LHRIC/Pearson Partnership Helps Increase Literacy Levels in Mount Vernon Schools

Camille Di Salvo, a seventh-grade teacher at the Graham Elementary/Middle School in Mount Vernon, shown above, works with her students during an iLit session.

There’s a quiet transformation going on in the Mount Vernon School District that is taking teachers and administrators by surprise, a turnaround in student class participation and literacy levels that is truly making a difference in the lives of children who were once hesitant to read.

Five teachers in the Mount Vernon Schools who teach the fourth, seventh and ninth grades are currently using the tablet/Internet-based iLit (Inspire Literacy) program, which was developed by Pearson Education as a digital reading intervention solution for students who are at least two grades below their level.

The no-cost initiative, which is targeted to grades 4 through 10, is being made possible through a unique partnership with Pearson and the Lower Hudson Regional Information Center that serves as a qualitative/quantitative study and, as district administrators have described it, “a blueprint for the district’s future.”

iLit is one of the first programs of its kind, combining high interest/low functionality reading materials for struggling readers.

“Our teachers are so thrilled with it, they are telling us, please don’t take it away,” said Deputy Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jeff Gorman, referring to the changes that instructors are already seeing in their students’ attitudes and work.

The one-year study, which began in March, required a considerable amount of preparation before implementation, explained Director of Technology Joe McGrath. That included ensuring there were enough tablets for the project, enabling WIFI in all four schools, and providing tech support and training for teachers.

Approximately 120 iPads and other tablet devices are being used in the study. Students can access the program at home, either on their smart phones or on any computer with Internet access.

During a recent morning iLit session at the Graham Elementary/Middle School, seventh-grade teacher Camille DiSalvo started her lesson by talking about the importance of making logical inferences from a text.

Students are currently reading Trino’s Choice, a relevant book for teens because it deals with belonging and the issues of peer pressure, loneliness and family conflict.

In reference to the class novels, Ms. DiSalvo explained, “The high interest reading advances student engagement and promotes higher-order thinking. In turn, students are having meaningful academic discussions that are relevant to their lives.”

Each iLit class is structured according to a plan that the teacher follows. For the first 10 minutes of each class, students have the freedom to choose a novel of their choice or from the range of non-fiction articles that are included in the iLit program. Students are also given the opportunity to listen to the teacher read a book, in addition to engaging in classroom conversation based on guided prompts from the instructor.

Ms. DiSalvo, who has been teaching in the Graham School for the past year, said the iLit program has been very helpful to her students.

“Students feel accomplished when they set their own goals for independent reading, and they also like that they start the class getting settled into a book,” she noted.

Some of the benefits she has observed include the real-time personalized feedback that her students get with their writing as well as the scaffolded hints that allow them to rewrite their work without fear that they will do the wrong thing.

“The best thing about this core intervention program is that it gives my students a newfound independence and true ownership of their learning,” she added. “It also makes learning fun and exciting for both teacher and student, and most importantly, it holds students accountable for their learning.”

The iLit program, explains Dr. Gorman, also gives students the freedom to choose the books they are most interested in, but at differentiated lexile reading levels.

“A lot of the books in the program have engaging high quality pictures and other interactive features, but what’s important is that they make the students feel like they’re reading at a respectful grade level,” Dr. Gorman added.

That’s an important feature of the program, said Ms. DiSalvo, especially for students who are struggling with reading and may be embarrassed to take a book out of the library that is visibly not suitable for their age.

The secure assessment data that teachers and administrators in Mount Vernon have been able to access so far indicates that the students are now in fact reading above the lexile level for their particular grade.

“It’s just not a matter of looking at results, though,” noted Mr. McGrath. “It’s more about looking at the fidelity of the model.”

Dr. Gorman hopes the success of the study will inspire other teachers to try out the program in the future. Instructors like Ms. DiSalvo will be important to the success of such an initiative, he said.

“iLit is a game-changer,” said Ms. DiSalvo. “I’m so excited that Dr. Gorman brought this program to Mount Vernon, and I am beyond ecstatic to continue implementing it.”

“At the LHRIC, we are excited that the Mount Vernon administrative team took the initiative to conduct this much needed efficacy study, as it will serve as a model for other districts with struggling readers, “ said Dr. Madalyn Romano, coordinator of Instructional Technology at the LHRIC.

Two additional districts have signed up for the iLit program for the 2015/2016 school year.