Reading Success and Improvement with LLI at Branksome Hall in Toronto
2009-2010
Introduction
The following report describes reading gains for students enrolled in the Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI) program at the Branksome Hall school during the 2009-2010 school year. Branksome Hall is a private, tuition based school for girls situated in Toronto, a large city located in Ontario, Canada. Branksome Hall serves approximately 261 kindergarten through sixth grade students. Out of the total student population, 8% are reportedly English Language Learners.
Data were collected from two teachers who agreed to submit individual data forms for their 30 students who participated in LLI at Branksome Hall during the 2009-2010 school year. The completed data forms were sent to the author of this report by the individual LLI teachers.
What Is Leveled Literacy Intervention?
LLI is a short-term, small-group, supplementary intervention developed by Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell. LLI is designed to serve struggling readers in grades K-2, although some schools or districts may use the intervention with older students (see Table 1). LLI is built around the text reading gradient designed by Fountas and Pinnell; this system designates leveled texts from A (the easiest texts) to Z (the most difficult).
LLI is described as a system because it includes reading, writing, and word study, each used together and systematically across increasingly difficult levels of texts. Three LLI systems currently exist:
- Orange, recommended for Kindergarten, levels A to C;
- Green, recommended for Grade 1, levels A to J; and
- Blue, recommended for Grade 2, levels C to N.
The K-2 LLI systems are designed to provide 14 to 20 weeks of daily, intensive extra reading lessons (beyond classroom service) that result in accelerated progress with flexible decision making about student entry and exit. Students enrolled in LLI participate in daily (five times per week), 30-minute literacy lessons taught by an LLI trained teacher. The recommended group size is three students at a time with one teacher to allow for close observation and differentiated response to student strengths and needs. Because of restrictions or limited resources, some school districts may alter these requirements but the goal of 1:3 and 5 lessons per week is highly recommended for the strongest outcomes.
The objective of LLI is to help students reduce the gap between their current instructional reading level and their expected instructional reading level.
The intended term of the intervention ranges from about 14 to 18 weeks after which time the students are released if approximate grade level expectations are met. At the end of this time period, students who have made progress but do not yet meet expected instructional reading levels for grade and time are re-evaluated. The evaluation may suggest more time in LLI lessons or an alternative intervention (such as individual tutoring). Students who have not received a full program of services and are in the intervention at the end of the school year may continue to receive service at the beginning of the next school year. Some students who are taken in to the intervention may have achievement levels more than a year below grade level. Though grade level performance may not be achieved in the short term, if resources allow for service to continue, steady progress may warrant longer term service.
LLI Teachers
Data were voluntarily reported on 30 LLI students taught by two learning strategies teachers at Branksome Hall. The LLI systems were new to both teachers and they both reportedly relied on the lesson guides, professional development tutorials and DVD examples of lessons that are provided within the LLI Systems to learn LLI.
Student Characteristics
Data were submitted for 30 kindergarten through third grade students. The majority of the students were reportedly White (see Table 2). Refer to Table 1 for a summary of the LLI student sample size by grade and refer to Table 2 for a summary of the student demographics.
Of the total group of LLI students, 6.7% (n = 2) had individualized education plans that mandated that they receive support for Reading and 16.7% (n = 5) of the LLI students had an IEP for other services which included support for writing, attention, and working memory.
Results – Reading Progress
Below is a summary of the reading progress of 30 students who received LLI during the 2009/2010 school year. Some of the data submitted by the LLI teachers contained missing or incomplete information. The reported results below exclude cases with missing data.
LLI Groups and Student Attendance
LLI was designed to be delivered in a group of three students with one teacher, five days per week; however, the delivery of LLI at Branksome Hall varied somewhat. Overall, each of the LLI groups was comprised of between two and three students (M = 2.9, SD = .3) and the groups met between three and four days a week (M = 3.9, SD =.5) for 30 minutes per session (see Table 4). Additionally, all of the LLI students received additional small group reading instruction in their classrooms (M = 1.7 lessons per week, SD = .3).
