April 2018 – Special Educator e-Journal

Introduction

How can Reader’s Theater improve students’ fluency in reading? For struggling readers fluency may be an area of concern and it can be instrumental in the learning and teaching process. When students have difficulty reading smoothly and identifying words accurately, they can experience a variety of issues which may prevent them from fully benefiting from the curriculum. As students advance in age and grade level the specific skills needed to become fluent readers can become increasingly difficult if not addressed in the early stages of learning. It is fundamental for students to have a firm understanding of the basic skills needed to achieve success with reading fluency. For struggling readers, fluency can affect their ability to engage in social interactions, effectively understand the curriculum, and have good self-confidence.  It is important to recognize the role of reading word units in connection with how this affects reading fluency and automaticity when students are developing many of the skills needed to become proficient readers (LaBerge & Samuels, 1974).  As a result of the deficiencies in these areas, students can become disengaged in the lesson, have difficulty making necessary academic learning gains, making meaningful relationships in social settings, and exhibit low self-esteem. Many aspects of a student’s education can ultimately be reliant on each other. If these deficiencies are not detected and addressed as soon as possible, it can create a snowball effect which creates additional challenges for students.  It is imperative to have a thorough understanding of each student’s abilities and their needs, as a preliminary starting point in order to implement the most appropriate and effective interventions. Rasinski, Homan, and Biggs (2009) explained how the impacting roles of a teacher can affect the reading fluency of students. These roles include modeling fluent reading,  fluency coaching, facilitating reading, collecting materials, and providing a setting for performance, and encouraging celebration (Rasinski et al., 2009). Thoughtfully selecting an engaging, meaningful, and evidenced based method may make the needed difference in the teaching and learning process to assist struggling readers with the challenges they face with fluency in reading

Reader’s Theater is an example of a fluency intervention with a multidimensional structure which can provide qualitative and quantitative results. Students and teachers can both benefit from this flexible and engaging strategy. There are a variety of successful studies that have evidenced the success of Reader’s Theater and the impacts it has on students of various ages and abilities. Reader’s Theater is engaging, flexible, comprehensive, and meaningful. These attributes along with the proper implementation can increase students’ ability to be fluent readers and further allowing them to effectively access the curriculum. Success with fluency in reading is heavily dependent on the delivery, instructions, and curriculum in which the student must have a clear understanding of the material and what is expected of them.

When students experience success in reading they will increase their success with additional academic and social subjects, enabling them to partake in social activities which include reading as a form of understanding or communication and increase reading comprehension skills. Using effective learning strategies to address reading fluency will benefit the students’ processing abilities in a variety of settings and potentially eliminate various barriers (LaBerge & Samuels, 1974).

Fluency In Reading

A student’s ability to read with fluency allows them to comprehend text at a faster rate and as a result they will attain a larger volume of knowledge within a shorter period (Rasinski, 2000; Young, & Nageldinger, 2014). Oral reading fluency includes word recognition accuracy, word recognition automaticity, and prosody (Mraz et al 2013). Fluency can allow students to decode and accurately interpret text with a meaningful understanding which is a complex and interactive process (Mraz et al., 2013; Smith, 2011). Automaticity is an essential component of fluent reading and analyzes how many words students can read in approximately one minute which produces a specific reading rate (Smith, 2011).  Illustrated by the automaticity theory, reading comprehension has a role at the forefront of the educational focus when students have proficient fluency skills in reading. When fluency is automatic, students can work on comprehension skills without the challenging hurdles presented by dysfluency in reading  (LaBerge & Samuels, 1974).

Sociocultural Factors

An instrumental factor to consider is each student’s background. Some students may not have adequate exposure to literacy and experiences with proficient fluency skills, which can bring a story to life (Parker, 2016). Learning occurs in many settings where individuals require various types of social interactions with society, which is also the sociocultural theory. The sociocultural aspects of a students’ life may have a significant impact on their reading abilities (Cotter, 2012). Deficits which occur before entering school may present challenges upon entering into the educational setting. The students’ exposure to the multidimensional skill of reading fluency includes experience with a print rich environment and learning foundational skills which are basic literacy skills.  The results of the study conducted by Cotter (2012) which included 5 second graders indicated that four out of five students were not meeting the benchmark assessment requirements. With the fluency interventions which were obtained, the study highlighted that the students showed an increase in WCPM, specifically the first students made gains of 34 WCPM, the second student made gains of 72 WCPM, the third student made gains of 48 WCPM, the fourth student made gains of 33 WCPM, and the fifth and final student made gains of 47 WCPM (Cotter, 2012). Students that interact with text and social settings have a greater chance of success with reading skills (Cotter, 2012). The study conducted by Parker (2016) has also yielded positive results, however, the gains were of low statistical significance. What the study did specifically illustrate, was that fluency improvements for students who are Multi-racial, improved by 15%; Caucasian improved by 5%; female overall improved by 5%; and English Language Learners improved by 20% which was the highest level of improvement. An indicator of how students will perform in their future lives as adults and young adults,  is weighted heavily on the reading proficiency by the third grade (Parker, 2016), this statement explains the growing concern of the effects of dysfluency in reading (Parker, 2016).

