Seeing Stars: Symbol Imagery for Phonological and Orthographic Processing in Reading and Spelling
Study: Bell, Worthington, et al. (n.d)
Summary
Lindamood-Bell collaborates with schools/districts using a Professional Learning Community model to customize a Response to Intervention (RtI) design to best meet the aggregate learning needs of all students. This program and its constituent components are based on ESSA Evidence-Based programs and substantive neuroscientific and applied research initiatives in public education. We accomplish this within the mandates of IDEA, state and local education policies. Each partnership is unique depending on existing school/district variables. Lindamood-Bell’s partnership and Professional Learning Community (PLC) philosophy is built around two main RtI concepts necessary to transform schools academically. First, instructional methodologies are based on a theory of cognition. This process-based cognitive approach stimulates specific brain-based skills including phonological and symbol imagery (orthographic processing), decoding, reading in context, and spelling. Long overlooked in the field of reading research, symbol imagery is an important function that can now be assessed and developed. These underlying cognitive processes must be developed (Tier I) and/or remediated (Tier II & III) for all students to maximize their learning potential and benefit from standards-based instruction, strategies, materials, and curricula. Thus Lindamood-Bell adheres to and promotes a paradigm shift in how to best meet the cognitive and language processing needs of students, integrating both process and content/standards-based instruction. The skills addressed are foundational to all curricula and they cut across all standards. Second, while Lindamood-Bell’s research-proven instructional practices are necessary, they are insufficient without simultaneously controlling for certain components or practices within the school system and/or culture in which they are to be implemented. To achieve large-scale and sustainable success, Lindamood-Bell collaborates with all levels of leadership, including the school board, district administration, and site-level leaders in evidence based practices. Lindamood-Bell’s approach is to work in a collaborative effort to address and improve the existing school framework, personnel, and practices all as applied to an RtI framework. Specifically, the main district and school leadership support components include sustained and embedded professional development, data analyses and accountability, differentiated instruction, leadership institutes, parent/community outreach, and a certification process for teachers. This model mirrors the conceptual framework of RtI.
- Target Grades:
- K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
- Target Populations:
-
- Students with disabilities only
- Students with learning disabilities
- English language learners
- Any student at risk for academic failure
- Other: Early childhood students needing to learn to read developmentally
- Area(s) of Focus:
-
- Print knowledge/awareness
- Alphabet knowledge
- Phonological awareness
- Early decoding abilities
- Other: Fluency and Contextual reading
- Other: Sightword recognition
- Phonological awareness
- Phonics/word study
- Comprehension
- Fluency
- Vocabulary
- Spelling
- Spelling
- Sentence construction
- Planning and revising
- Where to Obtain:
- Lindamood-Bell/Gander Publishing
- 416 Higuera Street San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
- (800) 233-1819
- lindamoodbell.com
- Initial Cost:
- $7,350.00 per 7 participants
- Replacement Cost:
- $7,350.00 per 7 participants per
-
Lindamood-Bell® Summary of Services and Fees (Average itemized breakout for full contract). Level 1: Lindamood-Bell® Professional Development Workshops (Starting at $7,350) Our organization provides the following Lindamood-Bell® Professional Development Workshops for district staff: One 13.5 hour Seeing Stars® workshop; and One 7 hour Introduction to Lindamood-Bell® School Partnerships workshop, which includes the initial RtI PD. The Seeing Stars® workshops will present the use of symbol imagery to stabilize phonemic awareness and help develop sight words, fluency and spelling. The Introduction to School Services workshop will provide a presentation of a model of language processing that unifies decoding, encoding, vocabulary and comprehension ability all within an RtI framework. The sensory-cognitive functions that affect development of decoding and comprehension skills are presented through research and case studies. Participants learn to identify students in need of remediation. Level 2: Job-embedded Professional Development (Starting at $7,000 per classroom): Lindamood-Bell provides job-embedded coaching, mentoring, collaborative meetings and asynchronous learning opportunities for all instructional staff. This support is differentiated based on the skill level of classroom and small-group teachers. A key component is to establish an organizational infrastructure that provides research-based intervention, body of- evidence services to comprehensively increase student achievement. Lindamood-Bell offers a web-based meeting module, Zoom®, for job-embedded professional development. To utilize Zoom®, equipment minimum requirements include: a) a computer with a 2.2 GHz Core 2Duo processor and 2 GB of memory, b) A webcam, c) A projector, d) speakers, e) microphone, f) 2x2 internet connection, and g) Administrator access to install program plug-in. Instructions on testing connectivity for Zoom® are available by request. Level 3: School Partnership (Starting at $26,000 per year) includes: Lindamood-Bell® Instructional Leader Development Lindamood-Bell’s Instructional Leader Development is a rigorous professional development plan designed to prepare key instructional leaders to provide instruction and maintain a high quality, integrated, accountability-driven program for schools, again, all within an RtI framework. Candidates participate in on-going mentoring—the primary function of Lindamood-Bell® consulting staff within the schools throughout the year—and advanced workshops and professional development activities. A school’s instructional leaders will go on to sustain the model in perpetuity. Leadership Institute: As part of the PLC partnership, Lindamood-Bell provides an in-service for district leaders prior to the start of the partnership. Leaders learn the framework for the PLC process-based educational model, the fundamentals of the instruction methodologies to be used, how to use data to determine differentiated instructional needs, and how to monitor classroom and small group instruction. Emphasis is placed on principals as instructional leaders with specific responsibilities in monitoring program quality and fidelity. A shared vision of program goals and expectations is developed by school/district leadership and clearly communicated to all constituents, including teachers and parents. Leaders learn all aspects of Lindamood-Bell’s Response to Intervention framework and how to effectively manage this framework school wide. INFORMS for Schools Orientation/Web-based data management Teachers and administrators receive instruction and access to Lindamood-Bell’s web-based data management system. This system includes an automated test-scoring module that generates individualized real time student reports, progress monitoring data, and attendance tracking. This is a critical tool for schools/districts, as it allows for the management of the learning needs of very large numbers of students, using nationally-normed diagnostic evaluations to comprise the “body of evidence” necessary in an Response to Intervention model. This web based system does not require the school/district to purchase any additional software or hardware. Access is included with Lindamood-Bell’s contract for services with the district. Test Administration Orientation and Support: Lindamood-Bell® staff will train school personnel in test administration for assessing student skill level in various components of reading and comprehension. Lindamood-Bell® staff will shadow and coach school personnel throughout the year to help manage the various stages of assessment, scoring and entering of data. Quality Control Visits and Meetings: Project oversight visits occur a minimum of two times a year to provide regular program monitoring, support, and review of key indicators as a part of a continuous plan for improvement. Data Analysis and Reporting; We understand the importance of accountability and decision-making based on data. We continually monitor and measure the efficacy of our services and programs through comprehensive data analyses. It is our goal to provide partners with timely data analyses and recommendations to maximize program quality, fidelity, and sustainability in the Lindamood-Bell® model. On a monthly basis, we report to site principals and to the district administration regarding the status and fidelity of the implementation. Throughout the year, we will also provide the district administration and school board with reporting and data analysis of pre and post-test results for all students participating in Lindamood-Bell® instruction. Tips for Home/Community Outreach: Lindamood-Bell provides mutually agreed upon events for the families of students, each semester, including our Tips for Home presentation, to increase community awareness and involvement in the targeted schools. These events are a critical component behind the success of the Professional Learning Community. Lindamood-Bell’s focus is professional development rather than direct instruction. All students in the school will benefit from the provided professional development; therefore Lindamood-Bell does not price our services per pupil. The sample fees may vary based on goals and objectives being met each year. The Professional Development design plan can be scaled-up and customized based on the need and size of the school. Additional Sample Fees for Materials ($15,000 per year): Instructional and testing materials must be purchased and received separately by the school. Instructional materials are available separately through Gander Educational Publishing® (800-554-1819) and testing materials are available separately through the various test publishers. Lindamood-Bell will provide a list of publishers and contact information for the school’s convenience.
