Program information1
Developer and contact
Developed by the Center for Social Organization of Schools at The Johns Hopkins University, Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition® is distributed by the Success for All Foundation, Inc. Address: 200 W. Towsontown Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21204-5200. Email: sfainfo@successforall.org. Web: http://www.successforall.net/elementary/readingwings.htm. Telephone: (800) 548-4998 ext. 2372.
Scope of use
CIRC® was developed in 1983 by Bob Slavin and Nancy Madden. In 1985 CIRC® was used as part of a cooperative elementary whole-school model. The program was reformulated as Reading Roots (beginning readers) and Reading Wings (upper elementary), and is both a component of the Success for All comprehensive school reform model and a stand-alone reading program.
Teaching
The program uses daily 90-minute lessons to focus on story-related activities, direct instruction in reading comprehension, and integrated reading and language arts activities. In a team setting, pairs of mixed-ability students work together to read, discuss their reading to clarify unknown vocabulary, re-read for fluency, understand the main idea, comprehend stories, and work through the writing process (draft, revise, and edit each other's writing). Students are rewarded on the basis of the whole team's performance to provide motivation for peer work. Teams are rewarded based on the sum of team members' performance on these assessments, creating motivation for peer teaching.
Teacher training includes a two-day session that covers word structure and phonics, vocabulary development, fluency, and comprehension skills as well as program management and cooperative learning strategies. Technical support through telephone conference or on-site visits is also provided.
Cost
The cost of the program is approximately $150 per student for training and materials, depending on school size and number of schools participating together.
