I.  BASIC PROGRAM INFORMATION

+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+
| **1. Program Name**       | Study Center (SC)                        |
+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+
| **2. [Federal             |                                          |
| EIN]{.underline} or       |                                          |
| Social Security Number**  |                                          |
+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+
| **3. Provider Contact**   | Contact Person Name: Jane Doe            |
|                           |                                          |
|                           | Street Address: 321 Main St.             |
|                           |                                          |
|                           | City: Hometown State: MN Zip: 00000      |
|                           |                                          |
|                           | Phone: 800/555-1234                      |
|                           |                                          |
|                           | Fax: 800/555-4321                        |
|                           |                                          |
|                           | E-Mail: janedoe@email.com                |
|                           |                                          |
|                           | Website: None                            |
|                           |                                          |
|                           | Hours of Operation: Mon-Fri 9:00am --    |
|                           | 5:00pm                                   |
+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+
| **4. Subject Areas**      | Reading K-4                              |
+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+
| **5. Dates SES Formed**   | February 2001                            |
+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+
| **6. Grade Levels         | K-5                                      |
| Currently Served**        |                                          |
+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+
| **7. Grade Levels Able to | K-4                                      |
| Serve in 2003-04**        |                                          |
+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+
| **8. Number of Students** | During the 2002-03 school year and 2003  |
|                           | summer, we served:                       |
|                           |                                          |
|                           | Gr. K - 10 Gr. 2 - 7 Gr. 4 - 4           |
|                           |                                          |
|                           | Gr. 1 - 17 Gr. 3 - 28 Gr. 5 - 1          |
+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+
| **9. Maximum Number of    | 100 (includes academic year and summer)  |
| Students Able to Serve in |                                          |
| 2003-04**                 |                                          |
+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+
| **10. Service Area**      | Districts: Hometown                      |
|                           |                                          |
|                           | Schools: Southside                       |
+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+

+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+
| **11. Geographic          | > Settings in which you have provided    |
| Setting**                 | > services to students in the past:      |
|                           |                                          |
|                           | Urban                                    |
|                           |                                          |
|                           | > Settings in which you are prepared to  |
|                           | > provide services in the future:        |
|                           |                                          |
|                           | Urban                                    |
+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+
| **12. Current Place of    | Schools: Main Street Elementary          |
| Service**                 |                                          |
|                           | and                                      |
|                           |                                          |
|                           | Sacred Heart School                      |
+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+
| **13. Proposed Place of   | Schools: Main Street Elementary          |
| Service**                 |                                          |
|                           | Handicap Accessible: Yes                 |
|                           |                                          |
|                           | and                                      |
|                           |                                          |
|                           | Sacred Heart School                      |
|                           |                                          |
|                           | Handicap Accessible: No                  |
+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+
| **14. Specific Student    | -   Low-income students                  |
| Populations Served**      |                                          |
|                           | -   Minority students                    |
|                           |                                          |
|                           | -   Migrant students                     |
|                           |                                          |
|                           | -   English Language Learners/Limited    |
|                           |     English proficient                   |
|                           |                                          |
|                           | -   Special education students --        |
|                           |     students in special ed at Main       |
|                           |     Street Elementary School             |
|                           |                                          |
|                           | > We are not trained in special ed, so   |
|                           | > parents need to know that.             |
+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+
| **15. Specific Student    | -   Low-income students                  |
| Populations to be         |                                          |
| Served**                  | -   Minority students                    |
|                           |                                          |
|                           | -   Migrant students                     |
|                           |                                          |
|                           | -   English Language Learners/Limited    |
|                           |     English proficient                   |
|                           |                                          |
|                           | -   Special education students --        |
|                           |     Students in special ed at Main       |
|                           |     Street Elementary School             |
+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+

