A $45,000 grant

in staff development was awarded to Brooks by Griffin Regional Educational

Student Association and the state Department of Education to offset training

costs. Griffin RESA selected Brooks as an ideal demonstration site due

to its small student population, varied demographics and central location.

Like most schools

in Fayette County, Brooks Elementary's reading scores are more than respectable.

Last year, Brooks' third grade average reading score was at the 65 th

percentile on the nationally normed Iowa Test of Basic Skills. That means

that on average, Brooks' students scored better than 65 percent of other

students who took the test nationwide. But an average percentile score

of 65 means that some students are scoring will below that percentage.

Brooks wants to ensure that it teaches those children to read well.

Twenty-three

teachers, as well as Principal Harry Sweatman and assistant principal

Donna Vining, have been trained to deliver the Reading Rescue program

at the school. Each teacher is assigned to one child that he or she tutors

for 30 minutes a day during regular school hours. Teachers use their planning

periods to work with their students as well as provide tutoring while

their classrooms are engaged in independent study. The program is limited

to first grade students so as to target problems and correct them before

incorrect practices are adopted.

Only in its

first year of implementation, the staff at Brooks Elementary reports that

one can already see the benefits of the program.

"We are

just real pleased with the results. We have already had about 15 or more

students to graduate from Reading Rescue," Sweatman says.

One part of

Gov. Roy Barnes' reform bill package for state schools mandates early

intervention for all children scoring below the 25 th percentile

on a standardized reading test. In its first years, Reading Rescue is

credited with moving one Florida school from a "F" to an "A"

and several others from "D" and "C" to "A."

"Reading

Rescue is a proven program. We are convinced by the data that it significantly

benefits struggling readers. Granting us the funds to implement the program

is like planting a seed from which many plants will grow and produce more

seeds," says Cheryl Hilderbrand, Fayette County reading coordinator.

It takes an

average of 52 days for a student to reach a level of competency. At the

time of graduation, Sweatman says he makes the achievement special for

his students by presenting them with certificates during a special ceremony.

Before teachers

and administrators can begin implementing Reading Rescue, they must first

complete a four-day training session to prepare them to administer individual

assessments of literacy and to provide instruction using research-based

strategies. This training is done on-site within the school system.

Beyond the

initial week, the Reading Rescue training sequence includes two follow-up

days during the first year of implementation: one in the fall and one

in the spring. Brooks has just completed its spring follow-up training.

After the school has implemented the program for three years, it can then

claim to be a Reading Rescue school and can train other schools to deliver

the program.

Reading Rescue

is not the only tutorial reading program offered by the Fayette County

School System. The county has a successful tutoring model that is delivered

through this daily 30 minutes of one-on-one reading instruction. However,

the new reform bill discourages the use of paraprofessionals for regular

instruction. The state has cut funding for paraprofessionals, urging systems

to hire certified personnel.

Reading Rescue's

tutoring model is a little different from Fayette County's, but the primary

difference is that certified teachers deliver most of the tutoring during

the school day. Additionally, Reading Rescue requires more writing and

reading by the student.

"I would

like to see this program spread to other elementary schools in the system.

Research clearly indicates that all children do not learn how to read

through the same teaching methods," said Hilderbrand.

"We must

make sure that all children learn letter sound-relationships (phonics)

and that all children learn to make meaning from texts (comprehension),

but how we teach those things will depend on a child's learning style,

his memory and retrieval system, and his or her processing abilities.

Some children simply must have one-on-one tutoring."

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