last several weeks and she is glued to them the whole time. I even get her to read along with me. I'm so glad that I could finally get her to be engaged with reading!”
100% of tutors agreed, “My tutoring has made a difference in me,” with 56% of those strongly agreeing.
“I am appreciative of my experiences as an America Reads Tutor and feel ready to learn much of what I have learned as a teacher next year. My experiences as a tutor have allowed me to interactive with students and address their individual literacy needs. My tutees and I mutually benefited from these experiences, as I became a more effective tutor and they became better students. The support and encouragement I have received from the SCALE staff and other tutors was invaluable. The many positive experience that arose from tutoring will be remembered in years to come.” “It is very easy when you are at UNC to forget about the rest of the world outside of your campus. Tutoring has given me a unique opportunity to get off campus and experience, to a degree, the lives of younger kids. It has also given me a better understanding of what I have been gifted with, and how I can use those gifts to help others, both in the tutoring that I am in currently and other areas of life.” “The moment I realized I made a difference to my tutee was when, after only knowing me for three weeks, he called me his best friend simply because I drew some pictures with him.”
“I think that all of the interactions I had this semester were meaningful because I loved every day I went to work. At first I was a little reserved because I have never been around kids before as an adult but I realize that I love the school environment so much that I want to teach when I graduate. By watching the teacher and student interactions and also making some of my own I have learned that each day comes with different challenges and each student comes with different needs but that just makes it so much more fulfilling when I am able to teach them or help them understand something that they didn't before.” Want to hear from more tutors in their own words? Check out http://americareads.web.unc.edu/news-and-stories/. 7
Professional Development Tutor Trainings and Team Meetings SCALE provides high-quality, research-based trainings to our America Reads & Counts tutors throughout the school year. During the 2013-14 year, each tutor received at least twenty hours of training, comprised of 4 hours of initial training followed by 16 hours of required training. Tutors also had the opportunity to participate in up to 28 additional hours of training through SCALE’s 2013 Read.Write.Act. Virtual Conference and the 2014 NLAW Virtual Conference. Tutors received preliminary trainings in tutoring Pre-K learners, K-3rd grade learners, 4th5th grade learners and English Language Learners (America Reads), and middle school learners, manipulatives, and English Language Learners (America Counts). Following this initial training, tutors received training at weekly team meetings. These trainings covered a wide range of topics, including behavior management, lesson planning and assessment, reading comprehension, independent reading, alternative math instruction, multiple intelligences, civic engagement, arts integration, and working with diverse populations.
93% of tutors agreed or strongly agreed, “I had sufficient support to be an effective tutor (training, resources/materials, communication, etc.).
85% of tutors agreed or strongly agreed, “Team meetings helped me become a better tutor.”
Read.Write.Act Virtual Conference 8 tutors attended the Read.Write.Act virtual conference, this year themed “Beyond the Classroom: Applying Literacy to Promote Equity.” Tutors were able to attend sessions led by leaders in literacy and community practice, such as, “Fighting Bullies with Books: Using YA Literature to Prevent Bullying in Schools,” “Jumpstart into Social Justice: The Impact on College Students of Providing Literacy Based Service-Learning with Preschool Students,” and “Promoting Math and Print Literacy as a Form of Community Empowerment and Leader Development.” Tutors were also able to network and make connections to other educational leaders and tutors in the Orange County community.
“One of my favorite presentations was “Figuring Out How the Pieces Fit,” by Melissa Edwards, who talked about how to engage students (and new English learners) in new learning settings with non-traditional materials.” - Tutor 8
Bonner Scholars This year five Bonner scholars were placed at SCALE. Bonners are work study students through the Campus Y who commit to working with SCALE all four years they are a Carolina student. Bonners participate in weekly trainings at the Campus Y in community-related topics, and then apply what they learn to best serve their partner organizations. They progress from being entry-level tutors to helping all aspects of program management at SCALE. This year Bonners maintained the blog, organized statewide Global Youth Service Day events, and contributed expertise to leading tutor trainings. “It’s been really cool to take the basic trainings that Bonner offers that can be applied to different community roles, applying those trainings specifically to our work with tutoring and children, and be able to come back and talk to people how they applied the trainings at their work site.” - Bonner Scholar and America Reads tutor
North Carolina LiteracyCorps Five America Reads tutors also served as minimum-time AmeriCorps members with the North Carolina LiteracyCorps. These tutors completed three hundred hours of service through America Reads tutoring; additional AmeriCorps training topics such as Conflict Management, Social Media and Advocacy, and Program Evaluation; and days of service, such as 9/11 Day of Remembrance, Make a Difference Day, Martin Luther King Junior Day of Service, and National Volunteer Week For their service, AmeriCorps members are awarded a scholarship.
