READ 180 - America's Premier Reading Intervention Program

FAQ

About READ 180

What is READ 180?
How does READ 180 differ from other reading intervention programs?
Is READ 180 research-based?
What are the typical gains and benefits of READ 180?
What skills are developed using READ 180?
How do English-Language Learners benefit from READ 180?
Do Special Needs students benefit from READ 180?
How does READ 180 meet standards for language arts?
How does READ 180 help students prepare for state exams?

Instructional Model

What is the READ 180 Instructional Model?
How do you select students for READ 180?
What is the instructional purpose of the Audiobooks?
When is writing addressed during the Instructional Model?
How is vocabulary addressed in READ 180?
How is comprehension addressed/taught in READ 180?
How is fluency addressed/taught in READ 180?

Reporting and Assessment

What is SAM and what does it do for reporting and assessment?
How do I grade student performance?
What are the SRI tests and the Lexile Framework^®?
How often should students take the SRI test?
What does NCE stand for?

Professional Development

How do I begin teaching READ 180? Is there training available?

Purchasing and Support

Who do I contact to purchase READ 180?
How do I purchase materials from a different READ 180 stage?
How can I purchase additional materials to enhance my current READ 180 stage?
I am a current READ 180 customer, how do I convert to the Enterprise Edition?

About READ 180

What is READ 180?
READ 180 is a comprehensive reading intervention program designed to meet the needs of students in elementary through high school whose reading achievement is below the proficient level. These struggling readers have deficits in their understanding of the reading process and gaps in their foundational skills. READ 180 is built to address these gaps by directly addressing individual needs through instructional software, high-interest literature, and direct instruction in reading skills.

How does READ 180 differ from other reading intervention programs?
READ 180 differs from other reading programs because it is a complete program, offering skill development through balanced literacy. The program:

Delivers individualized, adjusted reading instruction to move students to grade level at their own pace.
Provides instant and continuous assessment.
Delivers comprehensive instruction in areas of phonemic and phonological awareness, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, spelling, and writing.
Provides background knowledge for building a mental model, leading to improved reading comprehension.
Supports and motivates students to become lifelong readers and learners by providing high-interest, leveled Paperbacks and on-level Audiobooks.
Includes comprehensive instructional materials and professional development to support teachers and train them in best teaching practices.

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Is READ 180 research-based?
READ 180 is one of the most thoroughly researched and documented reading intervention programs. It is built on more than a decade of scientifically based research and the collaboration of reading experts. Developed in clinical and classroom settings, the program is uniquely positioned to address the needs of struggling readers.

In addition to producing impressive and quantifiable gains on standardized tests, anecdotal reports from students and teachers also show significant improvements, as well as important changes in attitude toward reading and school.

Read the Research

What are the typical gains and benefits of READ 180?
With a collection of tools that enable accelerated growth, effectiveness reports show that READ 180 students consistently out-perform control group students, with achievement double or triple their control group counterparts. Additionally, data from schools across the country show that READ 180 students frequently improve their reading levels by 2-5 years.

Read the Research

What skills are developed using READ 180?
READ 180 targets skill development in the following areas:

Phonemic Awareness: Phonemic awareness is developed both in the context of decoding (word identification) and encoding (spelling).
Phonics: Instruction is provided through decoding tips with modeled practice in segmentation, blending, structural analysis, and correct pronunciation.
Fluency: READ 180 develops fluency through repeated reading in the Software, modeled reading in the Audiobooks, structured engagement techniques conducted by the teacher, and independent reading.
Text Comprehension:The Software and the rBook instruction uses motivating videos to help students build mental models that promote text comprehension.
Vocabulary: Vocabulary development is supported through explicit instruction in the rBooks as well as the systematic introduction of content-relevant vocabulary in the Software.
Spelling: Software presents spelling instruction and practice that is assessment-based and individualized for each student. Spelling errors are addressed with immediate, corrective feedback.
Writing: The rBook presents carefully scaffolded instruction on the key types of writing: narrative, descriptive, expository, and persuasive. Functional (technical) writing is also covered.

How do English-Language Learners (ELLs) benefit from READ 180?
READ 180 provides ELL students with proven strategies to quickly gain proficiency in the English language. The following tools are especially helpful to ELL students:

Mental model development through content-rich videos. Videos are summarized in Spanish, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Haitian Creole, and Hmong.
Grouping for differentiated instruction.
Leveled materials prevent students from becoming frustrated by materials that are too difficult or bored with content that is too easy.
Introduction of context-relevant vocabulary in the videos and translation of all key words in Spanish.
Analysis of the phonological/morphological structure of the English language.
Continuous opportunity for oral-reading practice, including making recordings for self-assessment.
Audiobook narration provides a model for fluent reading.
Parent letters in English, Spanish, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Haitian Creole, and Hmong.