+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+
| **16. Type of             | -   Not-for-Profit                       |
| Organization**            |                                          |
|                           | -   Faith-Based Organization             |
+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+
| **17. Time of Service**   | -   Before School                        |
|                           |                                          |
|                           | -   After School                         |
|                           |                                          |
|                           | -   Summer                               |
+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+
| **18. Mode of             | One-on-One tutoring                      |
| Instructional Delivery**  |                                          |
+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+
| **19.                     | 1 student for every 1 instructor         |
| Student/instructor**      |                                          |
+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+
| **20. Cost**              | 1 hour of 1:1 tutoring @ maximum cost of |
|                           | \$32.00 per hour                         |
+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+
| **21. Transportation**    | City bus stops within 2 blocks of the    |
|                           | Main Street Elementary site and the      |
|                           | Sacred Heart site                        |
+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+
| **22. Program             | -   Individual tutoring                  |
| Description**             |                                          |
|                           | -   Reading                              |
+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+
| **23. Proof of Liability  | Attachment #1                            |
| Coverage**                |                                          |
+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+
| **24. Proof of            | Attachment #2                            |
| Incorporation**           |                                          |
+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+
| **25. Background Checks** | Do you conduct criminal background       |
|                           | checks on all employees? Yes             |
|                           |                                          |
|                           | If the local education agency requires   |
|                           | checks of volunteer staff, are you       |
|                           | willing to comply? Yes                   |
+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+
| **26. Compliances with    | At the time of contracting with a local  |
| Civil Rights              | education agency we will clarify what    |
| Protections**             | evidence is needed to demonstrate that   |
|                           | the SC complies with applicable civil    |
|                           | rights protection for students. As far   |
|                           | as we know, we do comply. This is        |
|                           | evidenced by the fact that we serve any  |
|                           | child from the Southside of Hometown.    |
+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+
| **27. Compliance with     | We will acquire all required licenses    |
| Federal, State and Local  | and/or certifications for health and     |
| Health & Safety           | safety, and will submit copies on        |
| Standards**               | request. We are currently providing      |
|                           | services in two schools, therefore, it   |
|                           | seems that by being in those educational |
|                           | buildings, we are already in compliance. |
+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+
| **28. Delivery of         | The materials we currently use are       |
| Instruction**             | secular, neutral and non-ideological. We |
|                           | would welcome anyone to come and observe |
|                           | if needed as assurance of that.          |
+---------------------------+------------------------------------------+

**[APPLICATION FOR SUPPLEMENTAL EDUCATIONAL SERVICE
PROVIDERS]{.underline}**

# A. Program Summary

**1.** The Study Center (SC) provides one-on-one tutoring in reading for
children in grades K-4 who are below grade level in reading. Our main
goals are to help children in grades K-4 who live on the Southside of
Hometown or attend school there reach grade level in reading, and
enhance their educational performance in school through the support of
one-on-one tutoring before or after school and during a summer tutoring
session.

**2.** Lesson plans include the CIERA (Center for the Improvement of
Early Reading Achievement) strategies through guided reading. The
over-all focus is on the six dimensions of reading instruction outlined
by CIERA: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, text
comprehension, and motivation. Depending upon student needs, any one of
these dimensions can be emphasized during a tutoring lesson.

An up-to-date notebook is kept on each child: attendance, reading level
with indication of which of the six dimensions need focus, lesson plans,
progression of guided reading levels, lists of books read, and most of
the materials needed for the lesson.

The SC tutors encourage students to take home many leveled books so they
read **lots** of easy books. A piece of motivation for the beginning
reader is the interest the tutor takes in helping the student choose
appropriate books. Research shows that practice at an independent
reading level increases confidence, motivation, and is a significant
preparation fro advancement to the next level.

The lesson plan follows the pattern of: word work, reread familiar
selection, read a new selection, skills work, and use of a manipulative
such as a game to reinforce the skill(s) taught. With most students we
use the Wright Group Guided Reading (McGraw-Hill) materials and tutor
guide as the basic teaching program and branch out from there as
students need more reinforcement or other types of instruction. This
helps us be sure that we are focusing on the six dimensions and the
student can see that s/he is progressing through the guided reading
levels. As students master the skills and the selections of a particular
DRA level, they move to the next.

3.  Students attend one-hour sessions for a minimum of twice a week
    during the school year and four days a week during the summer.