Fluency and Comprehension

Reading with adequate fluency is an element which is required to have success with reading comprehension.  Both go hand in hand and can be found in formal and informal contexts  (Cotter, 2012). When students participate in oral reading at the appropriate rate/speed, with the correct intonation, and proper phrasing, their reading will reflect their spoken language. As a result students who struggle with fluency may take longer to complete an assignment. However, reading at a faster rate (with fluency) does not always guarantee that a student will automatically increase their performance with reading comprehension, as reading is a complex process with many components (Mraz et al., 2013). But exploring comprehensive and engaging interventions can allow students an opportunity to make learning gains with their fluency in reading.  Research by Smith (2011) suggests that when students experience success with fluency skills such as decoding, they can focus their efforts on reading comprehension (Smith, 2011).  An added benefit to this success is that the students experience increased self-confidence and improved comprehension skills as a result of proficient fluency in reading (Caluris, 2006). Specifically, the data from this study yielded positive results as other studies in this review. Caluris (2006) conducted a study which consisted of groups of five to six students of various abilities, which the students were categorized as academically challenged, general education, bilingual, and special needs which covers a large spectrum of the student demographic. The assessments targeted skills such as, expression and volume, phrasing, smoothness, and pace.  In the area of expression and volume the pre-test scores were 1.6 and the post-test scores were 2.6; in the area of phrasing the pre-test scores were 1.8 and the post-test scores were 2.8, in the area of smoothness the pre-test scores were 1.7 and the post-test scores were 2.7; lastly, in the area of pace the pre-test scores were 2.1 and the post-test scores were 2.8. This study also indicates positive trends in reading fluency when the intervention of Reader’s Theater is utilized (Caluris, 2006).

Reader’s Theater as an Intervention to Improve Fluency in Reading

Developing reading fluency through the use of rhyming poetry and other texts beyond the narrative and informational texts that have been traditionally used for reading instruction (Rasinski et al., 2016). Vasinda, and McLeod (2011) explain how something old can become something new with Reader’s Theater. This intervention allows students to recreate another character’s emotions, attain a deep understanding of the plot, and understand goals and motives of the character they are portraying (Vasinda & McLeod, 2011). Reader’s Theater creates opportunities for students to interpret dialogue, communicate meaning and awareness, and give students an appreciation of plays as a form of literature (Grant, 2011). This was evidenced in the study conducted by Grant (2011). The study consisted of two subgroups, one which would partake in the intervention and the other was a comparison group. The assessment utilized with both groups was DIBELS. Initially the intervention group was given the DIBELS assessment as a pre-assessment and had a mean score of 38.5 and the post-assessment mean score was 53.2 indicating the success of this intervention. This group did demonstrate a slightly greater score than the comparison group(Grant, 2011). Considering the audience for a performance, compels the reader to formulate in deeper analytical perspective in order to make the story come alive, so that the audience can envision the story which the characters are trying to relay (Guzzetti, 2002).  Similarly,  Rasinski and Young  have demonstrated that Reader’s Theater can serve as a pathway to learning. Learning can be interesting and enjoyable. Their research included second grade students who participated in this specific intervention and experiences and positive trends were observed. A DRA was administered to these students a goal was set for the expected level the students should be on by the end of the intervention, which was level 28. The pre-test reported that the students’ DRA level was 19.4 at the end of the intervention the post-test revealed that the students surpassed the goal and scored on level 31.2, further reinforcing this strategy (Young & Rasinski, 2009). Reader’s theatre is an engaging and differentiated strategy which can improve a student’s fluency and therefore increase their reading rate, accuracy, expressive reading, and comprehension (Bellinger, 2011; Mraz et al., 2013). The study conducted by Parker (2016) agrees with the findings of Bellinger, (2011) but also reports improvements in reading comprehension which demonstrated the comprehensiveness of this intervention. The results of the study indicate that students who engaged in the Reader’s Theater intervention improved their fluency skills, which is evident by their DIBELS scores. One student’s scores improved from 67% to 92%, and their reading rate time decreased by twenty-six seconds. The other student improved their score by 1% which was from 97% to 98% and decreased their reading rate by one minute and fifty seconds, but was also able to read more smoothly than at the beginning of the study. Added improvements which were reported were advances made with voice inflection, improved fluency. The strategy proved to be engaging and increased students’ social involvement (Bellinger, 2011).

The intervention of Reader’s Theater provides the students with an opportunity to gain meaning of the text in an alternative but effective manner (Parker, 2016). Also concurring with the results of the Reader’s Theater intervention strategy are Mraz et al. (2013). The study they conducted explains the gains which the students in this study made over a six week period, which evaluated the areas of word recognition accuracy, automaticity, and prosody.  Word recognition accuracy was measured by the number of words which were read correctly, automaticity was measured by the students’ reading rate, and prosody was measured using a multidimensional fluency four point scale. Before the intervention was implemented the students scored 55WCPM and 6.7 errors and after the intervention the students scored 93 WCPM and 1.2 errors which demonstrated the success of this intervention (Mraz et al., 2013).

Reading books and literature are methods which have been relied upon for the acquisition of various reading skills. Text can be multidimensional which presents opportunities for students to experience reading in different forms. Scaffolding or combining these forms can be beneficial for teaching and learning in the area of reading. Combining specific text and performance is an option which includes speeches, songs, scripts, and poetry (Rasinski, 2010).  These forms of text which can be presented orally and showcase a student’s oral and prosodic reading skills (Rasinski et al., 2016). Keeping this in mind with all students including general education students, struggling readers, ESOL students, and students with disabilities can improve their reading fluency skills. Instructional materials must be provided at the student’s independent/instructional reading level (Rasiniski, 2010; Rasinski et al., 2016). Informational text can be adapted into a format suitable for Reader’s Theater, however this can be less engaging than selecting a script which will pique the interest of struggling readers.  (Rasinski et al., 2016). Texts which are adapted into dialogue are an alternative to locating a script which fits the needs and academic levels of the students. Readers’s Theater allows students to form meaning of the text using interactions with other students and the audience (Young & Nageldinger, 2014). Examples of these types of texts are scripts, speeches, monologues, and presentations. Specifically, scripts might not come from existing text, students can create their own scripts which can be used in the performance of literature (Young & Nageldinger, 2014).