- Staff Qualified to Administer Include:
-
- Special Education Teacher
- General Education Teacher
- Reading Specialist
- Math Specialist
- EL Specialist
- Interventionist
- Student Support Services Personnel (e.g., counselor, social worker, school psychologist, etc.)
- Paraprofessional
- Other:
- Training Requirements:
- 13.5 hours of initial training, then mentoring until program competency and delivery are met.
-
Our plan for professional development is job-embedded, evidence-based, and tailored to meet the desired goals of a particular school or school system. The backbone of this approach is the implementation of an RtI-based Professional Learning Community (PLC), in which educators can collaborate around a particular methodology or approach, review and discuss student data, share and problem solve issues related to classroom practice, and learn collectively from their own research and experience. A core component of this work is to review teacher and school-wide efforts to improve student learning, including sheltered instruction, specific interventions, and student support systems. Through the use of our pedagogy and programs, teachers learn to ‘speak the same language’ when comparing progress of students within or across curricula or content areas. Ultimately, this process informs the delivery of standards-based instructional strategies and content-based instruction as well as the overall school or district plan for ongoing professional development.
The PD model and programs were evaluated in a large, multicultural urban school district (Pueblo, CO, grades 3-5) comparing its Title 1 Schools to the state (see Sadoski, M. & Willson, V. (2006). Effects of theoretically based large-scale reading intervention in a multicultural urban school district. American Educational Research Journal, 43(1),137-154. https://doi.org/10.3102%2F00028312043001137.) Below is a more thorough description of the scope of implementation of our programs, demonstrating the use and in schools and private learning centers. Beyond the 55,000 plus students that have served in our intensive clinics since 1986, it should be noted that that number is significantly small in comparison to the number of students served through our professional development sectors, even just comparing the numbers over the last 3-6+ years. The majority of those students we have served, directly and indirectly, outside our learning centers in public education are as follows. We started partnering with schools in Alaska in 1992. Since 2014 via our School Partnership contracts, our Learning Center on Campus projects, and more recently our Coaching Initiatives and Imagery Language Connection initiative we have had a total of 577 contracts. In those 6 + years we have trained 6,765 teachers who have gone back to their respective educational environments using our programs. The conservative estimate of serving 20 students per class (RTI Tier 1) for those teachers trained in the programs means that the numbers of students being served through professional development is approximately 135,300 students in their regular educational settings in some fashion. From that 135,000, based on our analysis of the demographics in those actual schools, approximately 26% of the students that were served are minority students and 68% of those students are in Title I schools. Over the last 5 years approximately 88,000 thousand students in high poverty schools have received instruction in the programs. More specifically, regarding the delivery of our services in schools, of the 135,000 students served by teachers having received professional development, we have data on those students where the contract specifies that they are offered intensive instruction. Over the last 3 years 5,023 students have had, in their schools, customized intensive interventions in the programs. Over these same 3 years LBLP clinics have served 10,875 students. Ergo, students served intensively out of the 135,000 public education students served through our professional development offerings over the same period of time, we have half as many children intensively as we have served intensively in our clinics. As an aside, if we go back 13 years where we have a full composite of data from school districts on intensive students, we have addressed the needs of over 23 thousand students. Additional support for the effects on being able to process the phonetic structure of the English language using the Seeing Stars® program can be found in the trend analysis from Fort Smith, Arkansas. IStation testing is administered to all K-2 students in September, January and April of each year to measure progress in foundational reading skills. The graph included in Fort Smith Public Schools Report to the Public contrasts the number of students scoring in Tier 3 ("At Risk") and the number of students scoring in Tier 1 ("Grade Level") in overall Reading. Since beginning the Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes professional development program, using the Seeing Stars® Program, there has been a steady increase in the number of students scoring at Tier 1 and a decrease in the number of students scoring at Tier 3. Clearly, an increase in “phonics” knowledge contributes to these positive changes (Fort Smith Public Schools, 2019).