4.  A variety of resources are used to assess a student's reading level
    and diagnose instructional needs based upon the areas of reading
    research -- phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and
    text comprehension. The SC respects the efforts of previous
    educational experiences and evaluations. Among the current
    assessment tools used include:

• School assessments, such as DRA (Diagnostic Reading Assessment), as
well as the designated reading level and needed skills recommended by
the classroom teacher.

• Wright Group McGraw-Hill On-the-Mark assessment program

• Marie Clay's Observation Survey

5.  Learning to be a good reader empowers students to be successful in
    school and society. The SC focuses on the six dimensions outlined by
    CIERA from the research done by the 2000 report of the National
    Reading Panel. Some of the key findings of the panel that drive out
    in-service and instruction include the following: "phonemic
    awareness instruction helps children learn to read and spell",
    "although a great deal of vocabulary is learned indirectly, some
    vocabulary should be taught directly", "systematic and explicit
    phonics instruction is more effective that non-systematic or no
    phonics instruction", "repeated and monitored oral reading improves
    reading fluency and overall reading achievement", "students can be
    taught to use comprehension strategies". By re-teaching the reading
    skills to fill in the gaps and be providing the added practice and
    affirmation, we have shown that students DO become good readers! For
    some students, the one-on-one attention and instruction are keys to
    opening a new world of successful reading for them.

6.  Parents are welcome and encouraged to come and observe their child
    at anytime. After each session, tutors help the students sign out
    books at their level or below to read/reread to their parent. Also,
    students can take reading games home to play for skills practice.
    All of this helps parents know what is being taught. The parent
    receives a narrative progress report at the end of tutoring received
    during the school year and following the summer session.

If the student does not attend the scheduled tutoring session and the
parent has not notified the SC about the absence, the SC contacts the
parent/guardian in order to see how barriers to attending regularly can
be resolved.

7.  The SC does not use computers for instruction because the one-on-one
    attention provides the support a struggling student needs. The SC
    has many leveled books all of which can be borrowed by students.
    Also, there are many reading games and a manipulative to help
    reinforce skills being taught.

**8.** Students are not asked to provide any instructional materials.
Even snacks are provided because often children are hungry when they
come or after working so hard!

**[B. Research-Based Program Design and Evidence of
Effectiveness]{.underline}**

1.  The Study Center is the response of the Sisters of Sacred Heart to
    the serious educational needs of children on the Southside of
    Hometown. Sisters of Sacred Heart administer the SC, and volunteer
    tutors along with some part-time tutors (elementary teachers)
    provide one-on-one tutoring for children in grades K-4 from the
    Southside who are below grade level reading. Children are tutored at
    least twice each week for one hour each session. Our main goals are
    to help children in grades K-4 who live on the Southside of Hometown
    or attend school there improve reading skills, reach grade level
    reading, and enhance their educational performance in school through
    the support of one-on-one tutoring before or after school and during
    the summer tutoring session. Volunteer tutors will always be an
    essential part of the success of the SC.

We tutor *any* child in grades K-4 from the Southside of Hometown who is
below grade level in reading and has the potential to reach grade level.
We focus on lower elementary children in order to prevent them from
being caught in the cycle of failure. Research shows that if children
are too far behind in reading by the end of third grade, they will
continue to have learning difficulties. It is our belief that we can
help a child reach grade level in reading with the support of tutoring
to fill the gap. We tutor a child beyond grade 4 if they had previously
been in our program and want continued help.

This is a unique collaboration with the public sector. Main Street
Elementary School has invited the SC to be one of its community partners
housed in the school as an independent association not affiliated with
Hometown Public Schools. During the past school year Sacred Heart School
also asked the SC to pilot a similar tutoring program at their school as
an outside provider. Both schools provide space, some furnishings,
telephone, and copying privileges.

We are multiplying resources by developing well-trained volunteer tutors
who assist in meeting the individual needs of as many students as
possible. The SC is demonstrating that it is a well-organized program
that can attract and sustain volunteers. Our volunteers have diverse
backgrounds -- they are from 3M colleges who are seeking placement for
students to practice skills or enhance their portfolios with community
outreach such as State College, City College, America Reads, high
schools, churches, retired people, and others who find out about this
ministry through current volunteers who feel they are making a
difference for children.

