What is Reading Recovery? 

Reading Recovery is an individualized reading program for students who have been identified by their teacher as a child who might have trouble learning to read. Reading Recovery is an intervention program used to help prevent these students from falling significantly behind their classmates in reading. The program is designed to teach children how to read by providing strategies they can use every day, in and out of the classroom. Since Reading Recovery is an individualized program, it is structured to meet the needs of each child.

Who is eligible for Reading Recovery? 

The program is open to students who are entering first grade for the first time who are not receiving special education services for a learning disability. Students repeating first grade are not eligible.

How are children selected for Reading Recovery?

A special battery of tests are conducted to determine a child's eligibility for the Reading Recovery Program. An Observation Survey is administered to the lowest 20 percent of each first grade class. Children are screened on letters, sight words, book knowledge, the ability to write known words, hearing and recording sounds in words, and reading level. The students are then ranked on their performance on the Observation Survey. A conference between district Reading Recovery teachers and the first grade teachers is held in order to select the children most in need of Reading Recovery.

When do children receive Reading Recovery lessons? 

Reading Recovery is an addition to the reading instruction provided in each classroom. The program does not take the place of regular classroom reading instruction. Reading Recovery students are provided one-to-one, individually-planned lessons for 30 minutes every school day by a Reading Recovery teacher trained in assisting children to develop independent reading strategies. Each lesson provides a specific sequence of holistic reading and writing tasks, including reading many "little" books, works analysis and composing and writing a story. The methods used in each lesson help children acquire the strategies that good readers use. The goal is to accelerate the student's learning and bring him or her up to the average reading level of their peers. Children receive help to eliminate confusions about letters, print and words that hinder getting meaning from print.

How long are children in Reading Recovery?

Most Reading Recovery students become competent enough readers to independently work at an average level in their classroom after 16 to 20 weeks of extra help. A child who progresses quickly may complete the program in less time. Students are determined able to function satisfactorily in the regular classroom without extra help when they demonstrate they can continue learning within the average range of their grade, monitor their own reading and self-detect and correct reading errors. Teacher judgment and re-testing are used to establish the exit level.

What can parents do to help their child succeed in Reading Recovery?

Parents can help children succeed by listening to them read from his or her Reading Recovery books every night for 10 to 15 minutes. Select a time that is good for both the parent and the child. Make it an enjoyable experience by finding someplace that is quiet, private and comfortable so the reading can be enjoyed without distractions.

Reading recovery books should be easy for the child.

• Encourage readers to look at the pictures and to point under each word. This forces children to look at the print that he or she is reading. After a while, children will no longer need to point, except when he or she is working on a word.
• Talk about the story with the reader. Ask them about their favorite part of the story and discuss what happened in the story.
• Reading should be a fun and positive experience. Praise children for using pictures, using letter sounds, noticing mistakes, rereading, fixing mistakes, maintaining meaning and reading smoothly with expression.
• Help children to reading independence. Don't be too quick to supply a difficult word. Prompt children with the following statements or questions: 
  
  • "Read it again and think what word makes sense."
  • "What makes sense there?"
  • "What word would sound better?"
  • "Does that look like the word you are saying?"
  • "Would (say the word in the text) work there?"

What if a the child is memorizing his or her Reading Recovery book?

At the beginning of the program, the books will be very easy and repetitive. Don't be concerned if the books seem memorized. This is an important first stage of reading that teaches children how to follow a pattern. In a few weeks, the books will become less patterned and memorization will no longer be an issue.

What can be done after Reading Recovery to continue helping a child?

Continue reading together every night, even after the Reading Recovery Program is complete. It is very important that children continue to practice reading in order to retain the progress that he or she has made. A little practice can go a long way.

Final thought: 

Reading Recovery works like a tripod. It takes all three "legs" — the Reading Recovery teacher, the classroom teacher and the parents or guardians — working together in order for the child to experience success.

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