93% of tutors agreed or strongly agreed, “I feel more prepared for a job after graduation because of my participation in ARAC.”
88% of tutors agreed or strongly agreed, “ARAC offered helpful professional development tools..” 9
I am very thankful that I have had the opportunity to make lesson plans- this was a new skill that I have learned (and while I found it challenging initially, I am excited to have gained this skill and look forward to using it in the future)America Reads Tutor
National Literacy Action Week About NLAW All America Reads & Counts tutors participated in National Literacy Action Week (NLAW) activities in February 2014. NLAW is a yearly event during which campus literacy programs nationwide join together to raise awareness about literacy and create change on their campuses and in their communities. America Reads & Counts tutors planned activities to demonstrate the importance of literacy to their learners and to raise awareness of the importance of literacy in the community. At the end of the week, the tutors attended the NLAW Virtual Conference. Hunter Phillips-Goodman presented “The American Student Service Movement: Building Up and Building On,” which covered the history of student service movements, including the IMPACT/COOL conference, Bonner scholars, and Public Allies. Lucy Lewis narrated her experience with voting rights acts, from her time on the campaign trail for Charles Evers and his run for governor, and her current involvement in Moral Mondays and why it is important to right for everyone’s right to vote.
84% of tutors agreed or strongly agreed, “ I have a greater understanding of social justice and advocacy in regards to literacy.”
Literacy Fair at Estes Hills Elementary Tutors arranged for a literacy fair for their tutees at Estes Hills Elementary. The tutees rotated among six booths, including a spelling bee station, Bananagrams, story cubes, math basketball, MadLibs, and reading darts (where the tutees shot a can with the correct reading comprehension answer).
Great job!! The kids also thought it was great. Patty and noticed how engaged they all were. -Dawn McClendon, Site Supervisor
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Spelling Bee Fund-raiser Tutors organized a spelling bee to raise money to make quality social justice books for their tutees at Global Youth Service Day. They gathered attention by painting the cube on campus and pitt-sitting to sell tickets. The participants gathered in Murphey Hall to spell words until only one person remained. Chipotle donated gift cards, which were awarded to the first, second, and third place finished. All proceeds benefited the America Reads program at SCALE.
Movie Night: The First Grader Tutors organized a viewing of the movie The First Grader, a film based on a true life story of a elderly Kenyan man who returns to school when Kenya establishes universal and free education. He returns to primary school, where he overcomes a great many obstacles to become a student and then remain a student. After the film, the attendees discussed literacy and why it was important. Attendees had a chance to make a sign The event received donations from Starbucks, Papa Johns, Jimmy John’s, and Harris Teeter, which were used as refreshments and raffles.
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Math Literacy Scavenger Hunt at Culbreth Middle America Counts tutors arranged a math scavenger hunt for members of the after school program at Grey Culbreth Middle School. Each tutor was stationed at one of six spots in the school, such as the principal’s office or the gym. Each team of two received a grade-appropriate question that showed how math was important in that area of the school. The winning team received gift cards donated by Elmo’s Diner and Sweet Frog, and all participants received candy donated by Harris Teeter. “What has meant the most to me this semester/year was getting to know the students in the after school program. The students are comfortable enough now to not only come to me with questions about their homework, but questions about their life in general and issues they are having inside and outside of the classroom. These relationships that I have built have reminded me why I decided to work with SCALE and why education is so important to me. I feel as if I have helped these students grow and they have done the same for me.” - America Counts tutor
What Literacy Means to You Contest Tutors created a Facebook page for people to share “What Literacy Means to You.” People shared why they love reading, posted photos of themselves reading their favorite book, quotations about literacy, good memories of reading, and links to their favorite books. These photos and quotations were then compiled to a website. The tutors then randomly drew two names, and the winners were presented with American Express gift cards. Check out all of the listings at https://www.facebook.com/NLAW2014. I love reading because it connects me to the people around me by allowing us to experience the same emotional journey. -Sarah Howard
When you read it lets you go to school at Hogwarts and pretend you live in district 12. -Anna Dingler
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Global Youth Service Day Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) is an annual campaign sponsored by Youth Service America to involve youth 25 years old and under all over the world in service to their communities, held this year on April 12th, 2014.