Engaging Students With Reader’s Theater and Their Perspectives

Because entertaining an audience is a motivating factor rehearsal and locating an audience is imperative. Fortunately, there are many sources for an audience. You can invite parents, administrators, other classes, or other school staff. If audiences are scarce, the students can always perform for their peers, but involving parents, faculty and other students can increase students’ confidence and a give added meaning and purpose to their performance and hard work (Bellinger, 2011; Young & Nageldinger, 2014). After analyzing interviews of the students and their experiences with Reader’s Theater, it was reported that students displayed and expressed their acceptance of the strategy, enjoyment of participating in this strategy, and the extended social and academic benefits they experienced. Students also reported that the repeated reading was challenging but beneficial (Vasinda & McLeod, 2011).

Teacher’s Perspectives

Reader’s Theater allows students an opportunity to read with expression which is an essential skill in proficient reading. This strategy is comprehensive in that it connects with the content and is consistent with the natural course of the class day. Teachers and students both noted that reading with expression was important and necessary with Readers Theatre and that the repeated practice helped them to improve expressive reading (Vasinda & McLeod, 2011). The live audience performance component to this intervention which can also serve as a repeated reading method (Rasinski et al., 2016; Smith, 2011). Teachers found that Readers Theatre fit well into the rhythm of the classroom, and they also appreciated the connection that the Readers Theatre texts made to the content standards (Vasinda & McLeod, 2011).

Extensions

Fluency in reading can be found in many forms and settings and can evolve with the needs of the students and the educational environment. Utilizing the skills learned with the intervention of Reader’s Theater students can extend and incorporate their abilities into poetry and practice with rhyming skills (Rasinski et al., & Nichols, 2016). During the performances students can also add props to make learning more engaging. As a result students experienced increase reading rate and oral reading skills (Bellinger, 2011). Another extension of Reader’s Theater can be explored using technology. Computers and mobile devices have recording and editing capabilities. The performances, individual repeated reading, choral reading, speeches, monologues, and rehearsals can be recorded and shared with parents or uploaded to other websites where peers and other professionals can view them (Vasinda & McLeod, 2011).

Method of Implementing Reader’s Theater and Specific

Learning through performance can augment the learning of reading skills (Young & Nageldinger, 2014). To demonstrate this theory Young and Nageldinger (2014) conducted a study which consisted of a five-day format over the timeframe of a week.

Day 1 – teacher models appropriate and fluent reading skills by reading all the engaging scripts students can choose from. Next, to gain understanding of the script and to select which part they would like to play, the students read the script themselves.

Day 2- the students highlight their parts and study unknown words and the correct pronounciation.

Day 3- Practice reading with fluency and prosody, using appropriate expressions in their voices when the text calls for it and therefore demonstrating their oral reading and reading skills in conjunction with each other.

Day 4-  Practice scripts and performance which is a form of repeated reading as added support.

Day 5- “Big Premier” simultaneously students will present an engaging performance where they will demonstrate their ability to read with fluency and how this skill can be adapted into reading text material with fluency.  (Young & Nageldinger, 2014).As a result students are engaged and have the opportunity to learn fluency skills utilizing an alternative method of acquisition.

Another study which was conducted by Vasinda and McLeod (2011) over 10 weeks, spanned from October 2007 through January 2008. This study included 35 struggling readers in the second and third graders which were able to comprehended first-grade level text. The study included repeated reading, recording, podcasting, and listening to their own voice recordings. Although, evaluating students as individuals demonstrated learning gains which ranged from mid-kindergarten to fifth-grade comprehension levels (Vasinda & McLeod, 2011).Groups consisted of four to eight students and the groups were determined by the number of parts of the selected play. This strategy was structured in two ways, one which was whole group using only one play and small groups in which a variety of scripts were selected. In this study the strategy was incorporated into the regular classroom schedule for a ten to fifteen minute block of time (Vasinda & McLeod, 2011). As a result the data specifically stated that, after the 10 week intervention the grade-level equivalency gain for the struggling readers as a group was 1.13 years. The individual gains spanned from one semester’s growth to three years’ growth as measured by the DRA and CRI (Vasinda & McLeod, 2011). Similarly, in a study conducted by Caldwell et al. (2006) the students demonstrated improvements with reading fluency due to the intervention strategy of Reader’s Theater. The data were collected over a six week timeframe and indicated that the students scored higher during the intervention period compared to the last two years. The pre-test indicated the largest gain made was 69 WCPM and the smallest gain was 21 WCPM further supporting this strategy as an effective intervention to improve students’ reading fluency (Caldwell et al. 2006).

In another study, researchers also explore Reader’s Theater as an oral reading fluency intervention. This strategy was implemented in the classroom setting with nineteen third graders who were struggling readers. Of these nineteen students nine were girls and ten were boys. These students were in the lower socioeconomic status category. 85% of the school’s population utilizes free or reduced lunch program. In order to determine what the starting reading level should be they utilized the pretest data, the STAR Reading Test and the districts quarterly reading assessment. The classroom teacher chose six Readers Theatre scripts that were on the students’ instructional level and which were already created and formulated. The program and scripts were read daily during the first 30 minutes of the two hour literacy session (Mraz et al, 2013). At the end of the six week intervention, pre-test results were compared to post-test results in which word recognition accuracy was measured by the number of words read correctly, automaticity was measured by reading rate, prosody was measured using the Multidimensional Fluency Scale (MFS). The MFS utilizes a rubric to rate four aspects of prosody on a 4-point scale, with 1 identifying poor performance and 4 indicating good performance. The gains students made as a result of the Reader’s Theater intervention were due to the instrumental components of modeling, echo reading, buddy reading, choral reading, and repeated reading (Mraz et al, 2013).

