The Title I Reading program in the state of Washington is a Federally funded program.  It is designed for the purpose of helping children in selected subjects; primarily reading and math.  Our district has chosen the focus to be in the subject area of reading.  This small group support is available at all three elementaries, Sakai, and Woodward.

• Our support reading program at Wilkes is designed to assist students in grades 1 - 4 who can benefit from additional small group instruction in the area of reading. 
• I meet with 9 groups each day for 30 minutes per group.  The group size varies from 5 - 6 students. 
• With our first grade groups we use the READ WELL reading program.  This is a direct instruction cirriculum designed by Marilyn Sprick, to be used primarily with 1st grades and/or beginning readers.  This is the third year that we have used this program at Wilkes, and we have seen a great deal of success with our first grade students.  It is also the primary program used within the classrooms, so the first grade students are receiving one hour of direct reading instruction in small groups each day. 
• With the other grades, 2nd - 4th, during our 30 minutes block of time we focus on: phonics instuction and review, reading strategies, oral and silent reading in  whole group and independently, and comprehension skills. These skills are taught and reviewed through the use of various basal readers, and leveled chapter books.  The students are assessed through the use of an "informal reading inventory", three times each year in order to track and document progress. 
• As the students reach grade level reading skills, or slightly above, they can be dismissed from the program.  Before this decision is made, I meet with the classroom teacher, and contact the parents in order to assure that we are all in agreement that this is the best move for the individual student. 
• Another avenue of reading support through our Title I programs at the elementary level is the Summer Reading Program. This is available for all the students in the Title I program, and is designed to provide ongoing reading practice throughout the summer months.  A letter is sent home in May for parents to request that their child participate in this program, and then the packets are sent home the last few days of school.  The students are usually very eager to begin reading the materials in their packets.  In the fall, when the materials are returned with the assignment logs (signed by a parent/guardian), we have a group celebration and the students are awarded with a gift certificate at a local bookstore towards the purchase of their own book.