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Headsprout® Early Reading

Janet S. Twyman, Ph.D., BACB VP of Instructional Development, Research & Implementation

PaTTAN Pennsylvania Dept. of Education

Collaborative Project to Assess the Effects of

Headsprout Early Reading with ASD Learners

Goal: Pilot Headsprout Early Reading in the 25

CLM Year 3 classrooms, to determine effects on

oral reading rates across participants.

Partnering with Educators

Our Mission

Headsprout’s mission is to be a major force in

helping to eliminate illiteracy.

1 – 23

“Cracking the Code”

Constructing a Repertoire

  24 – 40

  “Reading Makes Sense”

  57-80

  “Reading for Meaning and Enjoyment”

  41-56

  “Accelerate and

Diversify”

  Across the 80 Episodes:

Decoding (Segmenting and Blending)

Comprehension (Auditory and Print)

“fan”

Oral Reading (Accuracy, Rate & Intonation)

An Enduring Legacy: Things We’ve Learned about Instruction

• The learner is always right.

• The program should be based on an intersection of research in the subject matter and research from our basic and instructional sciences.

• The program should focus on building a repertoire (not a series of unrelated skills).

• It should contain a high degree of interactivity, recognizing the active role of the learner.

• The program should have a balance between direct instruction and “discovery.”

• Instruction should immediately adapt to learner’s behavior.

• All facets of instruction should undergo rigorous “formative” analysis and modification.

• The program should withstand outside scrutiny, replication, and “summative” evaluation.

…and so many others

Thank you to…

Scientifically Based Reading Research

The Pilot Study

 Determine Mutual Interest

 Assess Technology Infrastructure

 Determine Protocols

 Provide Program Orientation/Virtual

Training

 Pre-Test Participants

 Use Headsprout

 Post-Test Participants

Pilot Study Parameters

Technology Requirements

 Use an Internet-connected computer, headphones, mouse Computer access during the semi-directed parts of the daily routine

 Conduct system test http//www.headsprout.com/detect/sysanalysis

 Determine a Schedule Two 15 minutes sessions daily

Study Protocol

Research Consent

Pre Test 3 DIBELS 1-minute Timings

Program Use High Fidelity of Implementation

Post Test 3 DIBELS 1-minute Timings

Survey

Orientation / Virtual Training

Conducted October 2008 PATTAN Harrisburg site;

broadcast across state, available online

 Program Overview

 Online Episodes

 Sprout Stories/Recording Story Data  Performance Reports

 Modifications for ASD Learners

 Study Protocol

 Ongoing Assistance

Determine who will…   oversee the online

lessons   listen to and record story

readings   enter benchmarks   review data and make

instructional decisions

Determine which students   5 per class   CLM semi-directed

Teachers were instructed to:

Typical Readiness Skills…

Thelearnercan:

  sitatacomputerfor5‐10minutes

  followsimplecommoninstruc5ons

  acceptfeedback(praiseorcorrec5on)andcon5nuewithtasks

  repeataspokenwordorphrase

  requesta=en5on/assistance

  Complete“MousingAround”

Adapting for Special Needs Working with ASD Learners

  Session Duration

  Additional Practice

  External Assistance

  Transfer to Print

  Sensory Sensitivity

  Accepting Feedback

  Non or Limited Vocal Verbal Repertoire

Three Guiding Principles

1. Complete several episodes a week

2. Speak out loud when this icon is on the screen

3. Read all 80 Sprout Stories while progressing through the program

Sprout Stories Mini-Books

 Provided by PATTAN

 80 “Leveled” Stories

  Provided at specific episodes

 Read by learner, to adult or other active listener

 12 require oral reading assessment (accuracy); Ensure transfer from screen to print & make instructional decisions

Performance Reports

Online Access

Types of Reports

Data-based Instructional Decisions

Who Sees the Headsprout Data

“Instructional Help Line” (email and telephone)

Empirical Outcome Measure

Dynamic Indicators of

Basic Early Literacy Skills

Available at http://dibels.uoregon.edu/

 Widely used

 Repeatedly calibrated

 Easily accessible

 Easy to use

 Free

Three 1-minute timings: Progress Monitoring Story 1:  The Ant Hill Progress Monitoring Story 10:  The Train Trip Progress Monitoring Story 20:  My Soccer Team

Outcome Evaluation: Pre- and Post-Tests

DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency (ORF)

  individually administered test of accuracy and fluency with connected text

  identifies children who may need additional instructional support

  monitors progress toward instructional goals.