During the two and a half years of the SC's operation our experience
continues to be very positive. The Southside schools believed so much in
the need for one-on-one tutoring and the difference that our program is
making in their children, that Main Street Elementary, Sacred Heart
School, and neighborhood schools continue to offer us space and
furnishings. Bill Smith, President of The Generous Foundation, Mary
Hall, Executive Director of Good Work, and Superintendent Sally Pope
continue to affirm our program as they bring visiting educators to the
SC.

The National Reading Panel (NRP) Report emphasizes, in the scientific
research based publication, *Put Reading First: The Research Building
Block for Teaching Children to Read*, the importance of focused
strategic instruction on the six reading dimension: **Phonetic
Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, Text Comprehension, and
Motivation.** The overall focus of the programming at the SC covers
these six dimensions of reading instruction determined by the National
Reading Panel Report (2000) as how to successfully teach children to
read. Depending upon student needs, any one of these dimensions can be
emphasized during a tutoring lesson.

To remain focused on those six dimensions, an up-to-date notebook is
kept on each child and includes the following: attendance, reading level
with indication of which of the six dimensions needs focus,
individualized lesson plan, guided reading tutor guide, progression of
guided reading levels, lists of books read, and most of the materials
needed for the lesson. Lesson plans include the CIERA strategies (such
as blending, segmenting) and guided reading.

The SC tutors encourage students to take home many leveled books so they
read **lots** of easy books. After each tutoring session, tutors help
children choose a new book at their level or books to reread before the
next time. A piece of motivation for the beginning reader is the
interest the tutor takes in helping the student choose appropriate
books. The student often reads these again for the tutor during the next
tutoring session. Research shows that practice at an independent reading
level increases confidence, motivation, fluency, and is a significant
preparation for advancement to the next level.

**2. a) Established Provider**

During the 2002-03 school year, approximately 65 regular volunteer and
10 part-time paid tutors made it possible to provide 170 hours of
one-on-one tutoring each week in reading for at-risk children on the
Southside of Hometown. The number of students served averaged 65 each
[week]{.underline} for two or three hours for 23 weeks during the school
year and 40 each [day]{.underline} during the 2003 summer session. The
number of volunteer and part-time tutors has doubled since last year
because the SC is meeting a serious educational need. We are multiplying
resources by developing well-trained volunteer tutors who assist in
meeting the individual needs of as many at-risk students as possible. We
are providing **direct literacy service to economically disadvantaged
children**. Their parents can't afford tutoring for their children in
order to help them out of the cycle of failure.

The experience of the staff at Main Street Elementary affirms the
contribution that the SC has and is making to advance the reading levels
of their students. The fact that the SC was invited to collaboratively
write for the TAG Grant (Tutorial Assistance Grant) with Main Street
Elementary attests to the fact that the SC is making a difference in the
academics of the students being tutored.

Up to now, the SC has tried to gather its own data to confirm its track
record. Following is a sample of that from the **2002-03 school year**:

We recorded that students read over 6,000 books.

![](media/image1.wmf)

![](media/image2.wmf)

[The Parent Evaluation, June 2003]{.underline}

Number of students who reached or surpassed grade level in reading:

School year 2002-03: 10 Summer of 2003: 9

[The Parent Evaluation, June 2003]{.underline}

Out of 60 parent evaluations sent home, 38 were returned. Their
overwhelming positive responses affirm the SC's program:

1.  Do you see a more positive attitude in your child toward reading?

> Yes ­ \_[37\_]{.underline} No [\_0\_]{.underline} Huge! ­
> \_[1­\_]{.underline}

(Added by parent)

2.  Is there an increase in the time your child reads at home?

> Yes ­ \_[33\_]{.underline} No [\_3\_]{.underline} Maybe ­
> \_[1­\_]{.underline}
>
> (Added by parent)

3\. Would you recommend the Study Center to other parents/guardians
whose children are having difficulty in reading?

> Yes ­ \_[37\_]{.underline} No \_[0*\_*]{.underline} Absolutely! ­
> \_[1*\_*­]{.underline}

(Added by parent)

4.  Did you feel welcome to visit the Study Center to observe your child
    while being tutored? If no, why not?

> Yes ­ \_[36\_]{.underline} No [\_1\_]{.underline} (I didn't come)
> Always ­ \_[1­\_]{.underline}

[Positive]{.underline} cheerful staff and volunteers!

(Added by parent)

These comments are a sampling of many that were written:

"We have seen his grades improve remarkably. He also has struggled less
with homework, even in subjects not covered by tutoring, because he is
more confident. This has made him so much happier at school and
consequently he is more socially interactive and outgoing."

"Our whole family really appreciates all of the help and support you
have given us and our son. Without this program I feel my child would
have still had a lot of reading problems. THANK YOU ALL! You have made a
[BIG DIFFERENCE]{.underline} in my son's life..."

[Classroom Teach Evaluations, June 2003]{.underline}

60 surveys were sent out and 52 were returned. Teachers noted the
child's reading level when they entered the program and their reading
level at the end of the tutoring sessions. They were then asked to
answer 3 questions on a scale of 1-4. They were also asked for comments
and suggestions for improving the program.

Question 1: What impact has this tutorial program had on this student in
the following areas?

(Key: 1 = no impact 2 = slight impact 3 = moderate impact 4 = high
impact)

**Attitude toward reading:** 79% indicated a moderate to high impact

**Comprehension:** 73% indicated moderate to high impact

**Oral reading:** 83% indicated moderate to high impact

**Decoding skills:** 81% indicated moderate to high impact

Question 2: Has the tutoring affected this student's academic
performance in other class work?

85% indicated moderate to significant influence

Sample comment: "He values his time reading with his tutor. This
attitude is carried in all subjects. He has shared "tricks" for learning
he has learned with his tutor."

Question 3: Has the tutoring affected this student's positive behavior
in the classroom?

83% indicated moderate to significant influence

Sample comment: "She is happier and often wants to read with or to
someone. She is willing to ask to get additional help. This is a plus
for her. She usually doesn't want to say anything."

Question 4: What comments or suggestions for improvement in our
relationship with you as classroom instructor would you make for the
future?

-   It would be nice to know what they're working on in tutoring so I
    know which skills are being reinforced. Also, is it possible to let
    you know at the tutoring center what we're doing in class so some of
    those skills can be worked on in tutoring? The tutoring program is a
    great compliment to what we're doing in class! Thank you.

-   It was great to get monthly sheets with the number of books read.
    That really helped him meet his goals.

-   You go above and beyond the call of duty.

**[C. Connection to State Academic Standards and District Instructional
Programs]{.underline}**

1.  Because the overall focus for instruction at the SC stresses the
    importance of focused strategic instruction on the six reading
    dimensions of phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary,
    comprehension, and motivation, there is a connection with *Minnesota
    Academic Standards for Language Arts.* The greatest connection
    includes the sub-strands of: word recognition, analysis and fluency,
    vocabulary expansion; comprehension; and literature. In writing that
    students do during tutoring we use the opportunity to integrate the
    sub-strands of spelling, grammar, and usage as well as handwriting.
    For particular students one of these last two sub-strands may need
    extra attention.

2.  The instruction at the SC is coordinated with Main Street's
    *America's Choice Primary Literacy* standards. These standards are
    differentiated by grade level K-3 and reflect the six dimensions
    outlined by the Center for the Improvement of Early Reading
    Achievement (CIERA). The curriculum followed at Sacred Heart is
    published by Scott Foresman Company. Although Main Street
    Elementary, Sacred Heart, and the SC use different materials, the
    standards upon which they are based are the same. When we tutor
    students from other schools on the Southside we contact the
    classroom teacher regarding the reading curriculum followed so we
    can determine how to align with that.

**[D. Monitoring Student Progress]{.underline}**

1.  A variety of resources are used to assess a student's reading level
    and diagnose instructional needs based upon the areas of reading
    research -- phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and
    text comprehension. The SC respects the efforts of previous
    educational experiences and evaluations. If that information is
    available and would be helpful, we talk to the classroom teacher. We
    especially don't see the need to redo the student DRA if the teacher
    already has that. Among the current assessment tools used include:

• School assessments, such as DRA (Diagnostic Reading Assessment), as
well as the designated reading level and needed skills recommended by
the classroom teacher.

• Wright Group McGraw-Hill On-The-Mark assessment program.

• Marie Clay's Observation Survey.

• Diagnostic Reading Inventory for Primary Intermediate Grades by Scott
& Cleary.

• Fry's list of 1000 most common words ranked in frequency.

2.  We are not specifically trained to work with students with
    disabilities, but depending upon the severity, we welcome them into
    the program if parents and/or teachers believe our program can help
    the student be a better reader. We tell parents about our limitation
    along with our willingness to work with their child to the best of
    our ability. Up to now, we have worked with students in special
    education and none have had need for accommodations. When we work
    with a student in special education we consult with the special
    education teacher in addition to the classroom teacher to be sure we
    are supporting what they are doing.

3.  As was stated before, an up-to-date notebook is kept on each child.
    One section of the notebook includes the individualized lesson plan
    for each session. Lesson plans include the CIERA strategies through
    guided reading. The overall focus of the lessons is on the six
    dimensions of reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics,
    fluency, vocabulary, text comprehension, and motivation. Depending
    upon the student needs, any one of these dimensions can be
    emphasized during a tutoring lesson. The lesson plan follows the
    pattern of: word work, reread familiar selection, read a new
    selection, skills work, some writing, and use of a manipulative such
    as a game to reinforce the skill(s) taught. With most students we
    use the Wright Group Guided Reading (McGraw-Hill) materials with the
    tutor guide as the basic teaching program and branch out from there
    as students need more reinforcement or other types of instruction.
    This helps assure that we are focusing on the six dimensions and the
    student can see that s/he is progressing through the guided reading
    levels. As students master the skills and the selections of a
    particular DRA level, they move on to the next.

Also, the notebook contains lists of all the supplementary books a
student reads for reinforcement -- this is a positive motivation for the
student! If a teacher or student requests it, we provide the classroom
teacher with a monthly count of the number of books read so the student
can receive "credit" in their classroom.

**[E. Communication with Schools and Districts]{.underline}**

1.  An example of the connection between the SC instructional program
    and the program in place at the students' school is demonstrated in
    our experience with Main Street Elementary. The instruction at the
    SC is coordinated with Main Street's *America's Choice Primary
    Literacy* standards. These standards are differentiated by grade
    level K-3 and reflect the six dimensions outlined by the Center for
    the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement (CIERA). Although Main
    Street Elementary, Sacred Heart, and the SC use different materials,
    the standards upon which they are based are the same.

Another example of the connection is demonstrated in our experience with
Sacred Heart School. For a period of time the third and fourth grade
teachers asked us to use their school's reading materials with
particular students who needed extra support with specific skills before
advancing to a higher reading level.

Other examples happened at Main Street -- one of the second grade
students was making great gains in reading and ready to move out of the
program, but the teacher asked that we continue with this SC student and
do more work on composition along with the vocabulary development. The
Main Street teachers asked us to provide them with the number of books
the children read each month so these students could get "credit" toward
the million-word campaign in the classroom.

Because we tutor students who live on the Southside or attend school
there, we are able to speak with classroom teachers about what reading
instructional programs are being used in their classroom and what the
students need. Parents sign a release so we can ask for records and
speak with classroom teacher if needed. Since our focus is on grades K-4
and the six dimensions, the lower level reading skills are universal for
advancement to be made.

**2.** Student progress reports are given to parents at the end of the
school year and summer session or when a student exits the program.
We're happy to send copies of student progress reports to schools and
classroom teachers when requested. Our experience has been that most
schools or classroom teachers do appreciate receiving the reports.

