R.E.A.D Program

[Stacey]

Hi,

My one year old Rapha is in the process of being registered as a therapy dog. He passed the first visit test and we have to finish up two more.

We are planning to starting a local R.E.A.D. Program at a small elementary school. I was wondering if any of you have experience with a READ program and if so if you could give me pointers.

In trying to write the proposal, I am trying to come up with an assessment survey to use at the beginning of the program and the end to determine if the program helped the kids. I was wondering if anyone has used a survey and if so what they included on it.

Thanks for any help.

[Catherine & Millie Eleanor]

could you get access to their standardized testing records? our school also does testing on Discovery Education, and some students do other reading programs on the computer. 

if not, you could simply have each child read aloud to you from something on their lexile/AR level and mark the errors. If you can find a passage with comprehension questions, that would be good, too. You should also time the children to see how long it takes them to read the passage you give them. Ask the SPED teachers at the school if they do/have the books for a program called "Reading Mastery"- it is full of passages with questions. You can probably get their AR level from the librarian or their classroom teacher. Ask for the IRL (independent reading level), NOT the ZPD.

You could also make a survey about their perceptions of reading- use emoticons for their ratings. :( :| :) :D

We want Millie to be a READ dog, but she is still a puppy! I am a librarian at an elementary school, and I think it would be a great program for my kids! Congrats on passing your first test!

[Kathy Janes]

All three of my dogs are R.E.A.D. dogs.  Once you join you will have access to lots of tools to help you demonstrate the value of the program.  Our therapy group (Paws and Think, Inc - local to Indianapolis area) is a R.E.A.D. affiliate and I love the program.  As an organization we organize things for our group and then volunteers can sign up for the venues they want to.  The library programs are always popular, but a real favorite is the R.E.A.D. program we have for inner city kids at their school.  This particular school is going to provide their own required test results for us to demonstrate the value of the program.  Good luck and have fun!