A separate study by Caluris (2006) on Reader’s Theater as an intervention to address fluency in reading, consisted of 35 third graders in a culturally diverse community. The groups were structured in groups of five to six students.  To implement this study the teacher first began with a modeling strategy where she read the script to the students and practiced repeated or rereading throughout the process. Students recorded themselves and viewed the recording after to evaluate their own performances and generate feedback. Similarly as found in other research discussed in this review, the students’ improved abilities in fluency allowed students to focus on reading comprehension skills (Caluris, 2006). As a result of this study the students improved their reading rate, accuracy in word recognition, expression, and attitude (Caluris, 2006).

Exploring the social contexts that children are exposed to demonstrates how this factor has a meaningful impact on their experiences in learning and literacy, which is the focus of this study by Cotter (Cotter, 2012). This body of research included sixteen students in the second grade over the span of nine months. Initial assessment included the data obtained from the benchmark assessment. A component to this assessment includes a timed reading which is read aloud to the teacher to assess how many words the student can read in a minute. For additional assessment, data were also collected utilizing field notes, observations, and anecdotal notes. This intervention consisted of small group and whole group implementation. As students progressed with their practice and rereading, their reading fluency increased and they were reading on the Lexile levels consistent with the requirements for the second grade (Cotter, 2012) indicating that the students are fluently reading on grade level.

In a study by Smith (2011) acquiring the baseline data needed for the research, the pre assessment and post assessment was structured using DIBELS assessment also Motivation to Read Profile (MRP), and ERAS was administered before and after the study to measure attitudes towards reading. The targeted group of students consisted of eighty-five second graders. This study measured fluency, motivation, and reading attitude. Implementation of the Reader’s Theater strategy utilized the existing textbooks and the necessary modifications were made in order to adapt the text into the Reader’s Theater format. This intervention consisted of a five step process which included choosing the book, read the story, build a script from the story, practice and refine the performance, and lastly perform for an audience. Specifically, the data indicates that the students who participated in the Reader’s Theater intervention scored on the DIBELS assessment pre-test average score was 50.0 and the average post-test score was 78.3; on the MRP they scored 31.8 on the pre-test and 32.3 on the post-test; and ERAS scored 20.4 on the pre-test and 20.4 on the post-test. In comparison in the case of the students who participated in the repeated reading strategy on the DIBELS assessment on the pre-test the had an average score of 47.7 and post-test score of 79.1; on the MPR the pre-test score was 31.0 and post-test was 32.5; and in the ERAS the pre-test score was 23.9 and the post-test score was 22.3. This data illustrates how students made improvements with this strategy in the area of fluency and attitudes towards reading, which supports that Reader’s Theater demonstrated a greater gain than repeated reading (Smith, 2011).

Conclusion

Fluency is an essential component in the acquisition of proficient reading skills. Without adequate fluency in reading students may have a difficult time learning other skills such as reading comprehension and social skills as illustrated by the literature which is part of this review. These deficiencies can exist as a result of limited exposure to literacy due to their sociocultural situations. Also discovered after the review of the various studies, is the effectiveness of Reader’s Theater as a reading fluency intervention and its success. This strategy is engaging, flexible, adaptable, enjoyable, comprehensive, and challenging. Students of all abilities can partake in these types of activities and practice various skills while participating in the lesson which applies the concept of scaffolding. Finding engaging alternatives for fluency in reading can make the difference in a student’s education and Reader’s Theater is a comprehensive support which students will benefit from and will continue to make learning gains as a result of the skills they learn during the process.

References

Bellinger, Eric, “Using Reader’s Theater to Engage Struggling Readers in a Fifth Grade Urban Setting” (2011). Education and Human Development Master’s Theses. 730

Caldwell, S., Nichols, W. D., & Mraz, M. (2006) “Increasing students’ oral reading fluency through readers theatre.” Paper presented at the national meeting of the CollegeReading Association in Pittsburgh, PA.

Caluris, J. (2006). Using Readers Theater to show off good reading. Retrieved December 20, 2010, from CFE online database on the World Wide Web: teachersnetwork.org/tnli/research/achieve/caluris.pdf

Cotter, J. (2012). Understanding the Relationship between Reading Fluency and Reading Comprehension: Fluency Strategies as a Focus for Instruction.

Grant, C. (2011). Does Reader’s Theater influence the reading attitudes and fluency of fourth-and fifth-grade students in a special education class? Journal of Teacher Initiated Research, 8(1), 1-14.

Guzzetti, B. J. (2002). Literacy in America: An encyclopedia of history, theory and practice (Vol. 1). ABC-CLIO.

LaBerge, D., & Samuels, S. J. (1974). Toward a theory of automatic information processing in reading. Cognitive psychology, 6(2), 293-323.

Mraz, M., Nichols, W., Caldwell, S., Beisley, R., Sargent, S., & Rupley, W. (2013). Improving oral reading fluency through readers theatre. Reading Horizons, 52(2), 163.

Parker, C. L. (2016). All the World’s a Stage… The Effects of Reader’s Theater on the Reading Fluency Rates, Comprehension Levels and Attitudes of Second Graders. Digital Commons @ Gardner-Webb University. Gardner-Webb University.

Rasinski, T., Homan, S., & Biggs, M. (2009). Teaching reading fluency to struggling readers: Method, materials, and evidence. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 25(2-3), 192-204.

Rasinski, T. V. (2000). Commentary: Speed does matter in reading. The Reading Teacher, 54(2), 146-151.

Rasinski, T. V. (2010). The fluent reader: Oral & silent reading strategies for building fluency, word recognition & comprehension. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Smith, D. M. (2011). Readers Theatre: Its effectiveness in improving reading fluency, student motivation, and attitudes toward reading among second-grade students (Doctoral dissertation, The Pennsylvania State University).

