WELCOME TO BRIDGES PLUS 2014!

Reading Plus is a guided, silent reading supplementary

program used during the academic year at Manhattan
Bridges High School and at other campuses in the NYCDOE.
Reading Plus helps Manhattan Bridges High School
students to increase their English vocabulary,
comprehension, endurance, memory, and silent reading
fluency. Using three components, combined with
monitoring and explicit small group instruction, Reading
Plus can improve their ability to systematically master
higher levels of text. To connect student and campus need
with program design, the 2014 Summer Program is referred
to as Bridges Plus.

Bridges students participate in a series of online, computer-
based sessions that included a specific, individualized
sequence of daily activities. The difficulty level of the
reading material adjusts as a function of a students
progress based upon reading comprehension and reading
rate analyses.

RP From the Students View

Students first complete a reading assessment (Insight) to
establish their initial placement level within the program.
This placement test assesses independent reading level,
rate, comprehension, and vocabulary to determine the
most appropriate practice starting level. The diagnostic
consists of three parts. Part I presents students with a
motivational survey. In Part II, several selections follow,
using sets of multileveled questions. Content difficulty
adjusts to a students comprehension and reading rate
mastery in order to gauge a tentative independent
reading level.

Part II also offers longer selections with diverse
comprehension questions to confirm the independent
reading level. Part III assesses a students vocabulary level.

From the three-part RP diagnostic, an instructional reading
level is established for each student, and each is placed at
appropriate levels of reading challenge within each RP
instructional component. As students participate in
supplementary silent reading, they receive continuous
feedback about their silent reading in an individual
computer-based, online environment.

I. iBalance: Scan and Flash
Each lesson begins with a perceptual accuracy and visual
efficiency warm-up known as iBalance. iBalance has two
parts, Scan and Flash. A scan is a sequence of closed and
open rings. In Flash, a trigram moves from top to bottom
and left to right to gauge accuracy of peripheral and center
vision. These warm-up activities aim to increase students
visual perception, attention, and automaticity in the
discrimination and recognition of print.


II. See Reader
Next, RP provides students with extensive structured silent
reading practice to build fluency within an authentic reading
experience where students read for meaning. During guided
silent reading sessions with timed, guided, left-to-right
reading practice, students read from a collection of
narrative and expository texts--at each students
independent instructional reading level.



Reading Plus monitors student performance using both
reading rate measures and responses to comprehension
questions. RP uses a mix of instructional formats and
scaffolds to further match individualized needs and rates of
progress. Students can progress through levels of reading
challenge based on several factors. Students must be able
to read passages at their current levels with grade-
appropriate rates and good comprehension before they
advance to subsequent levels.

Through See Reader, RP Chooses Diverse Reading
Selections That Align with Interests

RP offers approximately 600 reading selections ranging
from pre-primer to adult-level texts. Selections represent
narrative, expository, and informational texts through
varied genres and classified by varied interests. As students
progress through the levels, the texts read become
progressively longer and more challenging. The intent of the
guided silent reading lesson is to provide students with
authentic reading experiences that build comprehension,
fluency and stamina at a level of difficulty to accelerate
their progress.

Part III. Read Around
Vocabulary mastery is evaluated through cloze, picture,
words and visuals. After guided silent reading comes a
cloze-structured vocabulary component. The RP vocabulary
component uses structured contextual analysis activities to
help students develop their comprehension.

Interconnected practice modules, followed by integrated
formative assessments allow RP to make instructional
decisions that take note of student characteristics such as
age, reading level, performance, progress, and instructional
path.



RP PROGRAM DESIGN

Reading Plus is designed for use with whole class groups,
small student groups and with individual students. RP
Program time during summer equates to greater than 60
minutes per session with 3-5 sessions per week over the
course of 4 weeks.

Reading Plus websites include teacher manuals. These
complement both virtual and onsite Professional
Development, as detailed below.

RP TRAINING (FOR TEACHERS IN SUMMER)

RP instructor training requires between 4-8 hours.
Instructors receive two-part training that takes place via
face-to-face or live webinar. Instructors receive Initial
Training before they get started with Reading Plus
and Follow-Up Training once students have completed at
least 8 sessions in the program.

Initial Training covers content in 5 areas:

1) Why Reading Plus?: RP leverages technology to provide
students with scaffolded silent reading practice as well as
development in foundational visual perceptual skills for
silent reading.

2) Have Students Experience RP: Component RP programs
demonstrate what students will experience from their first
log-in.
3) Get Students Started: Hands-on training with the
Reading Plus teacher management interface
4) Motivate Students: Motivational tools built in the
Reading Plus system and what they do


5) Show Students How To Access Help: Students can access
orientation videos and a tour of the RP Help Site and its
resources.

Follow-Up Training helps teachers analyze detailed data
and introduces them to class-level and student-level reports
that gauge student growth within Reading Plus. Teacher
learn which reports to access for varied purposes, including
the best student reports to pull for specific information
regarding a students response to the intervention.
Teachers also learn how to analyze the data to determine
how they can adjust the program to best serve specific
student needs.


Training Materials

Reading Plus training manuals and materials are available
both in print and online--on demand. Online materials
include printable resources to provide instruction and
assistance with the program.


An Reading Plus staff member is dedicated to us to offer
support for the duration of RP implementation. We
supplement RP with individualized skills work, based on ELL
needs and best practicesscaffolding in Spanish when
needed. My Pre-Training and Post-Training data is also
attached-FYI. Many thanks, Camille Jones

Remote
7/10/14
ANNUAL SUPPORT: Sites receive remote
program monitoring, email and phone support.
Onsite
7/14/14
INITIAL TRAINING/PROGRAM LAUNCH:
Participants will receive an overview of the
Insight Assessment, intervention components
and monitoring abilities. In addition, they will
learn how to prepare their students for
implementation. Onsite administration of
Insight Assessments is modeled. Refresher
training is also available for teachers who have
previous RP experience.
EXPERIENTIAL TRAINING/COMPONENTS:
Student and teach will receive overview and
Rules of the Game for each intervention as well
as hands-on training for all RP components.
Onsite
7/23/14
MONITORING and MODIFICATIONS:
Participants will learn best practice for
monitoring and reviewing student and class
data. Teachers will also learn how to make
modifications, where necessary to improve
student performance.
INTERPRETING DATA AND SUPPLEMENTS:
Participants will learn how to most effectively
interpret data to improve and reward student
performance. Teachers will also learn how to
access and apply the use of offline supplements
for additional support and reinforcement.
Continued training in program modifications
will be provided.
SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION AND
MAINTENANCE: Participants will utilize
reports to evaluate usage and progress at the
student, class and site levels.