How can we Ascertain the Effectiveness of a Literacy Intervention program Before Buying?
I often get asked questions that go along the lines of:
Where can I find proof that an online intervention program works? How does an intervention program monitor the progress of the student so that I, as a tutor, can demonstrate it is working well for my students? Teachers are under pressure to prove that the resources they want to purchase a) work and b) show student progress – both detailed and overall. With decreasing budgets and an ever increasing need to reach more individuals who are behind in literacy in a cost-effective way, this is becoming more and more important. So, do we have to try an online literacy intervention resource before we know if it is any good, or, are there useful questions we can ask first? Is the proof in the pudding or before the eating?
It could be argued, to some extent, that even with all the prior research, reports and proof in the world, flashing 5 stars and top marks, it is only once you start using a program will you know (for certain) if it is good for a particular student. People have different profiles and what works for one person might not work as well for another.
However, there are some key questions, aside ones on methodology approach, that tutors can ask ‘before the eating’. Here are four key questions that will help a tutor determine the effectiveness of a literacy intervention program:
Q 1: Can I have a demo of the program?
An online demonstration is a great way of checking a program out before buying. This is a quick and informative way of getting an overview of the design, what activities there are, how its monitoring and reporting system works, and helping you gauge if it would benefit your students. Some online literacy intervention programs may even offer a ‘try before you buy’ offer, so it is worth asking for a free trial.
Q2: Is there an Impact Report?
Teachers know that there is much more to progress than a percentile increase – lack of increase doesn’t mean no progress necessarily. Progress is measurable in different ways; but this is another discussion. An Impact Report is a very good way to read about researched effectiveness, so, it is a good idea to check if the literacy intervention program you wish to use has one.
A good Impact Report will highlight:
Q3: How does this intervention program help the tutor monitor work?
Monitoring means observing and checking the progress or quality of work over a period of time; keeping it under systematic review. Monitoring provides us with a way to report back to parents, schools and the individual on progress being made. It is also how we can be sure students are working at a level that is right for them. So, this is an extremely important question to ask.
In order to monitor we need the program to have a good system of checking, scoring and recording work, and these records need to be easy to evaluate for the tutor.
A good reading intervention program will have a ‘reading check’ process built in to the reading program through which the tutor can monitor work covered, record results and be happy that the student continues to work at the right level.
Does the program score activities? Does the student need to get enough right to move on? Are scores automatically recorded without the tutor having to keep their own paper records? We want an online program to ‘keep score’ and reset work as necessary for us as tutors. Time is short and the more the program can work in an automated way for us, the better. With this information available, monitoring should be easy.
Q4: How does the program report progress?
So, you have established the program records the student’s work, so now ask - will the program give me a progress report on each student, what specific information does it report on and how?
Ideally, a tutor needs to have as much information as possible in order to evaluate progress. Here’s a breakdown of what to look out for:
Does the program report on/provide?
• ‘Placement’ results
• Starting point on program
• All work completed to date
• Average scores for different literacy skills
• Date of activity completion
• Time taken on activities
• All sounds/words that are secure/not secure
• Visual overview summary
A visual overview could be, for example, a chart or graph that depicts progress graphically. This allows the tutor to see how the student is doing.
There is a reason why coloured bar charts are used extensively in the reporting world: they are a super easy way of visually communicating and understanding a quantity, at a glance.
With this information at the tutor’s fingertips, monitoring and evaluating students’ work and progress is easy, concrete, valuable and…dare I say it…fun.
If a student isn’t progressing well, then being able to examine their work and all this information is key to addressing problems and making necessary changes.
The good news is that with an online literacy intervention program all this information is easy to provide since the data can be captured, recorded and automated very easily.
So, the proof isn’t only in the pudding…
Questions can be asked prior to purchasing an intervention program in order to make sure we get a good one that is going to work for our students.
I have been talking about this subject from the tutor’s viewpoint, but
these questions are equally important to ask on behalf of the student. Being able to show a student their progress is so important, especially for that student who may have experienced continued failure. Seeing progress in a report, however slow or small, can really boost morale and it helps to demonstrate that they won’t be on the intervention forever – they’re working their way through the pudding and the eating is good!
Hannah MacLellan worked as a Dyslexia & Literacy Specialist at Dyslexia Action for many years and now works with the Units of Sound development team. She has considerable experience working with and providing advice, training and support to schools, colleges, community centers and parents. Units of Sound has a home version, Literacy that fits, which is designed to get parents/guardians supporting their child at home without all the training that is involved with most intervention tools used in schools.
