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Accelerated Literacy

Contact

Perth
Suite 3, 41 Walters Drive, Osborne Park WA 6017
PO Box 1817, Osborne Park DC WA 6916
PH: 08 9441 1608
FAX: 08 9244 2786
Email: aicsperth@ais.wa.edu.au

Broome
PO Box 2373, Broome WA 6725
PH: 08 9193 6480
FAX: 08 9193 6484
Email: aicsbr@wn.com.au

History / Overview

The AIC Schools have been collectively involved in Accelerated Literacy (previously known as Scaffolding Literacy) since 2001, with 13 of the 14 schools currently using the methodology. Their participation in the Accelerated Literacy (AL) methodology followed one school’s involvement in a 1999 pilot. At the time the AIC Schools were looking for something that would turn around the poor literacy levels of their students.

Data

The AL methodology was embraced by the majority of the AIC Schools because of the compelling data that showed AIC Schools’ students’ individual reading levels improving two years or more, and sometimes as much as four year levels in one year.

Junior Primary (Years 1-3, or 6-8 year olds)

The longitudinal trend of the Junior Primary phase is positive and shows that there has been steady improvement in the students’ reading since 2001, when 100% were assessed as non-readers, progressing to 76% of those assessed being readers in 2009.

Middle and Upper Primary (Years 4-7, or 9-12 year olds)

Overall the longitudinal trend for Middle and Upper Primary students is positive and shows that there has been steady improvement since 2001. Over that period the proportion of Middle and Upper Primary readers has increased from 4% in 2001 to 93% in 2009.

Secondary (years 8-12, or 13 to 17 years old)

The overall results of the Secondary students are positive and show that there has been a steady improvement in the proportion of readers since 2001. Over that period, the proportion of Secondary readers has increased from 56% in 2001 to 97% in 2009.

The 2009 Accelerated Literacy performance report to the Commonwealth contains a detailed description of the project’s outcomes.

The AIC Schools AL Consultants made significant contributions to the development of the pedagogy, resources such as teaching notes and videos, and the development and delivery of professional development, which included participation of people from various education sectors across Australia.

National Accelerated Literacy Program

The AIC Schools had significant involvement with National Accelerated Literacy Program (NALP) through the AIC Schools’ Support Unit and the work of the AIC Schools’ AL Consultants. NALP was a Commonwealth funded initiative that aimed to tackle low literacy levels in remote communities around Australia, particularly Indigenous communities in the Northern Territory. NALP involved AIC Schools, Catholic schools in northern Western Australia, South Australia and one school in Queensland. The AIC Schools AL Consultants made significant contributions to the development of the pedagogy, resources such as teaching notes and videos, and the development and delivery of professional development, which included participation of people from various education sectors across Australia.

Accelerated Literacy Consultants’ Network

A spin-off from NALP has been the formation of an association known as the Accelerated Literacy Consultants’ Network, involving Accelerated Literacy providers from AIC Schools, South Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. One of the AIC Schools AL Consultants was pivotal in its formation. (Further information about the AL Consultants’ Network will be posted as it comes to our attention.)

PD Info

Carefully planned professional development sessions are provided for teachers to train in AL as well as developing further expertise in teaching literacy, complimenting and extending the AL training. There are workshops at the beginning of the year held in Fitzroy Crossing for the Kimberly schools and in Perth for the Pilbara and Southern schools.

All schools are invited to participate in PD hosted by AISWA in Broome at the start of second term. Here teachers continue their AL training as well as participating in other workshops and guest speaker sessions such as authors and leading education experts.

There is another PD opportunity for teachers in Perth during the mid year break. This is an extension to the previous PDs where areas such as grammar and analysing texts may be a focus, or an aspect of reading or writing development.

Support for Schools

There are up to five consultants who work with AIC schools across WA and these are regionally based. Consultants run PD workshops, centrally and in schools, and support teachers by: demonstrating lessons, observing lessons and providing feedback, assisting with assessment, writing teaching notes, and helping with planning and text selection.

AICS consultants have been active in producing teaching notes for the National Accelerated Literacy Project as well as being involved in teaching DVDs to support schools and these are also used in professional development workshops.

Some writing samples

Here are a few examples of some of the writing that students have produced as a result of being scaffolded in the Accelerated Literacy methodology.

Year 3 student

One summer day at home I was looking for an old hat. I had a very runny nose. It just couldn’t stop running.

I felt angry when I blow my nose. I stomped off to my bedroom and laid down on the bed. I looked around the room then got up and slammed the door.

Something funny was happening. Every time I blew my nose the snot went on the ground. When a girl walked there she fell over.

I had to admit it was true even though I couldn’t fell anything I had the slipperiest snot in the world.

Two days later at school I heard Tristan making a plan to kill a turtle. I had to stop them.

That night at the beach I was waiting for Tristan. Then I heard the water then I saw the turtle. I blew my nose on the sand incase Tristan came. Suddenly he came and slipped on the snot. He was stuck until tomorrow.

When Tristan got up he saw the sun rising. Tristan was stuck for days. Then the turtle went back in the water. She was safe.

Year 7 student

Resources

National Accelerated Literacy Program Website

For further info on Accelerated Literacy click here www.nalp.edu.au

Contacts

Perth Office:

Ruth Clothier (Accelerated Literacy Consultant)

Tel:          (08) 9441 1638
Email:      rclothier@ais.wa.edu.au
Fax:         (08) 9244 2786
Mob:        040 808 2400

Thea Knott (Accelerated Literacy Consultant)

Tel:          (08) 9441 1683
Email:      tknott@ais.wa.edu.au
Fax:         (08) 9244 2786
Mob:        045 784 3284

Broome Office:

TBC (Accelerated Literacy Consultant)

Tel:          (08) 9192 6622
Fax:         (08) 9193 6484
Email:      scaffoldinginbroome@westnet.com.au
Email:      nalpinbroome@westnet.com.au

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