This is my 3rd year teaching Read 180 in the middle school.
I do like it, but I also like the centers-based classroom I
put together before doing Read 180. I don't think it's the
end-all of reading instruction and I also believe it takes a
strong teacher to do it well.
To me the strength in the Read 180 program is the small
group lesson. I pull in other materials and fudge the time--
finding it's better for me to get to a particular lesson
stopping point than to adhere to a strict 20 minute time
schedule. I used the rBook last semester but have pulled in
more supplementary materials this semester and also have
done test prep.
I like the software component. It differentiates for each
student and I was able to provide Spanish language support
for the students who needed it. The program has lots of
reports that let you know how the students are doing. The
kids are getting bored with it at this point of the year,
though.
The toughest aspect to the program is the independant
reading component. Obviously our kids don't like to read
and the fact that the teacher is tied down to a small group
makes it difficult to get them on task. I use a monitoring
sheet to hold them accountable. It works somewhat. I also
let the students do homework during this time. (They read
when they do homework and they generally stay on task this
way.)
Read 180 is a solid program and there will be growth. The
Scholastic model can be adapted and changed to fit the needs
of the students so the teacher won't be tied to a script. I
recommend it.
On 3/31/08, Jessica wrote:
> I'm looking for input on the Read 180 program by
Scholastic.
> I teach jr high and high school special education, mostly
> learning disabled students, and jr high remedial reading.
> The promotional information looks interesting and it is
> research based so it will work for our RTI. I mostly
> looking for personal experiences with this program. Thanks
> for your time.
> Jessica
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