01 - Department of Education and Communities - NSW Government

esearch projects with an academicmentor, and to hear from otherpractitioners. They also found theinteractive nature and flexibility ofCD-ROM technology valuable.Expansion of ReadingRecoveryDuring the year, priority was givento the early identification of literacyneeds. A total of $50m over fouryears has been provided for theimplementation of the ReadingRecovery program. ReadingRecovery is for students in Year 1identified as the most in need ofextra assistance with reading.Children who are not making agood start with reading and writingthrough regular instruction receivea short term individually designedprogram of instruction that allowsthem to succeed before they entera cycle of failure.In the Reading Recovery program,students are involved in one to onetutoring by a specially trainedteacher five days per week for 30minutes each day. In 1997 a further100 teaching positions wereestablished in 195 schools, makinga total of 397 schools nowreceiving this support. Twenty-twotutors provided professionalsupport for all the ReadingRecovery teachers in NSW.Reading Recovery lasts an averageof 12-16 weeks. At the end of thisperiod, most students havedeveloped a variety of strategies toread increasingly difficult texts.In 1997, 4725 students participatedin the program, an increase of morethan 1000 on the previous year.Evaluations show that ReadingRecovery has been very successful.Over 87 per cent of students goingthrough the program required nofurther remedial literacy support.To meet future demands of thisexpanding program, a tutor trainingcourse was established at theNepean campus of the Universityof Western Sydney. During 1997eight cadet tutors completed theirtraining to become ReadingRecovery tutors in 1998.In 1998, 29 tutors will trainteachers in Reading Recovery andan additional 100 reading recoveryteaching positions will be allocatedto 199 schools. This will make atotal of 596 schools targeted toreceive the program.Monitoring students’literacy progressIn 1997 the DSE launched a Year 7language and literacy assessmenttest. The Year 7 English Languageand Literacy Assessment (ELLA)will show teachers what literacyskills students have learnt in theprimary years and guide them in thedevelopment of strategies toprovide additional support tostudents who are at risk. ELLA willprovide each school with anunderstanding of the literacy needsof its Year 7 students.ELLA was piloted in March 1997in participating schools. A followuptest will be given to the samestudents in Year 8 in March 1998.The test is broadly based on theliteracy competencies found inEnglish K-6 and assesses aspectsof literacy in the secondary KeyLearning Areas. The test coveredreading, language and writing andis designed to follow on from theYear 3 and 5 Basic Skills Tests.A sample of secondary schools wassurveyed to examine the impact ofthe ELLA test. A sample of primaryschools was also surveyed in 1997to establish benchmarks forexamining the impact of the 1997literacy materials on teacherknowledge and practice.Personnel Supporting the StateLiteracy StrategyLiteracy consultants 40Reading Recovery teachers 397Reading Recovery tutors 22Primary and secondarysupport teachers (learningdifficulties) 1120Learning difficultiescoordinators 40Early learning consultants 10Middle years literacyconsultants 8Early literacy initiativefacilitators 10Multicultural/ESL consultants 13Aboriginal Educationconsultants 10Special education centrecoordinators and six countryareas program consultants 10❝There has been a significant rise inliteracy levels for Year 3 students andthe school’s Reading Recoveryprogram has recorded a success rate ofmore than 90%. In addition, teachershave recorded an 89% success rate inimproving the literacy levels ofstudents with learning difficulties andare providing one-to-one targetededucational programs for those whoneed further assistance❞.PrincipalNowra Public SchoolMean ELLA Scores by StudentGroups in Pilot Test, 1997Writing Reading LanguageAll 87.0 86.6 86.4Boys 85.5 85.6 84.9Girls 88.6 87.6 87.9DSE Annual Report 1997 19