The READ 180 instructional model allows for small-group instruction each day. During small-group instruction, you can closely monitor students' understanding and give immediate corrective feedback. Working in a small group also frees some students from the anxiety they often feel when speaking or reading before the entire class.

How to Group for READ 180 Small-Group Instruction

• First Six Weeks: As you get to know students, you may choose to group them according to SRI scores, personalities, or classroom management concerns.
• After Six Weeks: Consult reports, especially the Grouping Report: Comprehension Skills and Grouping Report: Phonics & Word Study. Results on these reports may suggest that you regroup students who have similar needs. If you prefer to group heterogeneously, consult the reports to increase your awareness of individual student's strengths and weaknesses.

Classroom Management for Grouping
Post student groupings in the room, so students can quickly see where they belong. Then you can easily give instructions, such as "Group A, please go to the Computer Station." If you change groups, update the posting and remind students to go to the appropriate station with their new group.

How Often Should I Change Groups?
You may wish to change groupings periodically based on reported student needs and on your continuing observations of students' behavior. A READ 180 teacher may choose to change group make-up every two weeks, every semester, or not at all, depending on individual preferences and classroom management considerations.

How Can Reports Help Inform Grouping?

• Skills-Based Grouping: The Grouping reports discussed above can help you set up groups of students who share similar skill strengths and weaknesses. Thus your group composition is based on the skills instruction that occurs during the small-group rotation.
• Ability-Based Groupings: Suppose you were planning to teach main idea to all groups during small-group instruction time. You could consult the Grouping Report: Comprehension Skills to find which students had very low scores for Finding the Main Idea. Then you could group these students together and present more modeling, guided practice, frequent check-ins, and so on, to those students who have demonstrated the greatest need.
• Heterogeneous Groups: Alternately, if you prefer to use heterogeneous groups, the reports can help assure you that each group has the desired range of abilities.