The LLI students who completed the full set of LLI sessions offered to them and for whom attendance information was available received LLI for an average of 18.5 weeks (range: 11-29, SD = 6.1) and they attended an average of 70.3 LLI lessons (range: 30-115, SD = 24.2) (see Table 4).
Reading Progress
The data were collected and reported for LLI students only. No control group was identified and assessed and therefore, the Branksome Hall School LLI student growth was compared to Fountas and Pinnell grade level criteria for satisfactory progress (see Table 3). Each student’s reading progress was determined by looking at their pre- and post- LLI instructional reading levels (ranging from Pre-A to Z) which are based on the Fountas and Pinnell leveled text system.
Obtaining Fountas and Pinnell Instructional Reading Levels
The F&P instructional reading levels were obtained through the teachers’ reports of their students’ instructional reading levels which were determined by administration of the Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System.Conversion to Time Equivalent (TE) Score
Once each child’s instructional level at entry and exit was obtained, the levels were converted to a Time Equivalent (TE) score which represents the number of months of school a typically progressing student is expected to have completed when they demonstrate the reading behaviors associated with each level according to Fountas and Pinnell guidelines. The TE scores represent the number of months the student was in school and are based on a ten month school year because children are not in school for two months of each year. If an instructional reading level is expected over more than one month, the TE score reflects the middle point of the expected band of ime that the particular level is expected (see Table 3). For example, level C is expected at months eight, nine, and ten during Kindergarten and the time equivalent for level C is month nine.Calculating Reading Gain
The difference between the entry and exit TE score reflects the gain (number of months of progress) the student made between entry and exit from LLI. For example, a student who enters LLI at level A and exits at level C has progressed from what is expected in the fourth month of Kindergarten to what is expected in the ninth month of Kindergarten and thus, the student’s reading gain is five months.
Overall, the LLI students progressed an average of 9.0 months (n = 30, SD = 4.5) from entry until exit from LLI. This growth was achieved during participation in LLI for an average of 18.5 weeks or just over four and a half months. At all grade levels, the LLI students moved forward at an accelerated pace when compared to typical reading progress over time according to Fountas and Pinnell guidelines (see Table 4 and Chart 1 below).
The instructional reading level gain for the LLI students is depicted in Chart 2 below. 66.6% of the LLI students demonstrated an instructional reading level at least three levels higher than their pre-LLI level and 23.3% raised their reading skills seven or more levels, which in all grades represents more than a year’s progress (see Chart 2).
Grade Level Attainment
The percentage of students who were below grade level or at or above grade level at entry and exit from LLI is depicted below (see Table 4 and Chart 3). Overall, 58.3% were at or within one text reading level of their expected instructional reading level when their LLI instruction ended (see Table 4 and Chart 3); and 68.2% were at or within two text reading levels of grade level expectation. These results indicate accelerated progress even if students only closely approached expected grade level reading.
Key Findings
- On average, the LLI students demonstrated reading progress over the span of time they participated in the intervention which is comparable to expected reading progress over 9.0 months during the school year. This progress was achieved during participation in LLI for an average of 18.5 weeks or just over four and a half months.
- Post-LLI, 66.6% of the LLI students demonstrated an instructional reading level at least three levels higher than their pre-LLI level and 23.3% raised their reading skills seven or more levels.
- Post-LLI, 53.3% of the LLI students were at or above their expected instructional reading level and 93.3% were at or within two text reading levels of grade level expectation.
Conclusions
Results of this evaluation indicate that as a group, the 30 Branksome Hall School struggling readers who received Leveled Literacy Intervention supplementary instruction demonstrated accelerated progress over the period they received LLI. Overall, the LLI students made almost twice the amount of reading progress, on average, when compared to typical reading progress over time (Fountas and Pinnell 10 month guidelines). In addition, more than half of the students made significant progress. Furthermore, post-LLI, more than half of the LLI students reached their expected instructional reading level and more than 90% were at or within two text reading levels of grade level expectation according to the Fountas and Pinnell guidelines (see Table 4).