- Access to Technical Support:
- Level 1 - Following training in the introductory workshop, educators receive 12 months of access to online, on-demand training modules to review each step of the program. They also have access to instructional experts through email and phone support. Level 2 - Educators have a one-year subscription service with access to online, on-demand training modules to boost and refine their instructional skills. They also have access to monthly, live webinars with instruction experts, an online forum chat groups, and free and discounted instructional materials. Level 3 - Educators receive weekly or biweekly coaching for one to two semesters. Job-embedded coaching is provided primarily online, but may be made available in person. Educators also participate in monthly PLC sessions, and have access to On-demand, advanced training modules in the areas of assessment, differentiated instruction, and instructional fidelity. Level 4 - In a comprehensive, system-wide adoption, schools receive full-time coaching, project management, student testing, reporting, and community outreach. Educators have access to all On-demand training components, including an Instructional Leader development course. Administrators have access to an On-demand Leadership development course.
- Recommended Administration Formats Include:
-
- Individual students
- Small group of students
- Minimum Number of Minutes Per Session:
- 60
- Minimum Number of Sessions Per Week:
- 5
- Minimum Number of Weeks:
- 16
- Detailed Implementation Manual or Instructions Available:
- Yes
- Is Technology Required?
- No technology is required.
Program Information
Descriptive Information
Please provide a description of program, including intended use:
Lindamood-Bell collaborates with schools/districts using a Professional Learning Community model to customize a Response to Intervention (RtI) design to best meet the aggregate learning needs of all students. This program and its constituent components are based on ESSA Evidence-Based programs and substantive neuroscientific and applied research initiatives in public education. We accomplish this within the mandates of IDEA, state and local education policies. Each partnership is unique depending on existing school/district variables. Lindamood-Bell’s partnership and Professional Learning Community (PLC) philosophy is built around two main RtI concepts necessary to transform schools academically. First, instructional methodologies are based on a theory of cognition. This process-based cognitive approach stimulates specific brain-based skills including phonological and symbol imagery (orthographic processing), decoding, reading in context, and spelling. Long overlooked in the field of reading research, symbol imagery is an important function that can now be assessed and developed. These underlying cognitive processes must be developed (Tier I) and/or remediated (Tier II & III) for all students to maximize their learning potential and benefit from standards-based instruction, strategies, materials, and curricula. Thus Lindamood-Bell adheres to and promotes a paradigm shift in how to best meet the cognitive and language processing needs of students, integrating both process and content/standards-based instruction. The skills addressed are foundational to all curricula and they cut across all standards. Second, while Lindamood-Bell’s research-proven instructional practices are necessary, they are insufficient without simultaneously controlling for certain components or practices within the school system and/or culture in which they are to be implemented. To achieve large-scale and sustainable success, Lindamood-Bell collaborates with all levels of leadership, including the school board, district administration, and site-level leaders in evidence based practices. Lindamood-Bell’s approach is to work in a collaborative effort to address and improve the existing school framework, personnel, and practices all as applied to an RtI framework. Specifically, the main district and school leadership support components include sustained and embedded professional development, data analyses and accountability, differentiated instruction, leadership institutes, parent/community outreach, and a certification process for teachers. This model mirrors the conceptual framework of RtI.
The program is intended for use in the following age(s) and/or grade(s).
Age 3-5
Kindergarten
First grade
Second grade
Third grade
Fourth grade
Fifth grade
Sixth grade
Seventh grade
Eighth grade
Ninth grade
Tenth grade
Eleventh grade
Twelth grade
The program is intended for use with the following groups.
Students with learning disabilities
Students with intellectual disabilities
Students with emotional or behavioral disabilities
English language learners
Any student at risk for academic failure
Any student at risk for emotional and/or behavioral difficulties
Other
If other, please describe:
Early childhood students needing to learn to read developmentally
ACADEMIC INTERVENTION: Please indicate the academic area of focus.
