Implementing institution: Nottinghamshire Local Authority
Country: United Kingdom
Source: Education Endowment Foundation
Execution period: 2012 - 2013
Plataforma de Prácticas Efectivas:
To achieve a functional reading for all students, closing the gaps in relation to the expected level.
Individual reading reinforcement sessions given by a trained tutor.
The overall impact of the program achieves an increase of 0.24 SD of students' reading abilities, with a greater impact (+0.39) for children with difficulties.
Switch-on Reading is a reading reinforcement program aimed at students below average levels. These are intensive (10 weeks) and individual sessions so that students can increase their phonological and oral capacity. The program was developed and implemented by the municipality of Nottinghamshire (Yorkshire) on the basis of Reading Recovery (RR) experience, initiated in the 1970s in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and England.
Switch-on Reading revisits the principles and methods of the RR program in order to carry out a more accurate assessment of its impacts. The learning goals of this methodology are related to: phonological awareness, visual perception and word recognition, fluent reading and comprehension of the text. For this, individual sessions are organized with children identified as “in difficulty” with a view to providing intensive and personalized support. For 10 weeks, a tutor is in charge of presenting the texts, defining a suitable work plan for the student and assisting him/her.
In the first instance, Switch-on Reading trains teachers in two-day sessions so that they can reappropriate the Switch-on methodology and principles. The training covers both theoretical knowledge and case studies based on the experience of the program. Then, in a second instance, children with reading difficulties are identified through their results in the national secondary reading test. Then, a 10-week calendar is drawn up with 20-minute sessions. In general, a session includes reading aloud, a discussion about the text (general visuals and story content), and recommendations to the child.
In England, the enrolment of children at elementary and secondary level covers almost the entire population of attendance age (99.85% and 98.28% respectively by 2014). Net participation rates have been growing since 2006, especially at the secondary level (+6 percentage points). However, the OECD’s PISA survey has highlighted a decline in reading literacy levels among part of the 15-year-old English population since 2011.
Between 2012 and 2013, Switch-on Reading was evaluated by a team from Durham University thanks to the sponsorship of the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). The evaluation focused on grade 9 children who have not passed the national reading test (“Level 4 English at KS2”). Attention was focused on teachers’ capacities, participants’ perceptions and the effectiveness of implementation.
A round of individual interviews with students and teachers was developed, as well as non-participating observations. The sample (314 students and 83 teachers) was segmented into two groups, only one received the intervention. The analysis in terms of reading skills was both longitudinal (following a student in time) and transversal (comparing students in the same time). Comparison of national reading test results between the intervention group and the control group revealed an increase of 0.24 SD for students participating in the program. This result is even higher for children with the greatest difficulties (+0.39).
Switch-on Reading costs are relatively high (£627 per student), yet it represents an effective solution for fighting reading gaps.
Impact of intervention:
Charts: Impact measured in standard deviations of the intervention group compared to the control group
Link: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/our-work/projects/switch-on-reading/
Report: Ver informe
Other documents:
Tags: