San Antonio Youth LiteracyCampus Site Director Training

Program Goals

• To provide opportunities for guided reading practice with a caring individual

• To foster an enjoyment of reading

• To enhance motivation and self-esteem of at-risk children through the experience of reading

Early Beginnings

Developed the “Let’s Read” Program in 1999

Served 877 students in 65 sites during the 2013-2014 School Year

15 schools in NEISD, 6 in NISD, 1 in JISD, 3 in EISD, 4 Afterschool Sites and 47 in SAISD

A Little More Detail, Please?

• The SAYL Reading Buddy program provides one-on-one tutoring

• Our Reading Buddies are mostly community volunteers along with some corporate partners and service learning college students

• Tutors will work with the same students throughout the entire school year (barring service learning students who work with the same students for one whole semester)

• Reading Buddies commit to one hour per week in which they tutor with two students, thirty minutes per student

• All our Reading Buddies are required to pass your site’s background check and attend a one hour training that we provide

Site Director Responsibilities

• Communicate with Staff and Teachers

• Coordinate Days & Times for Students to be pulled (one full hour several days a week)

• Have a complete Student Priority Listing for you site (approx. 5 students per class)

• Provide a space for the Trunk & Reading Sessions

• Inform Program Staff of Field Trips, Testing Dates and Special Events as soon as you know

• Provide support to Reading Buddies throughout the year

Being A Point of Communication

• You are the main point of contact between our program and your school

• Please ensure that your campus (principals, teachers, front desk staff) are familiar with our program goals and objectives

• You are the first contact Reading Buddies have with a campus

• Please ensure you are available to meet the Reading Buddies at the front desk on their first day

• You will then show them to the reading trunk, the reading materials, help them find their students and show them their designated tutoring space

Being A Point of Communication Cont.

• Maintain communication with your school’s SAYL Program Staff

• We will continue to make monthly site visits to ensure the quality of the program

• We will provide feedback and look forward to your feedback as well

• If you have not heard from a Reading Buddy for more than two weeks notify us immediately

We also need you to coordinate an one hour window (or more)

several days a week that will work with your second grade team

The more flexible your second grade team is on days and times,

the more Reading Buddies we can match with your school

Coordinating Days and Time

How Do We Determine Reading Level

• First year using Fountas and Pinnell Reading Grade Level (RGL) scores

• Site Directors are responsible for pre-screening using 1st grade end of the year Fountas and Pinnell scores

• Students that are a good fit will be in the D-J range

• This data will be used to create a tentative Student Priority Listing in order for us to begin matching tutors to your campus

• Updated Fountas and Pinnell scores collected in October will replace the 1st grade scores

Creating a Student Priority List

After you have collected the 1st grade end of year Fountas & Pinnell data:

•Prioritize the students by placing those with the lowest reading scores at the top and the higher scores at the bottom

•Students that fit into the target D- J range will be on the list first

•Please list the A through C students at the very bottom of the list in a separate category, if SAYL can provide RB’s at this level we will let you know

Creating a Student Priority List Cont.

San Antonio Youth LiteracyHealy Murphy Center

Summer 2014

Student Name Grade Pre-Sort Tutor Name Tutoring Time/Day Sessions Hours Start Date End DateJonathan Solis 2 D Brenda Ryan 0Emily Lopez 2 H Sara Marple 0Terrance Scales 2 C Brenda Ryan/ Catherine Schneider 0

Total Students: 3 Total Hours 0Total VRTs: 3 Average # of Sessions#DIV/0!

Fill in appropriate information for each

student/tutor pair

As tutors start at your site, use the SPL to assign them their

students

Student Folders

All of the students on the SPL will need to have a student folder prepared and ready for the tutor

Fill in on the folder all of the appropriate information for that student

SAYL Reading Buddy Trunk

Trunks are at each site and are maintained by SAYL

Combination: 2-3-4

Guided Level Reading books A-N

Paperwork & Folders

Extension Activities

Best Practices for Site Director

• Notify your Reading Buddies ahead of time of any change’s in their student’s daily schedules - field trips, award ceremonies, or any testing dates that affect the tutoring session

• Be available to the Reading Buddies - if you are not available or are absent that day please arrange to have another staff person or volunteer available to assist

• Help the Reading Buddies troubleshoot any situations that may arise: o A locked trunko Tutoring space is occupiedo Student is not in usual pick up location

Best Practices for Site Directors

• Provide support: o Remember that tutors go out of their way to volunteer their time helping

the children of our communityo Please be friendly and courteous at all timeso Smile often and thank them for their commitment

• Provide Recognition: It is important that we do what we can to recognize volunteers

• Examples: Student letters to Reading Buddies, Appreciation Events, holiday cards

Frequently Asked Questions

• What do I do if a student moves or wishes to withdraw from the program?

o Contact the Program Staff assigned to your school and from there you both will decide which new student should be placed with the tutor

• If a Reading Buddy cancels are they allowed to make up their session?

o Yes – If the Reading Buddy contacts us first, we will ask you to discuss with the teachers an appropriate time to reschedule the session

• What if I have a student who needs reading help but is not in Second Grade?

o Our focus is on Second Grade but if all of your Second Grade students have been matched, we will place tutors with First and Third graders if there is a need

Next Steps …?

• Provide days and times students can be pulled by Friday, August 29

• Have Student Priority Listings completed and emailed to your Program Staff by Friday, September 6

• As volunteers are trained and approved through the background check process, we will start to contact you about their first tutoring session

• Please be prepared to try and meet with these volunteers on their first day in order to familiarize them (and yourself) with who they will be in contact throughout the year

Thank you!We could not do this without you!

CHRISTINA MARTINEZEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

MARY FLANNIGANDIRECTOR OF VOLUNTEERS & COMMUNICATIONS PARTNERSHIPS

COLTON POWELLPROGRAM MANAGER

ROBYN MYERSPROGRAM MANAGER

LAURA NYGAARDVOLUNTEER MANAGER

PAT MEDINAFUND DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR