Improve the Literacy Skills of Students with Half an Hour of Your Time
One of the greatest challenges facing local public schools is equipping students with the reading skills they will need to succeed academically.
In 2017, only 1/3 of Philadelphia third graders tested proficient in reading compared to nearly 2/3 of students throughout the state. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, national statistics show that 60% of fourth graders are not proficient readers. Grade level reading is a key indicator of a student’s likelihood of graduating from high school. Students who don’t read well by the end of third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school.
RSVP has partnered with United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey to recruit volunteers for Vello, a new Virtual Reading Program. United Way’s Vello program, presented by Wells Fargo, is an innovative one-on-one virtual guided reading program that pairs volunteer teams with 1st to 3rd classrooms in Philadelphia and Norristown. This virtual program helps children learn to read proficiently by 4th grade through weekly guided reading sessions with volunteers and by empowering teachers, parents and caregivers with literacy tools to support youth success.
Together, students and volunteers are able to read e-books using simple screen sharing and audio. Using a computer, tablet or smart phone with internet access, volunteers can meet weekly for a 30-minute guided reading session from anywhere, making the virtual meeting simple and convenient.
With many area schools closed indefinitely due to the Coronavirus outbreak, this valuable program allows children to continue to have access to books from home ensuring they continue to practice their reading skills. It is also a critical time for recruiting volunteers, as Vello currently offers guided reading in the classrooms but is actively working with schools to identify ways to match volunteers with students during school closures.
During the first several weeks of the program’s launch, RSVP volunteers added this 30-minute opportunity to their week in order to help local students read with more confidence. Typically, students learn to read by 3rd grade by decoding letters and words until they achieve fluency. By 4th grade, the educational focus is on reading to gather information and students are expected to apply their reading skills. If students haven’t mastered the learn-to-read phase, they will most likely lag behind. By allowing the student to read aloud, the volunteer provides a safe way of exploring sounds and words as well as a window to review what has just been read by asking: What does that mean? What do you think might happen next? Or Something like that happened to me once! Making connections and predictions helps stimulate curiosity so students become familiar with ideas, concepts and storylines.
Teachers have selected several books on the student’s grade level that each student can select from. Students can choose from 50,000 titles and have access to the library from home and during summer break.
“As the America Reads Program Coordinator at RSVP” said Marion Silver, “I was curious about online tutoring. I have had four sessions with the same 1st grade student. He picks the book he wants to read and we discuss what he thinks the book will be about, based on the title. Then he begins to read and I encourage him to sound out words. He is getting more comfortable with reading, with me, and with using the technology, so that’s a good start. I plan to stay with him until the end of the school year.”
Laurie Rosard, a volunteer and team recruitment captain at UW said, “we know there are lots of professionals, others in our community who are ready and willing to raise their hands to make a difference – but barriers like commuting and hectic schedules can make it nearly impossible to volunteer. Vello makes it easy!”
Not all students learn at the same pace and teachers struggle to cover large amounts of materials in a short amount of time. Volunteers play a crucial role in supporting teachers by coaching and encouraging students to read to develop fluency and comprehension skills. Studies show that a student who struggles with reading in 1st grade will have a 90% chance of struggling when they’re in 4th grade. This critical window can position students for long-term academic and career success.
There is more to reading than seeing a word on a page. Students must know the different sounds of spoken language and be able to connect those sounds to letters in order to decode and make meaning out of printed letters or words.
During Read Across America week, the Vello Program launched in seven elementary schools throughout Philadelphia and the suburbs. Gotwals Elementary School in Norristown was the first school to match virtual reading mentors with students. Employees from Arkema and Dow Chemical joined volunteer teams from RSVP, Main Line Chamber of Commerce, VIPKid, United Way and Women United to celebrate launch of the program by reading with students plus distributing over 500 books for children’s home libraries and resources for families. [link to photos: https://www.flickr.com/ photos/phillysjunited/albums/72157713372683761]
Ms. Jeanette Fernandez, Gotwals Elementary School principal boasted “I am so thankful for the volunteers and the business partners. We can only change a child’s life and provide them with the gift of reading if we work together. Our partnership means opening new doors and new windows to the world of literacy for children who otherwise will . not have this opportunity.”
To encourage reading over the coming summer months, a grant from United Way of Greater Philadelphia & Southern New Jersey will ensure that each student at Gotwals Elementary will receive five books for their home libraries. “Chris Major, Corporate Giving Officer at UW and local Team Lead of the Vello Program said “Beyond providing virtual volunteers, 21st century literacy tools, access to 50,000 e-book library to support youth success – United Way’s Impact Fund supports book distributions that include resources for families, like United Way 2-1-1 Help Line, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), and Comcast Internet Essentials. When we connect families to literacy supports and financial stability resources, we empower them to help their children thrive.”
Elementary schools in Philadelphia where the program is active include: B.B. Comegys, Henry A. Brown, James G. Blaine, John S. Jenks, Kennedy C. Crossan, John B. Kelly and Mary McLeod Bethune.
RSVP currently provides 50 virtual reading volunteers for classrooms in Philadelphia and Norristown but more volunteers are needed when schools are back in session. “This is a perfect opportunity for corporate employees who want to actively volunteer but can’t take the time to travel from work” said Michele Moll, RSVP’s Executive Director. “Any person who believes literacy is important can make a huge difference with just 30 minutes.”
For information on this program, contact Marguerite Cunning, RSVP’s Senior Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer123@rsvpmc.org or 610-834-1040 x.123. Visit www.rsvpmc. org/virtual-literacy.