Digest

This podcast features an interview with Lindsay Jones, a speech-language pathologist, about her successful kindergarten reading intervention program. Lindsay details her program's development, driven by the need for a flexible and responsive approach to address diverse student needs in tier two interventions. Influenced by Julia Lindsay's research ("Reading Above the Fray"), the program prioritizes high-impact skills and short, intensive sessions. A multi-layered assessment process, combining standardized tests, phonemic awareness assessments, and teacher observations, identifies students requiring intervention. The tier two intervention involves small group sessions (2-3 students) focusing on blending, segmenting, and letter sounds using a multi-sensory approach. Ongoing assessment and progress monitoring inform decisions about student placement and intervention adjustments. The program boasts impressive results, with only 1-2% of kindergartners underperforming by year's end. Lindsay offers advice to teachers, stressing collaboration, data-driven decision-making, and implementing research-based best practices. Future refinements include earlier focus on phoneme-level skills and encoding, and a summer refresher program for first graders.

Outlines

00:00:00

Introduction: Early Intervention in Reading

The episode introduces the importance of early intervention for students' reading needs and previews an interview with Lindsay Jones, a speech-language pathologist specializing in kindergarten reading intervention.

00:00:05

Lindsay Jones's Journey into Reading Intervention

Lindsay shares her background as a speech-language pathologist and how her interest in early literacy led her to develop a targeted reading intervention program for kindergartners, emphasizing differentiated instruction and collaboration with teachers.

00:00:26

The Need for a Customized Intervention Program

Lindsay explains why she created her own intervention program instead of using existing ones, highlighting the importance of flexibility and responsiveness to individual student needs in tier two interventions.

00:06:54

Influence of Julia Lindsay's Work

Lindsay discusses the influence of Julia Lindsay's research ("Reading Above the Fray") on her intervention program, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing high-impact skills and maximizing short, intense intervention sessions.

00:09:29

Assessments and Data Collection

Lindsay details the multi-layered assessment process used to identify students needing intervention, combining standardized tests, phonemic awareness assessments, and teacher observations to create a comprehensive picture of each student's skills.

00:14:24

The Tier Two Intervention: Structure and Practice

Lindsay describes her tier two intervention, which involves small group sessions (2-3 students) two to three times a week for 15 minutes, focusing on blending, segmenting, and letter sounds using a multi-sensory approach with manipulatives and mirrors.

00:25:19

Assessment and Progress Monitoring

Lindsay explains the ongoing assessment and progress monitoring process, using data to make decisions about students' placement in tier one or tier two interventions and adjusting the intervention based on student progress.

00:27:40

Results and Program Refinements

Lindsay shares the impressive results of her intervention program, with only 1-2% of kindergartners underperforming by year's end. She discusses plans for future refinements, including earlier focus on phoneme-level skills and encoding, and a summer refresher program for first graders.

00:34:51

Advice for Teachers and Collaboration

Lindsay offers advice to teachers on strengthening early reading intervention, emphasizing collaboration with other professionals, data-driven decision-making, and implementing research-based best practices.

Keywords

Q&A

• What are the key components of Lindsay's successful early reading intervention program?

  The program uses a multi-sensory approach, focusing on blending, segmenting, and letter sounds. It's data-driven, with frequent progress monitoring and adjustments based on student needs. Collaboration with teachers is crucial.

• How does Lindsay's program address the wide range of skills in kindergarten students?

  A multi-layered assessment process identifies students needing intervention. The program is flexible, adapting to individual needs and skill gaps, with small group instruction tailored to specific areas of difficulty.

• What are the significant results of Lindsay's intervention program?

  A dramatic reduction in the number of underperforming kindergartners (1-2%), with students demonstrating mastery of key skills like blending, segmenting, and reading decodable books. First-grade teachers report a better-prepared student cohort.

• What advice does Lindsay offer to teachers wanting to improve their early reading intervention?

  Collaborate with other professionals, use data to guide decisions, and implement research-based best practices. Focus on specific student needs and provide targeted, effective instruction.

Show Notes