Learn more about READ 180 and ELLs

Do Special Needs students benefit from READ 180?
Special Needs students are continuing to make excellent gains in READ 180. The program’s multimodal approach provides significant advantages for Special Needs students, mixing video software, Universal Access provisions, Audiobooks, and Paperbacks to ensure that all students, regardless of learning modality preference, are able to benefit. Special Needs teachers also attribute student success to short instructional segments and engaging materials that promote student attention, access to books with similar titles to what their peers are reading, and motivational support.

Learn more about READ 180 and Special Education

How does READ 180 meet standards for language arts?
READ 180 addresses key skills as outlined in national and state standards for language arts. To find out how READ 180 aligns to your state’s standards, click here to view our correlations reports.

How does READ 180 help students prepare for state exams?
READ 180 curriculum continually provides skill and drill reinforcement through exercises and tests. Students receive automatic feedback enabling them to understand their mistakes. This type of practice will be helpful for local and state exams. Additionally, reporting and assessment tools provide teacher and school officials access to informative and detailed reports on student progress on an ongoing basis. They can easily identify areas of deficiency well before annual state exams, providing ample opportunity for further instruction in problem areas.

Instructional Model

What is the READ 180 Instructional Model?
The READ 180 Instructional Model is based on a 90-minute block of time. The class begins with 20 minutes in Whole-Group Instruction. During this time, the teacher follows key instructional routines for reading, vocabulary, and writing as outlined in the Teacher’s Edition of the rBook. Next, students participate in three 20-minute rotations. These rotations are made up of independent reading time, where students choose Paperbacks or Audiobooks to read; Small-Group Instruction, where teachers provide individualized instruction and support and students work in their rBooks; and reading instruction via the READ 180 Software, where students are offered intensive and individualized practice on the computer. The remaining 10 minutes are used for Whole-Group Wrap-up Time.

Learn more about the READ 180 Instructional Model

How do you select students for READ 180?
Over 100,000 students across the country from different grades, ethnicities, education levels, and learning abilities are making strides in their reading using READ 180. Selecting students into the program is based on the schools’ needs and populations. However, Scholastic recommends that a school target their lower twenty-fifth percentile. For example, for districts using stanines, these would be your students with stanines of 1, 2, and 3.

What is the instructional purpose of the Audiobooks?
Audiobooks provide struggling readers access to grade level literature. Students are able to read materials that they would not normally be able to read without audio support. There are two voices on the Audiobooks: a narrator who models fluent reading while the student follows along in his or her copy of the book, and a reading coach who interjects at certain points to model comprehension, vocabulary, and other metacognitive reading strategies.

When is writing addressed during the Instructional Model?

Writing instruction is explicitly covered in the two teacher-led rotations of the Instructional Model: Whole-Group and Small-Group Instruction. The rBook scaffolds instruction for struggling writers through research-based techniques, including the use of graphic organizers, sentence starters, and writing frames. Through consistent use of these scaffolds, students are guided to internalize common organizational structures and conventions of writing.

How is vocabulary addressed in READ 180?

Students are exposed to a comprehensive range of high-utility academic vocabulary, as well as words specific to the content areas. Students complete a variety of vocabulary-based activities in their rBooks. Ten high-frequency academic vocabulary words are introduced and used throughout each rBook Workshop. Students receive instruction in word study skills, such as learning about antonyms and synonyms. Word Challenge activities in the rBook relate Target Words to students’ lives, promoting their application of word knowledge. Additionally, the Software contains a special section, called the Word Zone, where students receive systematic instruction in decoding and word recognition as they build automaticity. More than 6,000 words are defined and analyzed for study.

How is comprehension addressed/taught in READ 180?

Comprehension skills begin with the Anchor Video, where students watch a motivating video to gain background information and develop a mental model. Then, during the Small- and Whole-Group Instruction, each rBook Workshop focuses on a separate comprehension skill. Each Workshop contains three readings on one topic, with each one building on common vocabulary and comprehension skills. At the end of each lesson, students are assessed on their understanding of comprehension skills.

In the Software, the READ 180 adaptive algorithm matches students with reading passages with comprehension levels that are just right, and progresses them to slightly more difficult passages as their comprehension skills improve. Students can avail of the clickable definitions to confirm and correct their understanding of challenging vocabulary. At the end of each reading passage, students answer multiple-choice questions as a vocabulary and comprehension check, receiving immediate feedback about their answers. Research shows this carefully scaffolded approach maximizes rapid improvement in comprehension skills.

How is fluency addressed/taught in READ 180?

During the Reading Zone section of the READ 180 Software, students will repeatedly read one of four leveled passages with varying degrees of computer support. Students can read along with computer audio at self-selected speeds, either one word at a time or phrase by phrase.

Reporting and Assessment

What is SAM and what does it do for reporting and assessment?
The Scholastic Achievement Manager (SAM) is the dashboard for supporting data-driven instruction, AYP accountability requirements, and district-wide data aggregation for teachers, administrators, and technology coordinators. Within SAM, you can import and manage student information, drill down and navigate to information, and manage program settings and controls, such as turning on text captioning for a student or subset of students.