I often get asked questions that go along the lines of:
Where can I find proof that an online intervention program works? How does an intervention program monitor the progress of the student so that I, as a tutor, can demonstrate it is working well for my students? Teachers are under pressure to prove that the resources they want to purchase a) work and b) show student progress – both detailed and overall. With decreasing budgets and an ever increasing need to reach more individuals who are behind in literacy in a cost-effective way, this is becoming more and more important. So, do we have to try an online literacy intervention resource before we know if it is any good, or, are there useful questions we can ask first? Is the proof in the pudding or before the eating?
It could be argued, to some extent, that even with all the prior research, reports and proof in the world, flashing 5 stars and top marks, it is only once you start using a program will you know (for certain) if it is good for a particular student. People have different profiles and what works for one person might not work as well for another.
However, there are some key questions, aside ones on methodology approach, that tutors can ask ‘before the eating’. Here are four key questions that will help a tutor determine the effectiveness of a literacy intervention program:
Q 1: Can I have a demo of the program?
An online demonstration is a great way of checking a program out before buying. This is a quick and informative way of getting an overview of the design, what activities there are, how its monitoring and reporting system works, and helping you gauge if it would benefit your students. Some online literacy intervention programs may even offer a ‘try before you buy’ offer, so it is worth asking for a free trial.
Q2: Is there an Impact Report?
Teachers know that there is much more to progress than a percentile increase – lack of increase doesn’t mean no progress necessarily. Progress is measurable in different ways; but this is another discussion. An Impact Report is a very good way to read about researched effectiveness, so, it is a good idea to check if the literacy intervention program you wish to use has one.
A good Impact Report will highlight:
- How the intervention program makes a difference to the lives of learners with low literacy.
- The main features of the program.
- Evidence showing the gains that have been made by individuals using the program who have experienced repeated failure in school.
Q3: How does this intervention program help the tutor monitor work?
Monitoring means observing and checking the progress or quality of work over a period of time; keeping it under systematic review. Monitoring provides us with a way to report back to parents, schools and the individual on progress being made. It is also how we can be sure students are working at a level that is right for them. So, this is an extremely important question to ask.
In order to monitor we need the program to have a good system of checking, scoring and recording work, and these records need to be easy to evaluate for the tutor.
A good reading intervention program will have a ‘reading check’ process built in to the reading program through which the tutor can monitor work covered, record results and be happy that the student continues to work at the right level.
Does the program score activities? Does the student need to get enough right to move on? Are scores automatically recorded without the tutor having to keep their own paper records? We want an online program to ‘keep score’ and reset work as necessary for us as tutors. Time is short and the more the program can work in an automated way for us, the better. With this information available, monitoring should be easy.
Q4: How does the program report progress?
So, you have established the program records the student’s work, so now ask - will the program give me a progress report on each student, what specific information does it report on and how?
Ideally, a tutor needs to have as much information as possible in order to evaluate progress. Here’s a breakdown of what to look out for:
Does the program report on/provide?
• ‘Placement’ results
• Starting point on program
• All work completed to date
• Average scores for different literacy skills
• Date of activity completion
• Time taken on activities
• All sounds/words that are secure/not secure
• Visual overview summary
A visual overview could be, for example, a chart or graph that depicts progress graphically. This allows the tutor to see how the student is doing.
There is a reason why coloured bar charts are used extensively in the reporting world: they are a super easy way of visually communicating and understanding a quantity, at a glance.
With this information at the tutor’s fingertips, monitoring and evaluating students’ work and progress is easy, concrete, valuable and…dare I say it…fun.
If a student isn’t progressing well, then being able to examine their work and all this information is key to addressing problems and making necessary changes.
The good news is that with an online literacy intervention program all this information is easy to provide since the data can be captured, recorded and automated very easily.
So, the proof isn’t only in the pudding…
Questions can be asked prior to purchasing an intervention program in order to make sure we get a good one that is going to work for our students.
I have been talking about this subject from the tutor’s viewpoint, but
these questions are equally important to ask on behalf of the student. Being able to show a student their progress is so important, especially for that student who may have experienced continued failure. Seeing progress in a report, however slow or small, can really boost morale and it helps to demonstrate that they won’t be on the intervention forever – they’re working their way through the pudding and the eating is good!
Hannah MacLellan worked as a Dyslexia & Literacy Specialist at Dyslexia Action for many years and now works with the Units of Sound development team. She has considerable experience working with and providing advice, training and support to schools, colleges, community centers and parents. Units of Sound has a home version, Literacy that fits, which is designed to get parents/guardians supporting their child at home without all the training that is involved with most intervention tools used in schools.