We welcome direct communication from the students' teacher(s) if there
are specific skills they want us to focus on. If a child is not
attending regularly or making the gains we expect, we contact the
classroom teacher to see what the barriers might be. Currently
ninety-five per cent of our students are from Main Street and Sacred
Heart so we do have a close working relationship with the classroom
teachers and administration.

**[F. Communication with Parents and Families]{.underline}**

**1.** The parent/guardian receives a narrative progress report at the
end of tutoring received during the school or following each summer
session. The written report indicates: period of attendance, number of
one-hour sessions attended out of the number possible, evaluations
administered and results, skills from the five areas of reading
instruction which were taught, number of books read, and
recommendations. At any point that a student discontinues the tutoring
program a written report is given which includes the same elements. The
parent/guardian reports are made available to the classroom teacher upon
request.

At any point a child leaves the program, he/she receives a certificate
to acknowledge the efforts made. It indicates the number of tutoring
sessions attended and an affirmation for the commitment.

During the school year, whenever a student reaches grade-level, the
student completes the tutoring sessions and others on the waiting list
are contacted. New students can enter at any time when there are
vacancies.

2.  Parents are welcome and encouraged to come and observe their child
    at any time. When they first bring their child for tutoring or pick
    them up, we invite them to meet the tutor and observe a bit. They
    have opportunities to agree to other suggestions of the SC in order
    to support their child's tutoring. After each session, tutors help
    the students sign out books at their level or below to read/reread
    to their parents. Also, students can take reading games home to play
    for skills practice. All of this helps parents know what is being
    taught. Up to now, we have not involved parents in creating a
    timetable/goal for their child because most are not available to do
    so, and it is obvious that some children need more time on
    systematic instruction to help fill in the reading gaps. Since many
    parents are reluctant about being in a school environment, we have a
    dream about contacting parents on an individual invitation basis to
    attend a tutoring session with their child!

3.  If a student does not attend the scheduled tutoring session and the
    parent/guardian has not notified the SC about the absence, the SC
    contacts the parent/guardian in order to see how barriers to
    attending regularly can be resolved. Our experience shows that
    parents are comfortable simply discussing with us any concerns they
    may have -- it usually relates to family struggles that affect the
    child's attendance or behavior.

**[G. Qualifications of Instructional Staff]{.underline}**

**1-A Paid:**

The full-time staff are licensed elementary teachers. Their many years
of teaching and administrative experience provide the expertise to train
tutors, assist with lesson planning, evaluate student skills, and
supervise instruction. The part-time tutors are experienced elementary
teachers or those with special training in reading instruction. They
provide stability and consistency for the program. Their years of
teaching experience assist them in knowing "tried and true" techniques
that work in teaching at-risk student. In addition, their expertise
allows them to easily recognized learning gaps a student may have which
have been preventing them from being a great reader.

**1-B Volunteer:**

Minimally they generally need to have graduated from high school,
although most are much older. Our volunteers have diverse backgrounds --
they are from 3M, colleges who seeking placement for students to
practice skills or enhance their portfolios with community outreach such
as State College, City College, America Reads, churches, retired people,
and others who find out about this ministry through current volunteers
who feel they are making a difference for children.

**2.** Most of our part-time tutors (elementary teachers) are recruited
through word of mouth and, if needed, posting on the Archdiocesan
website.

All of our tutors, whether part-time or volunteer, receive written
information about our on-going in-service opportunities. In addition,
part-time tutors are encouraged to attend reading workshops that will
help them improve their teaching. Each year at least of the full-time
staff is encouraged to attend the International Reading Convention in
order to keep abreast of current research and teaching materials.

**3.** Before beginning to tutor at the SC the tutors receive three
hours of training to reinforce current best strategies to teach reading.
The six dimensions of reading - phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency,
vocabulary, comprehension, and motivation are the focus of the training.
In-service on one or two of those same dimensions is offered again at
least twice during the school year and weekly bulletin board memos
provide reminders about them.

