Chatsworth High School is a Read 180 model school. We receive visitors from all over the country to watch our students in action. If you are interested in visiting our school, please call your Scholastic representative to schedule a visitation.

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READ 180 is an intensive reading intervention program that helps educators confront the problem of adolescent illiteracy on multiple fronts, using technology, print, and professional development. READ 180 is proven to meet the needs of students whose reading achievement is below proficient level. The program directly addresses individual needs through adaptive and instructional software, high-interest literature, and direct instruction in reading, writing, and vocabulary skills.

 

SIX COMPONENTS OF SUCCESS

To truly succeed, a systematic program of reading intervention must incorporate six crucial elements.

1. Scientific Research Base

The scientific development of READ 180 began in 1985 when Dr. Ted Hasselbring of Vanderbilt University developed breakthrough software that used student performance data to individualize, adjust, and differentiate the path of reading instruction. Research continued through the 1990s as it was put to the test in Florida's Orange County public school system.

2. Proven Results

READ 180 is proven to work. Students who enter the program unable to read proficiently experience success and become readers. After ten years of research in association with Vanderbilt University and over six years in schools, READ 180 has brought significant gains in reading proficiency for the students who need it most.

3. Comprehensive Instruction

READ 180 includes a Teaching System that equips - and trains - educators to deliver effective reading, writing, and vocabulary instruction to struggling readers. Teachers receive a rich and engaging curriculum of skills instruction, point-of-use professional development, a variety of assessment tools, and reports that link to resources for differentiating instruction. The Teaching System makes it easy for teachers to cover essential skills while meeting individual needs.

4. Purposeful Assessment

Only READ 180 gives you the power to track and analyze student performance at every step. A variety of instruments accurately assess students to identify their most urgent needs, enabling the program and teachers to adjust instruction accordingly.

5. Data-Driven Instruction

READ 180 is the only program of its kind that uses assessment data so effectively to differentiate instruction. The READ 180 Software continually adjusts the level of instruction based on student performance. Actionable reports and periodic checkpoints alert teachers to students' needs and direct them to resources for individualizing instruction.

6. Professional Development

Scholastic has designed a comprehensive implementation training, an online course, and teaching materials that integrate professional development to provide educators with the background, teaching routines, and instructional support they need, when they need it.

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In the 2000-2001 school year, an independent research study of READ 180 was conducted in the Los Angeles Unified School District. The study reveals that READ 180 participants experienced significant gains; whereas the comparison group actually experienced a loss both in Reading and Language Arts. Using READ 180 helped the experimental group of students make significant progress in reading over the course of one school year.

Analysis of disaggregated data showed that 69% of the participants were noted as Limited English Proficient (LEP) or had been recently reclassified from LEP. The gains of these students were essentially identical to the entire READ 180 group.