The RITE Program

Each year RITE has grown in size and scope as the program continues to demonstrate its impact and effectiveness in training teachers to teach reading skills to the most at-risk children. This year, RITE enters its thirteenth year of operation serving as the core reading curriculum in 45 early childhood centers, elementary and intermediate schools in the Houston, North Forest, Kendleton, Spring and Aldine Independent School Districts. RITE is working with nearly 600 classrooms serving more than 12,000 children. Since its inception, the program has helped more than 100,000 children learn to read and succeed.

Teachers

The foundation of the RITE™ program is the classroom teacher.

In order for students to learn, teachers must have the skills and materials needed to meet the challenge of instructing at-risk children. RITE uses the scientifically based reading research direct instruction methodology of SRA/McGraw-Hill's Language for Learning, Reading Mastery, Horizons and Corrective Reading programs. The different program series combine oral language development, phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, oral reading and comprehension skills with a proven system for classroom management to teach reading proficiency to the most at-risk children in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. Each summer RITE conducts an intensive Summer Training Institute where teachers learn how to present the prescribed curriculum materials and effective techniques for classroom management. Following the Summer Institute, RITE trainers provide on-going weekly support and monitoring throughout the year in their assigned schools for a three year period. This unique feature of RITE ensures that teachers have sufficient support in the classroom and students receive intensive personal direct instruction in reading.

Students

Information gathered by a task force prior to establishing the RITE program showed the at-risk problem, defined as children reading below their grade level, to be monumental in size and pervasive in nature throughout Houston area schools. The nation's No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 placed a renewed emphasis on the importance of children learning to read. The Executive Summary of the Act states that nearly 70 percent of inner city fourth graders are unable to read at a basic level on national reading tests. To address this problem the Act clearly articulates the need for children to be able to read in early grades and the importance of early childhood reading instruction using SBRR methods. To combat the deficit for children in the later grades, the Corrective Reading program provides intensive intervention for students in third through sixth grade who are reading one or more years below grade level.

Demographic information for the RITE program shows that the overwhelming majority of the students are African-American and/or Hispanic. Data also shows that over 92 percent of the children in RITE schools qualify for a free or reduced lunch based on economic need. Children who are unable to read on grade level by third grade have a demonstrated history of being the most "at-risk" for failure and dropping out of school well before graduation.

Evaluation

Scientific measurement has been an integral component of the program from its inception. For many years, RITE contracted with The Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation and Statistics (TIMES) to conduct an external evaluation of the program's effectiveness. Results have consistently concluded that children who begin the RITE program early and who spend two or more years in the program outperform their schoolmates with less program experience, students who began the program later, and students who never participated in the program (comparison school students). These findings are consistent with previous external evaluations demonstrating the effectiveness of the program. Currently, RITE is utilizing norm-referenced, standardized tests' average reading scores to measure the success of the RITE reading program.

To evaluate our success in HISD and AISD schools, RITE obtains the total reading scores (SAT 10 and ITBS respectively) for the schools that RITE trainers are placed. The scores are analyzed on a year-to-year comparative basis. Beginning this year, Kendleton ISD's annual TAKS scores will be analyzed for program accountability purposes.

Our long-range goal is to begin monitoring each child who participated in the RITE program, tracking the child's progress from first grade through high schools graduation. The resulting data will enable RITE to assess the impact of our program on a child's long term ability to read at grade level and commitment to completing his education.

RITE also utilizes the expertise of its Education Advisory Board consisting of leaders in the field of reading instruction, assessment and research to monitor the direction and effectiveness of the program.