The Wright Group Guided Reading materials that are used as the "starting
point" in the teaching lessons specifically outline the same dimensions
in the tutor guides. Some of the ways proven effective in accomplishing
this training include: observing demonstration lessons, instructional
video, staff presentations on the six dimensions, group practice, and
the SC staff working closely with tutors to offer suggestions. The SC
has found that after tutoring for a while, tutors welcome more training
in order to keep up-to-date with new research and strategies.

An additional one-hour of orientation for new tutors include procedures
used at the SC and the many materials available for their use or to loan
to students. The SC has many books and a collection of learning games
that can be borrowed for student home use. These provide fluency
practice and comprehension.

To aid volunteers in their powerful one-on-one tutoring for each
student, they follow the individualized lesson plan and materials
prepared by the staff. They keep the student's folder up-to-date on
attendance, number of books read, and provide feedback to the supervisor
for future lessons. They give encouragement for each accomplishment
regardless of how small it maybe, and they encourage and motivate the
student with lots of easy reading materials to practice at home. Most of
all, we have found that the caring relationship along with the
instruction highly motivates the children.

Since attendance of tutors at the additional in-services is very high,
our experience shows us that they find the extra training helpful. We
have found that the teaching of phonics and decoding strategies are
especially helpful to the tutors. After in-services, often tutors have
been observed using the reading terminology or strategies during the
tutoring. In addition, they are more confident in what they are doing as
a tutor.

**4.** Each of the full-time staff has been working in a variety of
elementary schools for over 20 years. With that many years of teaching
experience one has had the opportunity to work with academically at-risk
students. The same can be said for the part-time tutors. Most of them
also have had many years of elementary teaching and, as a result, have
had at-risk children in their classrooms. Our volunteers who are not
retired teachers, may have more limited experience with academically
at-risk students, but our experience shows us that the one-on-one
attention for one-hour, two, or more times a week by an adult,
[­does]{.underline} make a difference in learning for a child.

**[H. Financial and Organizational Capacity]{.underline}**

**1.** The SC is governed by a 15-member volunteer Board of Directors
that has fiduciary responsibility as one of its major areas of
accountability. Funding for the ministry of the SC is through grants and
donations. The SC was created out of a community movement to respond to
serious educational needs on the Southside of Hometown. It was obvious
to the initial Board that parents could not afford tutoring for their
children in order to help them our of the cycle of failure.

**2.** During the 2002-03 academic year, the SC tutored nearly 70
children at [least]{.underline} twice each week at Main Street
Elementary and Sacred Heart Schools from September 2002 through May
2003. Many children were tutored three and four times each week due to
their academic need. Approximately 65 regular volunteer tutors and 10
part-time paid tutors made it possible to provide 170 hours of
one-on-one tutoring each week in reading for at-risk children on the
Southside of Hometown. The number of volunteer and part-time tutors has
doubled since last year because the SC is meeting a serious educational
need. We are multiplying resources by developing well-trained volunteer
tutors who assist in meeting the individual needs of as many at-risk
students as possible.

We have grown from a total of 17 students being tutored twice a week in
our initial pilot program to over 65 students being tutored two, three,
and even four times a week now. We have grown from 1600 hours of
one-on-one after school tutoring in reading a year ago to over 3000
hours of one-on-one tutoring during 2002-03 academic year. In March
2003, the Board of Directors unanimously approved the hiring of another
full-time master tutor to help with the

requests for expansion. The need for available tutoring for children on
the Southside is evident by the responses of parents and teachers.
Therefore, beginning in Fall 2003, there will be three full-time staff.

**3.** The SC is governed by a 15-member volunteer Board of Directors
that is responsible for overall policy and direction of the corporation
and delegates responsibility of day-to-day operations to the staff and
committees. The executive director has a masters degree in
administration and over 30 years in education and administration. The
coordinator of volunteers is also an elementary teacher with an
additional degree in counseling. The Board is currently conducting a
5-year plan that addresses both the organizational capacity and
financial implications of the strategic goals and objectives of the SC
and will chart a path toward a sustainable future. This is made possible
through a grant from a foundation that recognizes the need for young
children to learn to read before caught in a cycle of failure.