At St Francis de Sales we believe that every student should be supported and challenged to learn at their point of need, regardless of their age or level. Students do not have to be withdrawn from the classroom for this to occur, although at times, a different learning environment is the most appropriate option.
Teachers and Leaders at St Francis de Sales are continually assessing students’ understandings and analysing assessment data to gain insights into who needs what support to take the next step in their learning.
Teachers and Leaders regularly meet to analyse data to design learning maps for their students based on what students already know and understand and what they are ready to learn next. This enables teachers to target areas of concern and introduce concepts that students are ready to learn.
A number of interventions are offered at our school:
Reading Recovery
Reading Recovery is a highly effective short-term intervention of one-to-one tutoring for first-grade students who have trouble learning to read after one year of formal instruction and is used as a supplement to good classroom teaching. Children receive 30-minute daily lessons taught by a specially trained teacher in a supportive and encouraging environment.
Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI)
Leveled Literacy Intervention is a powerful, short-term intervention, that provides daily, intensive, small-group instruction, which supplements classroom literacy teaching. LLI turns struggling readers into successful readers with engaging leveled books and fast-paced, systematically designed lessons.
Enhancing Reading Intervention Knowledge (ERIK)
ERIK is intended for a select group of students who are reaching for extra improvement in years after Reading Recovery. ERIK was developed in 2005 by Dr. John Munro from the Faculty of Education, University of Melbourne, in association with the Catholic Education Office.
Working in small groups, students attend four ERIK sessions a week. The ERIK program focuses on either Phonological Awareness, Orthographic Processing or Comprehension, depending on which is the most pressing need of the student.