Additional Program Information

 

Developer and contact

Developed by the Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt University, the Orange County Literacy Project in Florida, and the development staff at Scholastic Inc., READ 180 is distributed by Scholastic Inc. In 1985, research by Dr. Ted Hasselbring led to the creation of the software prototype for READ 180.

Address: 577 Broadway, New York, NY 10012. Email: spuccerella@scholastic.com (Suzanne Puccerella, Director, READ 180). Web: http://www.scholastic.com/read180. Telephone: (212) 965-7441.

Scope of use

Scholastic published the READ 180 program in 1999. Since then, more than 10,000 classrooms in all 50 states have used READ 180.

Teaching

The READ 180 instructional model is 90 minutes long and is composed of three parts: whole-group direct instruction, small-group rotations, and whole-group wrap-up. The 90-minute instructional model begins with 20 minutes of whole-group direct instruction, in which the teacher provides instruction in reading, writing, and vocabulary to the entire class. This is followed by 20-minute rotations of smaller groups of students through three activities:

• small-group direct instruction, in which the teacher uses resource books and works closely with individual students
• students’ independent use of the READ 180 computer program to practice reading skills
• modeled and independent reading, in which students use READ 180 paperbacks or audiobooks

Finally, the session ends with a 10-minute wrap-up discussion with the whole group. The goal of the READ 180 software is to continually adjust the level of instruction based on student performance. Reports and periodic updates on student progress are intended to alert teachers to students’ needs and direct them to resources for individualizing instruction.

Cost

READ 180 pricing depends on implementation.