Pen pals To add excitement and build-up to the GYSD, America Reads tutors set up an inter-site pen pals program. America Reads tutees at one site crafted letters to America Reads tutees at a different school. This year, sixty students were matched with a pen pal, and by the end of the program year in late April, tutees were able to accomplish several letter exchanges.
“One of the girls I work with... abhors writing. It’s her least favorite part of school, and the very idea of picking up her pencil sends her eyeballs rolling to the ceiling. I’ve tutored her the entire year, and there’s not a single time where I’ve announced that we’re going to write that she hasn’t looked at me like I’ve betrayed her. But this semester, when we decided to do the pen pals program, I saw a spark in her that I’d never seen before. I remember warily asking her if she wanted to write a letter to someone in a different school, and was surprised to see her eyes light up. She grabbed her paper and sat very quietly, and after a few minutes, it occurred to me that she might be stalling. But when I started to ask if she wanted to read instead, she waved her hand dismissively at me and said, “Wait wait, I’m thinking of what I want to say first.” To my astonishment, twenty minutes later, Ashley had written an entire page without any prompting. She handed it to me dramatically and informed me that she hoped it went to a girl (it ended up going to a guy). This was the best session I ever had with Ashley, and it served as an amazing reminder that kids will work towards anything, if only we can find the right outlets for them to use.” - America Reads tutor 13
Social justice stories America Reads tutors also look forward to planning and holding the annual reading that represents the culmination of tutors’ work with their students throughout the year. GYSD provides the children who participate in the America Reads program an opportunity to write, illustrate, and publish their own stories with help from their tutors. Age-appropriate books were used in tutoring sessions to provoke discussion about social justice issues relevant to our learners. These discussions led to students composing stories, which they drafted, revised, edited and published with the help of their tutors, on topics ranging from bullying, fairness, friendship, and poverty. By writing these stories, tutors introduced the idea that youth can make a difference in their communities. The tutors encouraged the tutees to share their meaningful stories addressing social justice issues with their school community. This project took place in the weeks leading up to GYSD. Read the stories at http://issuu.com/americareadsunc.
“One of the most challenging, yet fun, experiences I’ve had with the children has been teaching them about social justice and helping them create their own social justice story. Since I primarily work with 3 and 4 yearolds, I used the book, Rainbow Fish, as a tool to show them social justice. I explained it in very simple terms such as sharing, helping others and being nice. Some of them caught on right away and made a story about sharing extremely similar to that of Rainbow Fish except they substituted themselves and their toys instead of Rainbow Fish and his scales...While it was a challenge to make social justice an easy to understand concept for the 3-4 year olds, it was all worth it in the end when they used their imagination to come up with cute and memorable stories.” - America Reads tutor 14
Orange County Day of Reading The students were then encouraged to take the next step by volunteering to read their social justice stories aloud to the community at the Fourth Annual North Carolina Day of Reading on Global Youth Service Day, held at the Binkley Baptist Church in Chapel Hill on April 12, 2014. The America Reads tutors assisted with planning, organizing, and setting up the event in collaboration with the North Carolina Literacy Corps and several local education and literacy agencies.
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Program Results 96% of tutors agreed or strongly agree, “My tutoring has made a difference for the learners I worked with,� with 60% of those agreeing strongly. Our tutoring program is guided by evidence-based curriculum, and we believe in our system’s ability to produce results in academic achievement and confidence. We measure outcomes through several methods.
