"The review of research leads to a theoretical model of literacy learning and development as an interactive process. Research supports the view of the child as an active constructor of his or her own learning. The principle of learning is that children are active learners, drawing on social and physical experience as well as culturally transmitted knowledge to construct their own understandings of the world around them."

Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practice for Young Children
Joint position statement from the International Reading Association and the National Association for the Education of Young Children

The following information was gathered as part of state and federal compliance requirements holding schools accountable for showing student progress toward meeting predetermined goals. This information was presented to School Board and Site Council Members as part of the annual review of state and federal programs targeting low achieving students. The two programs discussed are the School Improvement Program and Title I.

School Demographics

The school where this data was collected is located in a rural area of Northern California. The total population of K-8 students is approximately 470 students. The ethnic backgrounds are predominantly White. There is a small population of combined Native American, Hispanic, and Black students. The number of students receiving free or reduced lunches has risen in the last five years from 46.8% in 1995-1996 to 53% in 1999-2000. The daily absentee rate is substantially higher than the state average. The mobility rate is high among students receiving Title I and Special Education services.

Program Design

As part of the early intervention model, kindergarten and first grade students were screened with the Integrated Motor Activities Screening (IMAS) to ensure their learning foundations were solidly in place. Children who scored low or below average on the screening were targeted to participate in the S'cool Moves for Learning program working individually, or in small groups, with the reading specialist or specially trained paraeducators. The reading specialist assisted in designing individual programs for targeted students, and modeled S'cool Moves for Learning activities for primary teachers in their classrooms.

Students in first grade were assessed for reading ability using Marie Clay's Observation Survey and Record of Oral Language. The students' scores on the IMAS, Observation Survey and Record of Oral Language were used to determine placement in Reading Recovery and the Primary Reading Enrichment Program (PREP). First and second grade students scoring in the lowest quarter were supported through the services of a Miller-Unruh Reading

Recovery Teacher and a trained paraeducator. The students most prepared, based on the three measures, were chosen to enter the program the first quarter while the other students were provided with activities to improve their scores on the IMAS and Record of Oral Language and served the second, third, or fourth quarters of the year.

Students in third, fourth, and fifth grades were assessed using Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM), reading inventories, or a modified IMAS. CBM is a way to measure student progress using actual passages from their reading curriculum. The lowest performing students received Title I services from the Title I Reading Specialist, or trained para-educator. Services included reading instruction and participation in S'cool Moves for Learning.

All primary teachers received specialized training in reading instruction and most were trained in using integrative movement with students in the classroom.

School Improvement Program (SIP)

The School Improvement Program's goal is to ensure that all students are meeting the high performance standards adopted at each grade level. The money received through this program is used to improve learning for all students and not specifically targeted to any particular group of students. To evaluate progress for all students, specific assessments were in place at each grade level. Primary, middle, and upper grades have a variety of benchmarks to ensure all students are making progress. Standardized testing, CBM, and fourth and seventh grade assessments have been used for the last five years to evaluate how well students were doing throughout the school and to compare growth from year to year.

All students participated in annual spring standardized testing except those exempted due to parent waiver, Individual Educational Program (IEP) modifications, or extended absences.

To analyze schoolwide fluency rates, students in grades 3-6 were assessed using CBM reading passages in fall of each school year. A median score was recorded each year with the goal of bringing Title I and Special Education students to the median of their classes. All students in fourth grade were given a grade level and self correction rates. Students in seventh grade took proficiency tests in reading and math. The data collected on standardized test scores, CBM, and reading inventories determined the effectiveness of SIP. The standardized test scores for all students were analyzed by comparing growth from Spring 1996 to Spring 1999. The number of students who scored at or above the 50 percentile on the total scores for reading and math was recorded. The total scores included all subtests in reading and math. Scores for the 1999-2000 school year became available shortly before going to press and were included for further analysis of growth.

There has been substantial improvement in the percentage of students scoring at or above the 50 percentile from 1995-2000. The number of students at or above the 50 percentile has grown by 16.3% in reading and 29.1% in math.

Approximately 480 Title I students have been served between the years 1995-2000. This school qualified to apply for the national and state Achieving Title I Schools Award based on increased student achievement in reading and math in 1998-1999.

Curriculum-Based Measurement was used to record student fluency rates (words per minute) from 1995-1999 for students in grades 3 through 6. Fall median fluency rates have risen at each grade level.

Title I

In fall 1999 fourth and sixth grade students receiving Title I services any time during their school careers were assessed using standardized reading passages and Curriculum-Based Measure-ment. The forty students were evaluated on their ability to read passages independently at 95% accuracy or better with a self-correction rate of at least 1:3. Students were also given a CBM reading passage to determine fluency based on a word per minute analysis.

All fourth and sixth grade students, including the Title I students, were able to read the passages independently (95%) or better. All but 5 students read at or above the median fluency rate for their grade level. Students receiving Special Education services are not included in this summary.

Fluency rates for fourth grade Title I students from mid-September to mid-December of the 1999-2000 school year were recorded to monitor growth during the first trimester and provide a "snap-shot" of growth during a short period of time. The 13 students all made gains in three months time. The students participated in S'cool Moves for Learning while receiving reading services.

The Integrated Motor Activities Screening (IMAS)

S'cool Moves for Learning helped children improve their scores on the IMAS during the 1999-2000 school year. The kindergarten teachers used activities from the program daily with all their students. To determine how well the movement activities improved IMAS scores, a group of kindergarten students were screened with the IMAS in fall and spring of the same school year.

In fall, the kindergarten group had a high number of students performing in the low and below average ranges and few students scoring in the average to high ranges. In spring, fewer students scored in the low and below average ranges and most scored in the average to high ranges. The graph below illustrates the changes in student performance on the IMAS between fall and spring.

The data on the next pages show pre and post IMAS assessment results for the kindergarten group in two classes and a K-1 combination class. The total number of students involved in the screening was 37.

The reading specialist modeled S'cool Moves for Learning activities once a week in the kindergarten classrooms. Minute Moves were added to the regular classroom activities and to physical education periods. The teachers incorporated movements into the day, working with students at the laterality level of the pyramid. Some students needed focused participation at the lower levels of the Learning Pyramid, including sensation and posture. A paraeducator worked individually with students as the need arose.

Students performing in the below average or low range in spring were targeted to participate in an individually designed S'cool Moves for Learning program in first grade, or in a home program over the summer.

The charts on the remaining pages graphically represent fall and spring scores on the auditory-visual-motor, eye-hand coordin-ation, and gross motor sections of the IMAS for students in the two kindergarten classes. Each class has a chart showing the total score performances for students in fall and spring. The K-1 combination class is not included in the graphed section due to the small sampling of kindergarten students. Fall scores are represented in each chart by bars with a white background. Spring scores are represented by bars with a dark background.

Appendix B discusses in greater detail how to successfully integrate the IMAS into a reading intervention program. Using the IMAS in conjunction with other measures, such as reading and language assessments, provides a holistic view of the child. The information gathered can be used to design a program for each child specifically tailored to meet individual needs.