Vasinda, S., & McLeod, J. (2011). Extending readers theatre: A powerful and purposeful match with podcasting. The Reading Teacher, 64(7), 486-497.

Young, C., & Nageldinger, J. (2014). Considering the context and texts for fluency: Performance, readers, theater, and poetry. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 7(1), 47.

About the Author

Melissa Bedasie-DeClaire is an educator in the public school system of Broward County, Florida, specializing in reading. Growing up with her mother Tess and younger siblings Tiffany, Nicholas, and Melanie allowed her to teach others new skills at a young age and share learning experiences with them. At the start of her journey into the realm of education, she began teaching science programs to underprivileged students in Broward County with the Mad Science organization. These programs were offered to organizations like the Hispanic Unity Organization. These experiences helped her to solidify her commitment to education. Her experience as a paraprofessional in the public school system allowed her to work with students with disabilities, which opened the door for new career opportunities and a new purpose. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education from Broward College, in which she graduated with honors. Melissa’s passion for education did not end there. Next, the field of education has steered her to her newest pursuit of a Master’s Degree, in Special Education, at Florida International University. These accomplishments were driven by her desire to make a difference in the lives of her two sons Kaleb and Raylan, which could not be realized without the boundless support of her husband Derek. Her current research is on the positive impact reader’s theater has on the reading fluency of students with disabilities.

The author Lyle Kirtman, he is an experienced executive coach in which he was employed by the Massachusetts Municipal Association, the United Stated Environmental Protection Agency, the governor’s office as the Manager of Boston’s Public Schools.

Throughout his professional career, author Michael Fullan has influences which have an international reach. His professional focuses were consultation, educational reform, and change. He was an honored individual for his ability to bring innovative ideas to world. For these impressive accomplishments he was awarded the Order of Canada, which is considered a high honor. Along with these successes his is also an established author of several impacting books.

Purpose of this book is to provide a tool for leaders in education regardless of the specific stage you are in. Also, this book examines shared experiences and practices of many different educational leaders. Throughout this book the authors explore the issues related to the staggering multitude of initiatives and new practices, but detail simple and impacting methodologies. More is not always better.

Thesis of this book is that with simplicity, diversity, risks, and organization, a comprehensive plan to improve student performance and develop a knowledgeable team will improve the educational system as a whole no matter the size of the specific population.

In the current global society where educators and leaders are tasked with the meaningful job of providing a diversified education for all students, it can be a grueling expedition to find what works best. The authors Lyle Kirtman and Michael Fullan bring a clarified and filtered perspective to leadership and what it means to have an effective team. These strategies can be adapted to a variety of professional facets, but this review will focus on the educational capacities. Kirtman and Fullan introduce their research of these important issues by explaining in their first chapter of the book, how sometimes the roles which high performing leaders play can be lonely. These types of leaders are out there, “ These prisoners are everywhere in the United States and around the world challenging the status quo in education but often feeling alone in their pursuit” (pp1 and 2). It is important to consider that there are others who are experiencing the same challenges and collaboration with other professionals can bring new ideas and solutions to the table. Each system no matter the setting, will exhibit strengths and weaknesses, which need to be identified and collaboratively assessed in order to find the right solutions. Cultivating new and effective leaders is a strategy which can be utilized to accomplish many of the school goals and build a lasting learning community.

Clear thinking results in clear goals and clear solutions. When there is transparency in the plan and methodologies, then there is less confusion in the process. The moral purpose must be a transparent component, as this will be the driving force of the changes which are needed for positive progress. Change must include reculturing, innovativeness over innovation, and consider that there is always a learning curve (Fullan, 2001). On a more educational component which is complex is the political forum. Political leaders and state representatives create the mandates which schools must strictly abide by. Unfortunately, politicians may make changes in accordance with their own agendas in order to appear as though they are impacting society and education. They could benefit from making policies simpler, rather than increasingly complex. Leaders and educators all over the world are looking for an easier way to implement effective practices. Sometimes even researchers may complicate the process with their analysis and their perspectives on the educational topics.

When change is required, the leaders of the school will select an evidenced based practice or initiative which is most fitting for the deficit area. This can be the beginning of the confusion or the beginning of clarity. Some of the appropriate questions to ask are, is this the most fitting initiative, is the timing suitable, and is the intensity appropriate (pp4). All the questions must be addressed collaboratively and meaningfully with the moral purpose always in mind. The moral purpose will bring positive change to the plan; it includes comprehending change, establishing relationships, and valuing ideas that work (Fullan, 2001). Per the research from this book, the authors describe experiences from other leaders such as, leader Mary Ann, which describes a situation where she broke down the need to the development of vocabulary skills and writing in all subjects. This concentration produced success in all subject areas (M.A. Jackman, personal communication, July 18, 2014). In order to achieve a level of success similar to Mary Ann’s, an overload in initiatives is not the solution. More is not better. Too many initiatives will provoke waves of confusion that will take just as much time to undo. Successful leaders may eliminate distractions to assist with focusing on the important issues and respect the commitment of others and the work they produce, and consider meaningful and manageable goals on a day-to-day perspective.  As education is a current global concern, this brings even more perspectives from different areas and circumstances. These aspects drive policies and legislation. Getting through the red tape slows the process of producing effective educational experiences and curriculum to all students equally.