Bader Graded Word Lists Tutors used the Bader Graded Word List to measure student improvement. Overall, 86% of students tutored for one year, and 59% of students tutored for a semester showed improvement in reading levels via the Bader graded word list, the largest a 4.5 increase. Complete results by site are shown in the table below. All Holmes tutees are learning their alphabet; thus, their achievements are based on letters learned instead of Bader levels, and are not included in the total summary. Bader Levels Students who participated the whole year Average change % of students whose level increased % of students with no change % of students whose levels decreased Bader Levels
Carrboro Estes Hills (n=14) +2 93%
(n=5) +1.1 80%
Holmes* (in letters) (n=9) + 3.3 78%
7%
20%
22%
Carrboro Estes Hills
Students who participated one semester (n=1) Average change +.5 % of students whose level 100% increased % of students with no change % of students whose levels decreased
(n=4) +.5 50%
Holmes* (in letters) (n=3) +5.3 100%
50%
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Morris Grove
New Hope
(n=5) +2 100%
(n=14) +1.4 86%
Seawell Total (excluding Holmes) (n=5) (n=43) +.7 +1.5 60% 86%
14%
40%
Morris Grove
New Hope
(n=6) +.17 33%
(n=14) +1 64%
Seawell Total (excluding Holmes) (n=9) (n=34) +.78 +.72 67% 59%
50% 17%
36%
22% 11%
14%
35% 6%
Parent/Guardian Evaluations Family involvement is critical to early literacy development. Therefore, it is important for our program to have contact with parents to evaluate changes in literacy behavior among our tutees in the home. America Reads and Counts distributed end-of-year evaluations in English and Spanish to parents/guardians of learners to ascertain how the program impacted learners’ ability and attitude towards reading and writing (America Reads) and math (America Counts). 100% of parents agreed or strongly agreed that “my child enjoys working with his/her tutor,” that “my child has a better understanding of what s/he reads,” that “my child chooses to read more often for enjoyment,” and that “my child’s writing skills have improved.” We did not receive any feedback from America Counts parents this year. The full results for America Reads are as follows. America Reads n= 10 1) My child asks me (or someone else in the home) to read to him/her more often. 2) My child asks me (or someone else in the home) to listen to him/her read more often 3) My child reads with fewer stops and pauses. 4) My child has a better understanding of what he/she reads. n=9 5) My child’s reading skills have improved. 6) My child chooses to read more often for enjoyment. 7) My child likes to write more. 8) My child’s writing skills have improved n=9 9) My child’s confidence in reading has improved. 10) My child has an increased interest in learning/ 11) My child enjoys working with his/her tutor.
Strongly Agree 20%
Agree
Neither
40%
50%
40%
50%
10%
40% 56%
50% 44%
10%
60% 50%
40% 50%
10%
40%
50%
44% 50%
56% 40%
10%
40%
50%
10%
80%
20%
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
10%
“When I started the session [my tutee]was in a really bad mood and completely uncooperative. I tried motivating him with some things that usually work, ‘What do you want to do / You have to do work to get into college.’ But even these things weren't working and he was saying things like he didn't want to go to college or even middle school. So I scrapped my plan and we moved locations and tried working on something completely different. He ended up working better with this plan and we started to have a pretty good session. Then, in the middle of an activity he stopped me and asked if I was going to keep up with him in the future. I responded that of course I would. Then he asked me to make sure he went to college, and that if he wasn't going to his classes I needed to ‘pick him up and drag him back into the classroom.’” - America Reads tutor 17
Tutor Pre- and Post- Evaluation America Reads Tutors were asked to assess each of their tutees and rate their level BEFORE tutoring and AFTER tutoring as either poor, fair, good, or excellent on seven questions. A level increase would be going from one marker to another, such as from poor to fair, or from good to excellent. The results are shown below. n=90
Overall reading ability
+.57
Reading comprehension
4% 18% 2% 0% 10% 23% 0% 16% 11% 16% 0%
Poor to Poor Poor to Fair Poor to Good Poor to Excellent Fair to Fair Fair to Good Fair to Excellent Good to Good Good to Excellent Excellent to Excellent Good to Fair
+.51
Fluency
+.49
Ability to sound out words
+.58
Poor to Poor Poor to Fair Poor to Good Poor to Excellent Fair to Fair Fair to Good Fair to Excellent Good to Good Good to Excellent Excellent to Excellent Good to Fair
Poor to Poor Poor to Fair Poor to Good Poor to Excellent Fair to Fair Fair to Good Fair to Excellent Good to Good Good to Excellent Excellent to Excellent Good to Fair
Poor to Poor Poor to Fair Poor to Good Poor to Excellent Fair to Fair Fair to Good Fair to Excellent Good to Good Good to Excellent Excellent to Excellent Good to Fair
7% 14% 2% 0% 16% 22% 0% 17% 8% 14% 0%
