Virginia Approves Scott Foresman My Sidewalks for School Reading Intervention

Richmond, VA (PRWEB) June 11, 2009

To meet President Obama's mandate for education reform, Virginia's schools are turning to learning programs with a solid track record of improving student performance. The state's school districts now have available a research-based reading solution that already has improved student achievement for many of Virginia's schoolchildren--Scott Foresman My Sidewalks, a kindergarten through Grade 5 reading intervention program published by the education and technology company Pearson. The Virginia Department of Education recently selected My Sidewalks as a Recommended Reading Intervention program, paving the way for all Virginia elementary students to become successful readers, including special education students and English language learners.

Among the Virginia schools that are currently using Scott Foresman My Sidewalks to effectively help struggling young readers catch up to grade level is Pearl Sample Elementary in Culpeper County. After just one year learning with My Sidewalks, the number of students passing the Virginia's Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening jumped 11 percent in kindergarten, two percent for first graders, and eight percent for second graders.

Similar gains are being experienced by schools in the City of Portsmouth and in Pittsylvania County, clearly demonstrating that Virginia's students are benefitting significantly from the accelerated intervention and reading practice provided by the My Sidewalks program.

"Research tells us that if a child does not learn to read by third grade, the chances are that this struggling reader will most likely not catch up over time, and is statistically likely to wind up dropping out of school," said Pearl Sample Elementary reading specialist Susan Campbell. "That is why we were so eager to add the Scott Foresman My Sidewalks program to our curriculum here in Culpeper." She added, "Our children in grades K-3 have greatly enjoyed the stories which support the skills they are learning. Teachers find the program coordinates with the basal instruction so well that students feel it's an extension of their reading class, not a remedial program. We have seen great success with our kindergarten students. Providing this kind of critical intervention at age four and five will dramatically impact their learning not only now and in elementary school, but for a lifetime."

Dr. Helen Taylor, Director of Reading and English for Portsmouth City Schools, said, "Reading is the foundation for academic success in the core content areas for elementary, middle and high school students. Without being a fluent reader, students tend to drop out of school by the time they reach high school. My Sidewalks is a key intervention initiative that we are using in our elementary schools to help our boys and girls close any gap among the key components to reading."

"The accelerated rate at which our youngest children have progressed with the My Sidewalks intervention program this past year is amazing. Our at-risk students are now becoming fluent readers and this is directly translating into improvements in other subject areas as well," said Jenny Eaton, Principal of Chatham Elementary School in Pittsylvania County. She added, "We initially used the program kindergarten through grade five because we had children in the upper grades who were below grade level for reading - and we experienced tremendous results in each grade. We have also seen a significant decline in the number of referrals to our Special Education program since the implementation of My Sidewalks."

Recent national, independent research from Magnolia Consulting, LLC, conducted in line with the rigorous standards of the Department of Education's What Works Clearinghouse, reinforces Virginia's outcomes, showing that struggling readers in elementary schools achieved "significant learning gains" in reading fluency, vocabulary and comprehension with My Sidewalks. The study found the program far exceeded average yearly reading achievement growth as evidenced by performance on the Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE), with third-grade students using Scott Foresman My Sidewalks demonstrating a growth of 1.8 grade equivalent.

The report's researcher Dr. Stephanie Wilkerson said, "Scott Foresman My Sidewalks stands out as an intervention program because it targets priority skill areas that form the foundation for successful reading. Other programs might focus on only vocabulary and comprehension, but My Sidewalks addresses phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and writing as well as vocabulary and comprehension." She added, "Ongoing progress monitoring is another key program component that enables teachers to provide responsive and differentiated instruction to meet the diverse needs of their students."

Grounded in scientifically-based research, Scott Foresman My Sidewalks is authored by a nationally-recognized panel of reading intervention experts:

•     Dr. Connie Juel (oral vocabulary; phonics instruction), Professor of Education, School of Education, Stanford University
•     Dr. Deborah Simmons (early reading intervention; early literacy), Professor, College of Education and Human Development, Texas A&M University
•     Dr. Jeanne Paratore (comprehension skill and strategies; literacy), Associate Professor of Education, Department of Literacy and Language Development, Boston University;
•     Dr. Sharon Vaughn (early literacy intervention; the three tier model), H.E. Hartfelder/Southland Corporation Regents Professor, University of Texas.

Chip Marston and Jennifer Susser represent Pearson's education products to school districts all across Virginia. Susser noted that the My Sidewalks program is eligible for President Obama's Stimulus Funding, with details available at Pearson's http://www.fundingforschools.com website.

Marston added, "My Sidewalks is a complete 30-week intervention program that emphasizes explicit and systematic instruction, focusing on word reading, oral language, vocabulary, concept development and comprehension skills to assist those students classified as needing intensive intervention to enhance reading competency. The program is aligned with Virginia state standards and focuses on the National Reading Panel's five core reading elements: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, and is intended for small groups of students for 30-45 minutes per day, five days a week."

Originally created as a companion to Scott Foresman Reading Street elementary school program, My Sidewalks is designed to work along side any core reading curriculum.

Marston said that students across the country are now learning to read effectively with the help of My Sidewalks, including thousands in neighboring North Carolina, West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee.

For more information, visit My Sidewalks or http://www.pearsonschool.com

About Scott Foresman and Pearson:
Pearson (NYSE:PSO), the global leader in education and education technology, reaches and engages today's digital natives with effective and personalized learning, as well as dedicated professional development for their teachers. This commitment is demonstrated in the company's investment in innovative print and digital education materials for preK through college, student information systems and learning management systems, teacher professional development, career certification programs, and testing and assessment products that set the standard for the industry. The company's respected brands include Scott Foresman, Prentice Hall, Addison Wesley, Benjamin Cummings, PEMSolutions, Stanford 10, SuccessNet, MyLabs, PowerSchool, SuccessMaker, and many others. Pearson's comprehensive offerings help inform targeted instruction and intervention so that success is within reach of every student at every level of education. Pearson's commitment to education for all is supported by the global philanthropic initiatives of the Pearson Foundation. Pearson's other primary businesses include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group. For more information, go to http://www.pearson.com.

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