SUSTAINED SILENT READING

As with most educational interventions, longevity is difficult. Sometimes this is because we have discovered a more effective instructional approach for teaching the content. More often than not, however, the demise of a variety of interventions has more to do with sustainability. Maintaining interest, focus, and training are all keys to the success of any intervention.

Sustained Silent Reading is a classic case in point. The action research that we have undertaken at Perry Meridian Middle School supports Sustained Silent Reading as an effective approach to improving attitudes about reading, fostering student comprehension, and increasing English/Language Arts scores on ISTEP+ (see tables). The discontinuance of SSR and other interventions occurs when the school fails to purposefully sustain such programs with a clear vision, financial support, and on-going training. For long-term success with SSR, consider the following:

· Do your homework. Look at the data and understand the research related to SSR.

· Make a long-term commitment to SSR as an intervention. Administrative support is important. While consistent leadership helps, the reality is that leadership changes. Include SSR as an intervention strategy in your PL221/NCLB School Improvement Plan.

· Plan your work ___ then work the plan. Create an infrastructure that supports SSR as an intervention strategy. You will need to allow time to make it work. This can range from classroom teachers dedicating a portion of their class to SSR or building the time needed into the master schedule for SSR to occur school wide on a regular basis.

· Involve building educators. They are the ones who must buy in to a climate/culture that values reading. Create a diverse SSR/Literacy committee to organize and conduct needed training, address staff concerns, and devise an on-going implementation plan for the school. Include teacher trainings related to reading promotion, motivation, comprehension, and fluency strategies.

· Allocate resources. To do it correctly requires the necessary materials. Everyone needs books to read, classroom bookshelves, and a well-stocked school library. With a little ingenuity, you will find that SSR can be run effectively on any budget.

· Collect your own data. Measure the effectiveness of your SSR program. Revisit your initial commitment and make any necessary adjustments to SSR rather than simply dismissing the intervention.

· Stay the course and sustain the momentum. Build a school culture of reading. Annual staff training and re-commitment are necessary. Establish school traditions celebrating readers and reading.

ISTEP+ - English/Language Arts Grade 7
	Fall 2004 (Grade 7)			Fall 2005 (Grade 8)			ISTEP+ Pass
	Number of Students	Score Average	Minimum Pass Score	Number of Students	Score Average	Minimum Pass Score	Expected Growth	Actual Growth
Students Not in Group	476	508	497	503	528	516	+19	+20
Students in SSR Group	103	489	497	103	516	516	+19	+27

ISTEP+ - English/Language Arts Grade 8 G/T-Advanced
	Fall 2004 (Grade 8)				Fall 2005 (Grade 9)				ISTEP+
G/T – Advanced	Number of Students	Score Average	Minimum Pass Score	Minimum Pass+ Score	Number of Students	Score Average	Minimum Pass Score	Minimum Pass+ Score	Expected Growth (Pass/Pass+)	Actual Growth
Students Not in Group	114	575	516	611	114	601	521	643	+5 / +32	+26
Students in SSR Group	22	594	516	611	22	633	521	643	+5 / +32	+39