“Literacy is important, because it is practically impossible to function within our society without being able to read and write. These are basic skills that we use every day for a myriad of things, whether it be reading directions for something, reading a ballot when voting for our government leaders, or writing a resume when looking for a job. Not being able to read and write would greatly hinder a person’s ability to be successful in life, go to college, get a good job, or simply life their life to the fullest.” - America Reads tutor 18
4% 9% 4% 0% 8% 27% 0% 28% 7% 13% 0%
3% 16% 6% 0% 8% 22% 0% 23% 9% 13% 0%
Reading confidence
+.78
Overall writing ability
+.62
Poor to Poor Poor to Fair Poor to Good Poor to Excellent Fair to Fair Fair to Good Fair to Excellent Good to Good Good to Excellent Excellent to Excellent Good to Fair
Poor to Poor Poor to Fair Poor to Good Poor to Excellent Fair to Fair Fair to Good Fair to Excellent Good to Good Good to Excellent Excellent to Excellent Good to Fair
Vocabulary development
2% 14% 9% 2% 6% 20% 6% 21% 8% 11% 1%
Poor to Poor Poor to Fair Poor to Good Poor to Excellent Fair to Fair Fair to Good Fair to Excellent Good to Good Good to Excellent Excellent to Excellent Good to Fair
+.57 2% 14% 7% 0% 11% 18% 1% 29% 11% 7% 0%
[The tutee] is truly such a joy to work with. She went from not knowing any letters, to identifying and spelling three letters. We worked very hard to accomplish this literacy milestone and I am extremely proud of all that she accomplished. - Tutor
7% 16% 3% 0% 17% 30% 1% 16% 9% 1% 1%
[The tutee] has really gained self-confidence over this school year! She was gone from not talking during our time together to not wanting our session to be over! - Tutor
[The tutee] does an incredible job with her spelling at a very young age. She is a very precocious student and she was a pleasure to work with. - Tutor The fall was hard, but with the Spring brought a whole new season in working with [the tutee]! His entire attitude changed- working really hard in our sessions and having a lot more fun doing so. I am excited for where he is at now and where he is headed! -Tutor I have worked with [the tutee] for three years now and each year she continues to enjoy the program as well as improve! - Tutor Because of this program, my tutee... was always excited to work and get that extra bit of practice that he could use during the day. - Tutor 19
Teacher Evaluations Teacher feedback is critical to ensuring that we are making a positive impact on learners participating in our program. We also rely on this feedback to inform our program outreach efforts. We distributed evaluations to teachers to ascertain their perceptions of how the program impacted their students’ ability and attitude towards reading, writing, or math. This year, no America Counts teachers completed the survey. Ten questions were asked to America Reads teachers. The response was overwhelmingly positive:. For the first two questions of the teacher survey, respondents were asked to evaluate learners’ current attitudes toward reading and writing (for America Reads), and toward math (America Counts) to submit answers in the form of a four-point Likert scale. Answers were as follows:
Teacher Evaluation of Student Attitudes n=19 Toward Learning in Reading Toward Learning in Writing
Very Positive
Positive
Negative
37% 26%
63% 63%
11%
Very Negative
For the following questions, respondents were asked to report whether they had noticed changes in student behavior and attitudes related to reading and writing since beginning the program. Answers were submitted in the form of a five-point Likert scale: Teacher Evaluation of Student Change n= 19 Positive Change in Reading Achievement Positive Change in Writing Achievement Positive Change in Attitude toward Reading Positive Change in Attitude Toward Writing Using New Reading Strategies n=18 Using New Writing Strategies=18
Strongly Agree 11%
Agree
Undecided
79%
11%
5%
74%
21%
16%
74%
11%
5%
64%
26%
6% 6%
44% 33%
50% 61%
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
5%
For the final two questions, teachers were asked to rank, on a scale of 1-10, learners’ overall improvement in two areas (1= no improvement at all, 10= could not have improved more). 16 respondents rated the overall improvement in reading 6.8 and writing 6.0. [The tutee] is more willing to read with me and get new books. It’s very exciting to see this! - Carrboro teacher
[The tutee] doesn’t struggle as much with reading anymore. Her writing has also improved. - Morris Grove teacher
[The tutee] has learned many sight words and she is now decoding much better. She is positive about reading and writing and is a good student. - New Hope teacher. 20
[The tutee] has loved his time with his tutor this year. He was just telling me how great his tutor is and how much he feels like he has learned. -Estes Hills teacher
Thank You Literacy continues to be an important issue in Orange County and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City schools. We look forward to improving our program and outreach, and to work to create agents of social change next year. Thanks to the following organizations who contributed funding and resources this year:
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