Another concept educational leaders must consider, is whole system change. This is facilitated using the entire team, rather than compartmentalizing change. But it is important to also recognize the pitfalls or the potential negative aspects. Fullan (2011) has detailed four features that guide negative changes. “1- negative accountability 2- individualistic strategies 3- technology and 4- ad hoc policies” ( pp7). To combat these negative features, Fullan has also described how to develop core competencies for continuous improvement – organizing principle, “drive for cultural change needed to be successful” (pp7). Along with the five areas for success which are “1-minimal politics, 2-minimal confusion, 3- high morale, 4- high productivity, 5- low turnover of talented leaders” (pp8).  With these great skills to consider and the acknowledgment of the negative possibilities, together with the team you all can connect with other leaders and reach into the future.

Positive plans to move your school into the future, these researchers have found that good leaders will have a clear and concise plan to bring improvements to their existing educational framework. This book describes a system which includes “Seven Leadership Competencies” which can be found throughout the contents of chapter two. Kirtman’s (2014) seven competencies are “1-challenges the status quo, 2- builds trust through clear communications and expectations, 3- creates a commonly owned plan for success, 4-focuses on team over self, 5-has a high sense of urgency for change and sustainable results in improving student achievement, 6- has a commitment to continuous improvement for self and organization, 7-builds external networks and partnerships” (pp12). This book illustrates these steps in detail and their functionality.  The first competency deals with the barriers which are connected with maintaining the status quo. Good leaders may not put compliance at the top of the list but this is not say that they would break any laws in doing so. The status quo or personal motivations come in as a second to the main goal of focusing on results. Learning has to play a leading role in the mission to, educate all students and build a strong administrative framework. In doing this, the principal will have to work hard to determine which team members will take administrative roles, which is a form of delegation. In this competency the authors explain that it would be beneficial to decrease the policies which are counterproductive to progress.  Risk taking is another factor to consider. The only way to determine if a strategy will work is to try it. When a leader/principal needs guidance they may seek advice from their supervisor, which serves as a sounding board and modifications to the strategy can be made as a result of the collaboration. Trends are often times the topic of conversation and being innovative will be a key in moving into the future of education.

A good leader will contest decisions made with district and school mandates when necessary. Traditionally, people do not want to take risks associated with change. With changes, come risks that people are not usually willing to take. The sacrifice of the risk is sometimes perceived as too great to take. However, there is an abundance of effort geared towards making situations comfortable and supportive. Sometimes it can be an over load with this focus. A good leader will not make changes straight away on the first day. It is important to enter into the culture of the school and listen as a primary objective. However, the status quo must be addressed early in the process. Employees must feel open and free to be honest without being criticized. Each member of the team must feel valuable to the principal. Also, a good leader will move forward with change and pull back to check for understanding just as we would with all students. The second competency, deals with constructing an honest relationship utilizing transparent communications and expectations (pp19). Some of the features which are essential to comprehend are conflict resolution, methods of communication, and setting clear expectations. These components can lighten the tension on the playing field and promote transparency with the moral purpose in mind. The third competency is also established with collaboration as a primary component. Again, here in this competency, simplicity is the theme. The authors explain that “fragmentation from overly complex plans creates, extra, unnecessary work that ties up the same people” (pp22). These types of tasks include meetings, revising the endless pile of documents, and exploring various strategies. It is hard to find the time to make changes when there are more tasks than time in the work day. Complexity is not always the best solution, simplicity may make the plan easier to undertake. The fourth competency connects capacity building and teamwork. With this strategy, a principal must seek out the best employee options for positions in their school. It is important not to settle on who you make a team member of this comprehensive and knowledgeable team. According to Fullan (2001), he explains that many teams do not place the appropriate value on training and creating a knowledgeablec team, which can create more confusion and this will affect the results of how successful plan is. When changes are made with hiring staff members, these new teammates will change the existing structure but must be incorporated in order for the team to run smoothly. The fifth competency reflects the importance of making these changes in a timely manner with the goal of improving student performance. Again, scaffolding on the idea of simplicity, this competency relies on making things easy to implement and understand. This removes confusion and misunderstandings in the process. Data is essential in moving forward with selecting the appropriate measures to take, in order to accomplish educational goals to improve students’ performance. The sixth competency involves a continuum of constant improvement of self-reflection, reflection of current practices, accountability, and organization. When something doesn’t work, it is important to change it. Leaders will need guidance from other leaders or supervisors in order to determine what changes will be effective, manageable, and meaningful. Assessment and evaluation of current practices will be needed as well. Otherwise, the school may be implementing an ineffective initiative and wasting valuable time. Competency 7 is another competency about collaboration. Collaboration with community members and utilizing resources outside of the school system can improve results in student performance. Learning occurs everywhere and planning for learning comes from outside sources just as much as internal sources. Although, adhering to the competencies in order is not a requirement, all the competencies are needed in order to have a successful, simple, and comprehensive plan. All the parts of competencies contribute to a successful plan. This ideal allows all individuals to remain focused on the moral purpose and improving student learning as the main goals. Collaboration includes the input of everyone and everyone’s input is valuable.

Effective plans will be determined by evaluating and assessing them in a timely manner and utilizing an easy to understand methodology. The data has to be collected and used in the most effective manners, which means that the same data can be used in a variety of facets or departments. This information is vital for the developing the most appropriate educational frameworks for students, but it is also utilized to assess and evaluate a school as a whole. Data driven change is needed but the data sometimes this information doesn’t hold the necessary value when it drives the wrong purpose. Accountability is where teachers may find challenges, due to the data reflecting on their abilities to teach. With determining who is accountable and why inconsistencies are occurring, the modifications made sometimes complicate matters more than needed. Finding time to make all these changes and fulfill the components in the plan requires a great deal of time management and planning. A school has the ability to run similar to a business when the responsibilities and day-to-day requirements are concerned. “A manager must set up systems for reporting, monitoring results, filing documents, and other operational tasks required to run and maintain a business” (pp60). Self-management will be a strong characteristic which can bring all these features together to create a motivational system with an effective moral purpose. Innovative learning environments which are fun and productive

The moral purpose must always be at the forefront of each mission at hand in order to stay on course. This is the only way you can determine if the strategies you have selected are effective. Adhering to only part of the plan will not give you true results and is an injustice to the plan, the teachers, and all students. With a cohesive plan, many different things happen which can create a productive and effective learning environment. This is a desirable quality for employees. When leaders are committed to the moral purpose and the team, the team is more likely to contribute to a positive working environment; the authors explain that, “Most talented people are looking for a reason to stay and bring their friends” (pp69), which will ultimately increase productivity. Other features which are important to consider, are making changes whenever and wherever necessary. Success can be achieved in any setting, rural, urban and in between. Work from the ground up.