  standardized set of passages…calibrated for the goal level of reading for each grade level

  student read a passage aloud for one minute to obtain the number of correct words per minute

https://dibels.uoregon.edu/measures/orf.php

DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency Assessment Integrity Checklist was not used

DIBELS Instructions

https://dibels.uoregon.edu/benchmark.php#3grade1

Oral Reading Fluency Target Rates

Findings

 48 teachers enrolled learners

 140 learners enrolled 12 learners did not access the program; 5 learners did not complete the first episode

Participant pool: 123 learners

 ASD learners enrolled in PATTAN programs

 96 Male, 27 Female

 Across ages, grades

Participants (Program Use Nov ‘08-May ’09)

 Target: 80 Episodes

 13 learners completed all 80 episodes

 Average: 34 episodes

 Median: 30 episodes (range 1-80)

Headsprout Data: Episode Completion

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

1 6 11 16 21 26 31 36 41 46 51 56 61 66 71 76

Nu

mb

er

of

Learn

ers

Episode Number

Placement of Learners in Program

Headsprout Data: Duration & Percent Correct

123

Learners Total

Duration Percent

Correct

Average 11 hours 87%

Median 10.5 hours 89%

Range (low) 30 mins.* 50%

Range (high) 30 hours 98%

* 1 episode

Benchmarks # (%) of Teachers

Noopportunity (not enough episodes completed) 4 (8%)

Didnotenter any 15 (31%) Entered at least 1 29 (60%)

Enteredat least half 26 (54%)

Entered all 10 (21%)

Headsprout Data: Benchmark Reading Assmt.

Average % Correct # Classes

90-99% 18 80-89% 3 70-79% 3 60-69% 2 50-59% 2 40-49% 1*

Below 40% 0

Headsprout Data: Benchmark Reading Assmt.

*1 learner

140 learners enrolled

123 learners completed at least 1 episode

 86 learners had data for all 3 pretest timings

 62 learners had data for all 3 posttest timings

 52 learners had data for both pre & posttests

 12 learners has all 0’s for all pre & posttests (non-vocal?)

DIBELS Data: Oral Reading Fluency

52 learners (program use; median pre/post) 12 learners had “zero medians” pre/post N = 40; Average change: 13 wpm gain

 37 learners showed ORF gains  Average: 14 wpmc gain

 Median: 7 wpmc gain

 Range: 1 – 62 wpmc gain

 2 learners showed no change

 1 learner showed ORF loss (-3 wpmc)

DIBELS: ORF Median Score - All Users

48 learners completed e40 and above 23 learners had pre/post scores 1 learner had “zero medians” pre/post N = 22; Average change: 19 wpm gain

 20 learners showed ORF gains

 Average: 21 wpmc gain

 Median: 18 wpmc gain

 Range: 3 – 62 wpmc gain

 1 learner showed no change

DIBELS: ORF Median Score – Half Program

48 learners completed e80 (entire program) 6 learners had pre/post scores 1 learner had “zero medians” pre/post N = 5

 All 5 learners showed ORF gains

 Average: 24 wpmc gain

 Median: 21 wpmc gain

 Range: 7 – 41 wpmc gain

DIBELS: ORF Median Score–All 80 Episodes

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

OR

F W

PM

C

Highest Episode Completed

Correlation: Episode Completion and ORF

Pre Test Post Test

All Scores n=87, 62

At Risk: 73 (39) Some Risk: 10

Low Risk: 4

At Risk: 43 (13) Some Risk: 8 Low Risk: 10

Both Pre/Post n=51

At Risk: 40 (20) Some Risk: 8 Low Risk: 3

At Risk: 36 (12) Some Risk: 5 Low Risk: 10

Half Program n=15

At Risk: 9 (3) Some Risk: 4 Low Risk: 2

At Risk: 6 (1) Some Risk: 3 Low Risk: 6

Full Program n=6

At Risk: 2 (1) Some Risk: 0 Low Risk: 4

At Risk: 1 (1) Some Risk: 1 Low Risk: 4

DIBELS Data: Oral Reading Fluency Risk Status

(# learners with median = 0)

 Better identification of learners who might benefit; oral language ability

 Understanding of barriers to implementation

 More “Hands On” initial training (required participation)

 Assessment/Assurance of program knowledge

 Ongoing implementation feedback/active support

Lessons Learned

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