SAM’s powerful reports provide educators with the information they need for guiding critical decisions. At the district level, administrators are able to monitor Adequate Yearly Progress and allocate resources appropriately. In the classroom, teachers use the reports to diagnose student needs and locate resources for addressing them. There are over sixty actionable reports in SAM, with some specifically designed for teachers and others exclusively for administrators.

Reports provide educators with the data they need to allocate resources and differentiate instruction effectively. Teachers can also link directly from reports to standards-aligned instructional resources.

How do I grade student performance?
The program offers ample opportunity to assess and grade students. The best way to grade is by using a combination of criteria including:

Creating a participation sheet for each class in order to monitor students’ participation and on-task performance at each station. For example, students can earn 10 points at each station per day.
Evaluating students’ writing assignments and reading strategies work, as well as QuickWrites.
Grading projects found in the READ 180 Teacher’s Resource Book.
Checking reports on a weekly basis will allow for the Comprehension, Vocabulary, and Spelling scores to be fairly used as grades.
Using Reading Counts! quizzes for grades.

What are the SRI tests and the Lexile Framework?
Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) is a reading assessment test for Grades 1–12 that assesses students’ reading levels and helps teachers adjust instruction according to students’ needs, track students’ reading growth over time, and match readers to text.

The SRI tests use the Lexile Framework, a reading measure that matches students to text. The Lexile Framework places both reader and text on the same absolute scale, thereby providing a more accurate match between the two. This unique feature allows educators to more accurately match students to appropriately leveled text.

How often should students take the SRI test?
We recommend that students take the SRI test three times a year: the beginning, middle, and end of the year.

What does NCE stand for?
NCE stands for Normal Curve Equivalent. The NCE is a comparison of the student’s rate of progress to the norm, based on a national sample. For instance, a gain of 0 means the student is progressing at pace with the norm. If the number is negative, the student is progressing at a slower rate.

If a teacher wants the student’s NCE to appear on the report, then he or she needs to check it off when setting up the reports.

Professional Development

How do I begin teaching READ 180? Is there training available?
Scholastic will partner with your school or district to ensure that your staff have the skills they need to successfully implement READ 180, while learning the latest strategies for teaching reading. Scholastic provides two days of onsite In-service training sessions (one upfront, one follow up) free of charge with a purchase of READ 180 Enterprise Edition. Grounded in research-based and validated practices, these services allow teachers to learn and apply new strategies that directly influence student performance; principals and coaches to understand READ 180 assessment and management tools; and technology coordinators to receive training on READ 180 technical requirements.

Additionally, Scholastic offers the READ 180 Seminar Series to ensure that teachers receive ongoing, in-depth professional development designed specifically for READ 180. The series consists of eight half-day seminars that can be configured to meet the specific needs of your school or district. All seminars combine a research foundation with interactive activities designed to take teachers to the next level of success with READ 180. After six years of experience observing practices in READ 180 classrooms, we have identified the most critical areas for ongoing professional development.

In addition to in-service support, READ 180 also offers a Scholastic Red course designed expressly for the READ 180 teacher. This is an interactive, online course that ensures the implementation of best-teaching practices in an effectively managed READ 180 classroom.

Scholastic also offers additional support for teachers on the READ 180 Community Web site. Visit www.scholastic.com/read180/community for services including “Ask Noelle,” a resident READ 180 teacher expert; comprehensive answers to many of your technical and non-technical questions; and information on products and services. Additionally, you will find Message Boards where you can swap ideas, thoughts, and questions with other READ 180 teachers, learn about new products, download and print parent letters and READ 180 certificates, and learn how to build your own class home page.

Learn more about READ 180 Professional Development

Purchasing and Support

Who do I contact to purchase READ 180?
If you are interested in purchasing READ 180 or have questions, contact a regional Account Executive directly.

Contact Sales

How do I purchase materials from a different READ 180 stage?
Due to licensing issues, we are unable to sell READ 180 materials to a school that does not have a license for a specific stage. For example, a school that has purchased Stage A cannot purchase Stage B Paperback and Audiobook libraries without purchasing a Stage B license.

How can I purchase additional materials to enhance my current READ 180 stage?
Current READ 180 educators can now offer students more choice and additional instruction with our brand new READ 180 Literature & the Arts Topic Software. These new Topic CDs build on the program’s proven technology-based, data-driven Software. Additionally, your Level 1 and Level 2 readers can have more books to choose from, keeping them motivated, and making them better readers. Comprised of brand new fiction and nonfiction, the Fact & Fiction Collection includes 80 books per stage (5 copies each of 16 leveled books), a Teacher’s Guide, and an attractive storage case.

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I am a current READ 180 customer, how do I convert to the Enterprise Edition?
Current customers can purchase a conversion package that includes the new Program Software, the new Teacher System, replacement Audiobooks and Paperbacks, and one day of In-service/Professional Development (up to 20 participants).

Learn more about converting to Enterprise Edition

Contact READ 180 Sales | READ 180 Customer Service | READ 180 Technical Support