Leaders have an important job of maintaining a mutual culture to accommodate all professionals and students. Problems cannot be left for others to find solutions for. Through the change process however things turn out it is important for the principal to remain constant through thick and through thin. Educational frameworks must be open to consider all opinions, perspectives, and ideas. Team members must be innovative and welcoming to allow everyone to feel comfortable to ask questions and take risks, bust always including measurable goals. Also making connections within the local community can bring a well-rounded experience to the table for leaders, teachers, and students. Community members and organizations can provide a great deal of opportunities and assistance that can bring your team and school into a positive future. Creating education networks to tackle the big issues no matter if it is on a small scale or large. Lastly, a successful educational environment in a global society must be accepting of change and feedback (negative and positive) to make pathways of improvement.

References

Kirtman, L., & Fullan, M. (2016). Leadership: key competencies for whole-system change. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Fullan, M. (2014). Leading in a Culture of Change. Wiley.

About the Author

Melissa Bedasie-DeClaire is an educator in the public school system of Broward County, Florida, specializing in reading. Growing up with her mother Tess and younger siblings Tiffany, Nicholas, and Melanie allowed her to teach others new skills at a young age and share learning experiences with them. At the start of her journey into the realm of education, she began teaching science programs to underprivileged students in Broward County with the Mad Science organization. These programs were offered to organizations like the Hispanic Unity Organization. These experiences helped her to solidify her commitment to education. Her experience as a paraprofessional in the public school system allowed her to work with students with disabilities, which opened the door for new career opportunities and a new purpose. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education from Broward College, in which she graduated with honors. Melissa’s passion for education did not end there. Next, the field of education has steered her to her newest pursuit of a Master’s Degree, in Special Education, at Florida International University. These accomplishments were driven by her desire to make a difference in the lives of her two sons Kaleb and Raylan, which could not be realized without the boundless support of her husband Derek. Her current research is on the positive impact reader’s theater has on the reading fluency of students with disabilities.

Setting the Stage

Whether pursuant to an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or not, many students require and benefit from school-based mental health counseling services.  Students in need who receive social-emotional and mental health support improve both behaviorally and academically.   On a larger scale, these programs serve to decrease school suspensions and dropouts while improving school attendance rates.

While school based mental health counseling programs are implemented with the best intentions for the well being of students, services are often delayed or out-of-reach for many.  The special education process calls upon school officials to retrieve parental consent for evaluation; then evaluate; present findings in a scheduled IEP team meeting; and await parental consent for a proposed IEP service to be implemented.  By regulation, this process can take up to 45 school days.

Since school-aged children and young adults spend the majority of their time in school and in school-sponsored activities, the time available for mental health services in clinics is limited to evenings and weekends.  Because clinicians are often unavailable at these times, waiting lists become lengthy with many students waiting more than one month to be seen.

In response to the aforementioned, the Everett Public Schools partnered with Eliot Community Human Services in the creation of the Preferred Provider Model. In just one school year, this program quadrupled the number of students receiving mental health counseling in school; while, at the same time, reduced the cost of services to the district by more than 50%. 

What is the Preferred Provider Model?

The Preferred Provider Model makes mental health counseling available and accessible in school via a community based human services agency.   The human services agency appoints licensed clinicians who are placed full-time in the public schools.  Counseling sessions are billed to Mass Health and other student health insurance plans, and only minimally funded through the local school budget.

Case Study: Shelly

Shelly is a 17-year-old female who is in the 11^th grade at Everett High School. She enjoys listening to music, spending time with her boyfriend, and participates in competitive cheerleading. She also works part time after school and is on track for a supervisor position at her part-time job. Last quarter, Shelly received all A’s in her classes and has a goal to attend college to pursue a career in forensics and criminal justice. She is entertaining, caring, intelligent, and a strong advocate for herself.

Shelly began working with a Preferred Provider Clinician at the start of the 2016-2017 school year as a 10^th grader. At the start of treatment, Shelly had been removed from her home and placed with her father because of aggression towards her grandmother. Before the start of the school year, Shelly had physically assaulted her grandmother and spent a brief time in the custody of the Department of Youth Services (DYS). Shelly reported that from a young age she had met with therapists intermittently for the physical abuse she sustained under the care of her mother.

Shelly also reported a long history of emotional abuse from her grandmother as well. She noted a history of suicidal ideation, self-injurious behaviors, and was hospitalized in the 8^th grade for attempting to overdose on Advil. Shelly had a limited knowledge of the impact of the trauma she had suffered at that time and struggled with low frustration tolerance, agitation, and difficulties managing her affect and modulating her behavior. Academically, Shelly was struggling to pass her classes and frequently got into verbal and sometimes physical altercations in school. Shelly met with her guidance counselor in school and requested to meet with a Preferred Provider Clinician as she was aware that her difficulties in managing her anger were negatively impacting her functioning. Shelly was motivated to make a change.

