Success For All

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Home : 2001 : November : 30

Success For All
By Sandi Hartman

I currently work in a SFA School and have been working in this school since the first year of implementation in August 1998. I work in the capacity of facilitator which means I'm responsible for all components and supporting
teachers with a successful implementation of the program. I assess all the kids and place them for reading instruction. I think Kimberly is more than a little confused about how the program works and should not respond negativly unless she is informed on the topic she is addressing.
I don't know the situation in your school district and the reason for adopting SFA, but I want you

to know that teacher buy in is a big key to the successful implementation of the program. The founders of the program know that if the teachers are forced to do the program it will be less effective. When my school considered taking the program we had to have 80% staff buy in. Did that happen in your district????? Because SFA is a comprehensive school reform package and has research to back it up, many federally funded districts are skipping this step.

In terms of grouping students, the criterion referenced assessments developed by SFA for Reading Roots students and the recommended SRI or Gates for Reading Wings students combined with teacher input, determine reading mastery and reading placement. I don't know what world Kimberly teaches in but in my world not all kids are reading grade level text. SFA's goal is to change that. They have a plan to get kids on grade level by the time they reach third grade. Starting with the Early Learning component, SFA starts in kindergarten building strong literacy skills (not readiness) so that by first grade students are already reading and writing or confidently prepared to embark upon reading with strong skills. First graders are the priority in this program because the philosophy is that we want beginning readers to succeed and succeed big the first time. Tutoring and Family Support prioritize first grade students, second graders, third graders and depending upon the resources available at you site upper grade students.

Students are placed for reading instruction one level above reading mastery. Those kids who are below grade level are prioritized for tutoring, targeted for intervention and place with the strongest reading teacher so that skills can be monitored and improved rapidly. I work at one of the two schools in my district who are implementing SFA and as we get transfer students enter our school this time of year and many first graders assess far below where my lowest group of students are being instructed. Usually in December I have to use a teacher and make a group for these kids alone so we can target their needs and get them caught up to the level of their peers.

I could talk and write forever about the benefits of SFA based on four years of experience running the program and seeing what it does for kids. I would be happy to address any specific questions you still have about the program based on what you already know. It is troubling for me when uniformed educators speak negatively to something without the facts. I wanted to address the comments of the previous writer and close by saying that implementing SFA is not going to be easy. You will have to change your way of teaching (depending on what type of reading teacher you currently are), and it will take work. SFA has a very strong support system built into everything they do. Consultant are only a phone call away to assist your school with ANYTHING you need. Educating children has nothing to do with luck so I won't wish you luck, I will simply say hold on tight becuase you are in store for a great opportunity.