Strategies for Literacy Independence across the Curriculum (SLIC): Teaching Literacy to Struggling Adolescent Readers
Strategies for Literacy Independence across the Curriculum (SLIC)

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Strategies for Literacy Independence across the Curriculum (SLIC)
Around the Corner (ATC) is a program for both preschool and kindergarten students that enables teachers to show children how the world works for concepts that are not possible to illustrate in a classroom with actual objects. ATC includes computer activities and videos for children, and opportunities to view videos again at home (Home Links) provide the repeated experiences with language concepts and vocabulary that are necessary to language development. An additional component of the ATC intervention includes interactive, video-based professional development for teachers.
Success for All (SFA)
The Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) is a network of charter schools designed to transform and improve the educational opportunities available to low-income families. KIPP schools seek to actively engage students and parents in the educational process, expand the time and effort students devote to their studies, reinforce students' social competencies and positive behaviors, and dramatically improve their academic achievement. KIPP's "Five Pillars" distinguish its approach: high expectations for all students to reach high academic achievement, choice and commitment on the part of students, parents, and faculty to a public, college preparatory education, more time on learning, power to lead for school principals, and focus on results. KIPP schools typically serve grades 5 through 8, with some schools also offering elementary or high school grades. KIPP schools are designed to prepare students to enroll and succeed in college.
Higher Achievement is an intensive summer and after-school program that targets rising fifth and sixth graders from at-risk communities, aiming to strengthen their academic skills, attitudes, and behaviors, and help them navigate the process of applying to and selecting a high-quality high school. The program provides up to 650 hours of academic instruction per year, as well as enrichment activities and targeted academic mentoring. It includes two main components: the Afterschool Academy and the Summer Academy, both of which participating scholars are required to attend. The Afterschool Academy is offered three days a week during the school year, and includes homework help, dinner, arts or recreation electives, community gatherings, and small-group academic instruction using a structured curriculum. The Summer Academy operates for six weeks, five days a week, and includes four core classes focusing on academic concepts, as well as electives and field trips.
Drive to Write is a coaching and professional development program for teachers designed to improve student writing, specifically targeting ninth-grade students in Global History classes who will face a challenging writing component on an upcoming state exam. The program includes a writing skills syllabus, a skills-based rubric, customized technology tools such as Doctopus and Goobric, and coaching sessions to help teachers use data to inform instruction and provide actionable feedback to students. Teachers participate in professional development sessions and receive coaching support to help them implement the program's tools and strategies in their classrooms.
Diagnostic Assessment Tools (DAT) is a set of two interim assessments aligned to Indiana state standards and grade-level expectations, intended to help teachers monitor student learning and adjust their instruction to student needs during the school year. DAT consists of Wireless Generation's mCLASS for students in grades K-2 and CTB/McGraw-Hill's Acuity for students in grades 3-8. Both assessments are accompanied by progress monitoring tools, instructional tools, and online support systems that allow teachers to assess student performance on state standards and objectives and identify students performing at different achievement levels. Teachers at intervention schools received training to use these tools and support systems and were instructed to use them to monitor student progress and adjust instruction to student needs with the ultimate goal of improving student achievement.
Repeated reading is an academic practice that aims to increase oral reading fluency. It is intended to target students who have developed initial word reading skills but demonstrate inadequate reading fluency for their grade level. During repeated reading, a student sits in a quiet location with a teacher and reads a passage aloud at least three times. The teacher selects a passage of about 50 to 200 words in length. If the student misreads a word or hesitates for longer than 5 seconds, the teacher reads the word aloud, and the student repeats the word correctly. If the student requests help with a word, the teacher reads the word aloud or provides the definition. The student rereads the passage until he or she achieves a satisfactory fluency level.
A text message intervention that leverages regularly updated administrative data to provide students with personalized, data-informed updates on their FAFSA submission and completion status; encouragement to make use of school and community supports available for FAFSA filing; and the ability to write back for one-on-one, text-based assistance with FAFSA.
Building Assets, Reducing Risks (BARR) is a comprehensive, strength-based approach to education that aims to improve achievement for all students by improving a school's effectiveness at building relationships, leveraging real-time student data, and capitalizing on the strengths of each student. The BARR model includes eight strategies: (1) Focus on the Whole Student, (2) Provide Professional Development for Teachers, Counselors, Administrators, (3) Use BARR's I-Time Curriculum to Foster a Climate of Learning, (4) Create Cohorts of Students, (5) Hold Regular Meetings of the Cohort Teacher Teams, (6) Conduct Risk Review Meetings, (7) Engage Families in Student Learning, and (8) Engage Administrators. These strategies aim to improve student-teacher and teacher-teacher relationships, identify and address student challenges, and increase feelings of community and belonging among students.