'Read 180' helps struggling readers turn things around

By:JENNIFER KABBANY - Staff Writer | Thursday, November 30, 2006 12:24 AM PST ∞

MURRIETA -- Jani Cordova was hesitant when Murrieta Valley Unified School District officials wanted to enroll her son in a reading-improvement program they were launching this academic year.

While her 13-year-old son, Colby, had always struggled with reading because of a learning disability, she wondered whether this program would be the help her seventh-grader really needed.

She knew she had made the right decision when, after only being enrolled in the program for a few weeks, Colby began carrying a book with him everywhere -- not only to go to school every morning, but also when the family ran errands, she said.

"He has never been interested in reading until this program," Jani Cordova said. "He still struggles a little bit, but he enjoys it a lot more than he ever has. I'm very pleased."

The program that hooked Colby is called Scholastic Read 180. It is approved by the California Department of Education as a successful reading intervention program.

As its name suggests, it is meant to get students who have a hard time reading and comprehending stories to make a turnaround and improve those skills. The program uses a variety of audio, video and written assignments to that end.

"Reading is the key to everything," said Shivela Middle School teacher Susan Tartaglia, who leads the Read 180 program at that campus. "You need to identify the kids who are struggling and help them as soon as possible."

Students chosen for the program are the ones who tested far below the basic level on their reading skills on state tests last spring, and many of those students have learning disabilities, district officials said. The program is meant for students who are two or more years behind in reading, they said.

District trustees approved the program in June, and paid for the $280,000 program through the county's Special Education Local Plan Area organization and state Lottery proceeds.

Three elementary schools and all the district's middle and high schools launched the program in August. It may be expanded in the 2007-08 school year, officials said.

For the high school-aged students, the program is expected to help them pass the California High School Exit Exam, which is required for graduation, officials said.

Students enrolled in the program read paperback books that are part of the Read 180 curriculum. Subjects include famous people and notable events in history as well as fictional tales such as King Arthur and Moby Dick. Some of the books are made to look like comics.

Throughout the class, students also write in a journal and answer written quizzes about stories they read. They also work with an interactive computer software program, which creates games and quizzes around vocabulary words, themes and messages in the stories they read.

The computer program also prompts students, who are each given their own headsets, microphone and computers, to read aloud. The computer records the student, then plays the recording back, showing the pupil how many words he or she pronounced correctly.

Sometimes the students watch movies, too, to help them better understand settings, characters, plots and themes, Tartaglia said.

Students enrolled in Read 180, which is longer than classes typically are, take it in place of English and an elective. But the students don't seem to mind -- they enjoy the learning process, officials said.

"These are the students who were invisible in English language arts, trying not to raise their hand or talk aloud," said Shivela Middle School resource specialist Sue Hall. "They are so engaged now."

The software creates reports for the teachers to review. It shows how many assignments each student is completing and how they are performing in different categories, such as comprehension and spelling. When students perform well, teachers compliment them in front of the class, Tartaglia said. When many students appear not to be grasping a certain lesson, it is repeated, she said.

Students in the class said they love Read 180, and it's helping them with more than just English.

"Like in math, I used to struggle with word problems," said Shivela sixth-grader Dazoure McKeaver, 12. "It helps me read better and faster."

Sixth-grader Diego Vazquez, 12, said he used to be flunking science, and now he has a "solid C," crediting the Read 180 program for the improvement.

"This program teaches you how to spell words, and find words we don't understand and review them," said sixth-grader Jacob Garcia, 12. "It's really cool."

-- Contact staff writer Jennifer Kabbany at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2625, or jkabbany@californian.com.

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