L.A. Unified Pins Literacy Hopes on Computer Reading Program

Betting that technology can jump-start young students’ reading skills and raise test scores, the Los Angeles Unified School District is investing $44 million to install a new animated computer program in its lowest performing schools.

L.A. Unified administrators, who unveiled the system Thursday, believe that the Waterford Early Reading Program will give kindergartners and first-graders a much-needed boost as the district makes a concerted effort to improve reading instruction.

The Waterford computers will be installed in 244 of the lowest performing campuses in the 2001-02 school year--about 60% of district elementary schools. The system weaves the alphabet, phonics, rhymes and other skills into fanciful lessons, and feeds back regular student progress reports to teachers.

“We really are focused on improving the learning experience in the classroom,” Supt. Roy Romer said Thursday, introducing the new system at Aldama Elementary in Highland Park. “That ultimately is going to raise test scores.”

Waterford is a key piece of L.A. Unified’s drive to raise achievement levels among its youngest students.

The school district now requires elementary schools to devote at least 2 1/2 hours a day to reading instruction. Most of the district’s 427 elementary campuses are using a single heavily scripted reading program called Open Court. The idea is to standardize lessons that combine basic phonics skills with literature.

In addition, the district has hired hundreds of reading and math coaches to train teachers in Open Court and other new programs that reflect the state’s academic standards.

“This gives us a fighting chance to develop the levels of literacy we need in this district,” school board member David Tokofsky said during the Waterford unveiling Thursday.

The Waterford method is used by about 150,000 students at 1,600 schools in 40 states. The Los Angeles contract is the largest to date for the program. About 81,000 students will be served locally.

Still, there is only limited independent evidence to suggest that the program actually improves skills--partly because it is so new, just six years old.

One 1998 study from Rutgers University found that kindergartners in eight classes in Newark, N.J., who used the program over a school year outperformed students who did not.

Leading childhood literacy researchers believe that Waterford can be useful, especially for the vast numbers of students who are just learning English. The experts say the program can help young students master sound-letter relationships, a key stepping stone toward literacy and success in school.

“It certainly has promise in that it’s based on a good understanding of reading development,” said G. Reid Lyon, who heads reading research for the National Institutes of Health and is President Bush’s top reading advisor.

“It delivers the concepts in a good, vibrant way that captures children’s attention,” Lyon added.

In Los Angeles, district officials are placing three computers in each kindergarten and first-grade classroom at the 244 campuses, chosen for their low test scores and high numbers of students who are still learning English.

Aldama Elementary is one of the campuses. Nearly 90% of Aldama’s students speak English as their second language. Teachers at the school see Waterford as a powerful tool because of its ability to customize instruction.

For example, the computer repeats lessons for children who don’t grasp them the first time, using different visual techniques.

“If they aren’t getting rhymes, we can work on rhymes,” said Faye Yee, a kindergarten teacher. “It helps teachers evaluate which skills students have mastered and which they need to review.”

Yee’s students spent Thursday going through their paces as Romer and a phalanx of reporters descended on their classroom.

One by one, the students stepped up to the computers, adjusted headphones and started clicking the mouses. On the computer screens, the ABCs floated out of magician’s hats; animals chomped the outlines of letters. Children quietly sang the ABCs to themselves.

Romer knelt down and helped one boy pronounce the words “cake” and “can” as camera crews snapped pictures.

“It’s the Cadillac of all systems,” Romer proclaimed.

After the crowd thinned, Savannah Alvarado, 5, explained what she liked about the computers. “My favorite is the cats and dogs and rabbits,” she said. “Everything runs and jumps.”