Upon intake, her clinician was impressed with Shelly’s ability to be open and honest with her behavioral and mental health concerns. Shelly advocated for weekly therapy in school, as she historically had been unable to consistently meet with clinicians, over transportation concerns and lack of motivation. She also requested referrals to be made for a Therapeutic Mentor (TM) and In Home Therapy (IHT). Once her clinician explained the Intensive Care Coordination (ICC) service to Shelly, she was motivated to participate in this as well. These services were available through the Children’s Behavioral Health Initiative (CBHI).  By the end of September 2016, Shelly and her mother were working with an ICC who helped the family connect with a TM and an IHT provider with an outside agency. Meeting with all providers weekly, she and her mother came together with the team once a month for care planning to coordinate care and to track progress on therapeutic goals.

Over the last year and a half, Shelly was able to graduate from Intensive Care Coordination and Therapeutic Mentoring services, and will soon be graduating from In Home Therapy as well. She continues to meet with the Preferred Provider Clinician on a biweekly basis in school for ongoing support. Shelly has shown significant improvement in her ability to manage her affect and modulate her behavior. Her self-esteem has improved, and she is incredibly self-aware and emotionally intelligent. She has learned the ways in which her past experiences with physical and emotional abuse have impacted her thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and has developed a number of helpful coping and self-regulation skills. Shelly is able to transfer the skills she learned in therapy to multiple settings in order to be more successful at home, work and school. She attends school daily and has no behavioral concerns with peers or adults in the building.

Currently, Shelly maintains a 3.7 GPA, which is a drastic improvement from her GPA of 1.4 last school year. Shelly reports no major struggles with symptoms related to depression, and no longer endorses passive suicidal ideation or struggles with thoughts of self-injurious behaviors. She has also worked very hard with her IHT clinician in family therapy to decrease arguments and fighting with her mother in the home and has no concerns with her grandmother at this time as well. Shelly is working on an application for the Gateway to College Program, as she hopes to earn college credit and raise her GPA to improve her chances of getting into a four-year school. Shelly has received a great deal of support and has dedicated just as much effort and hard work to change her life’s path. Shelly truly has a bright future ahead of her, and her Preferred Provider Clinician is confident that she will utilize her experiences in life and in treatment to make a positive impact on the lives of others.

As a student who would not qualify for special education services, Shelly would have been a student in need of ongoing clinical services and on a waiting list at a clinic in Everett. It is questionable whether or not she would ever have made it to an appointment.  Further, access to CBHI services would have been less likely if she were to receive only triage support in school.  This is one example of how the Preferred Provider Model is making a difference in the lives of children and young adults in the Everett Public Schools.

How do Children and Families Access the Preferred Provider Model?

Students and parents are connected with clinicians by school staff often as a part of a team process or in response to an untoward disciplinary, social-emotional or other situation.  When parents consent for services, consent is also provided for Preferred Provider Clinicians to communicate with school staff and release and receive information pertinent to the student’s success in school.

Are Counseling Services Provided in Student IEPs?

No.  The Preferred Provider model allows students to be seen in school more than or less than what is stated in an IEP service delivery grid.  It also provides services via the CBHI such as therapeutic mentoring and family counseling during the days and hours that school is not in session.  Counseling goals and objectives are developed with parents, students, and clinicians.  A statement is added to the additional information section of the IEP to inform school staff that services are provided by clinicians from the local human services agency.

How is the Preferred Provider Model Funded?

The largest portion of funding for the Preferred Provider Model comes from student health care plans.  The human services agency directly bills insurance companies for services rendered to students.  In cases where students have co-pays, no insurance, or insurance that does not cover mental health counseling, the district is billed an hourly rate.  The district also pays an annual fee per clinician for work that cannot be billed to insurance, such as professional development and benefits packages.

How Have Services and the Budget Been Impacted in the Everett Public Schools?

In Fiscal Year 2016, the Everett Public Schools paid $1.1 million in salaries and benefits to 10.0 FTE school employee clinicians and 1.0 FTE Clinical Supervisor.  In Fiscal Year 2016, the total number of students receiving counseling via the IEP was 101. The Everett Public Schools first implemented the Preferred Provider Model in September, 2016. In March of 2018, 12.0 FTE Preferred Provider clinicians are reported to serve 444 students at a total cost of $360 thousand dollars for the fiscal year.  The two-year savings of this model now exceeds $1 million.

A Comparison of Typical School Based Counseling Services

and the Preferred Provider School Based Counseling Model

For more information contact:

Michael R. Baldassarre, Ed.D.

Director of Special Education

Everett Public Schools

mbaldassarre@everett.k12.ma.us

617-394-2400

About the Author

Dr. Baldassarre is a lifelong educator with more than twenty years of experience working with children, young adults, and families.  Working in schools he has held the positions of Special Education Teacher, Principal, Director of Special Education, and Superintendent of Schools.  He is one of only 36 professionally registered instructors (worldwide) of Therapeutic Crisis Intervention for Families (TCIF), Therapeutic Crisis Intervention for the Developmentally Disabled (TCIDD), and Therapeutic Crisis Intervention for Schools (TCIS) by Cornell University’s Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Social Development from Buffalo State College; a Master of Education in Foundations of Education from Niagara University; a second Master of Education in Educational Administration from Niagara University; and a Doctoral Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.

Dr. Baldassarre currently serves the Everett Public Schools as Director of Special Education.  With more than 1,200 students educated under the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA), he has devoted his service to improving outcomes for children and young adults by addressing their social and emotional needs in school.   Because of his involvement in this endeavor, the Everett Public Schools now has more than 200 faculty and staff fully trained in Therapeutic Crisis Intervention for Schools and more than 400 students receiving mental health services while school is in session.

All articles below can be accessed through the following links:

www.parentcenterhub.org/buzz-feb2018-issue2/

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ED’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
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