Early Literacy
Alphabet knowledge
Phonological awareness
Phonological awarenessEarly writing
Early decoding abilities
Other
If other, please describe:
Fluency and Contextual reading
Language
Grammar
Syntax
Listening comprehension
Other
If other, please describe:
Sightword recognition
Reading
Phonics/word study
Comprehension
Fluency
Vocabulary
Spelling
Other
If other, please describe:
Mathematics
Concepts and/or word problems
Whole number arithmetic
Comprehensive: Includes computation/procedures, problem solving, and mathematical concepts
Algebra
Fractions, decimals (rational number)
Geometry and measurement
Other
If other, please describe:
Writing
Spelling
Sentence construction
Planning and revising
Other
If other, please describe:
BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION: Please indicate the behavior area of focus.
Externalizing Behavior
Verbal Threats
Property Destruction
Noncompliance
High Levels of Disengagement
Disruptive Behavior
Social Behavior (e.g., Peer interactions, Adult interactions)
Other
If other, please describe:
Internalizing Behavior
Anxiety
Social Difficulties (e.g., withdrawal)
School Phobia
Other
If other, please describe:
Acquisition and cost information
Where to obtain:
- Address
- 416 Higuera Street San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
- Phone Number
- (800) 233-1819
- Website
- lindamoodbell.com
Initial cost for implementing program:
- Cost
- $7350.00
- Unit of cost
- 7 participants
Replacement cost per unit for subsequent use:
- Cost
- $7350.00
- Unit of cost
- 7 participants
- Duration of license
Additional cost information:
Describe basic pricing plan and structure of the program. Also, provide information on what is included in the published program, as well as what is not included but required for implementation (e.g., computer and/or internet access)
Lindamood-Bell® Summary of Services and Fees (Average itemized breakout for full contract). Level 1: Lindamood-Bell® Professional Development Workshops (Starting at $7,350) Our organization provides the following Lindamood-Bell® Professional Development Workshops for district staff: One 13.5 hour Seeing Stars® workshop; and One 7 hour Introduction to Lindamood-Bell® School Partnerships workshop, which includes the initial RtI PD. The Seeing Stars® workshops will present the use of symbol imagery to stabilize phonemic awareness and help develop sight words, fluency and spelling. The Introduction to School Services workshop will provide a presentation of a model of language processing that unifies decoding, encoding, vocabulary and comprehension ability all within an RtI framework. The sensory-cognitive functions that affect development of decoding and comprehension skills are presented through research and case studies. Participants learn to identify students in need of remediation. Level 2: Job-embedded Professional Development (Starting at $7,000 per classroom): Lindamood-Bell provides job-embedded coaching, mentoring, collaborative meetings and asynchronous learning opportunities for all instructional staff. This support is differentiated based on the skill level of classroom and small-group teachers. A key component is to establish an organizational infrastructure that provides research-based intervention, body of- evidence services to comprehensively increase student achievement. Lindamood-Bell offers a web-based meeting module, Zoom®, for job-embedded professional development. To utilize Zoom®, equipment minimum requirements include: a) a computer with a 2.2 GHz Core 2Duo processor and 2 GB of memory, b) A webcam, c) A projector, d) speakers, e) microphone, f) 2x2 internet connection, and g) Administrator access to install program plug-in. Instructions on testing connectivity for Zoom® are available by request. Level 3: School Partnership (Starting at $26,000 per year) includes: Lindamood-Bell® Instructional Leader Development Lindamood-Bell’s Instructional Leader Development is a rigorous professional development plan designed to prepare key instructional leaders to provide instruction and maintain a high quality, integrated, accountability-driven program for schools, again, all within an RtI framework. Candidates participate in on-going mentoring—the primary function of Lindamood-Bell® consulting staff within the schools throughout the year—and advanced workshops and professional development activities. A school’s instructional leaders will go on to sustain the model in perpetuity. Leadership Institute: As part of the PLC partnership, Lindamood-Bell provides an in-service for district leaders prior to the start of the partnership. Leaders learn the framework for the PLC process-based educational model, the fundamentals of the instruction methodologies to be used, how to use data to determine differentiated instructional needs, and how to monitor classroom and small group instruction. Emphasis is placed on principals as instructional leaders with specific responsibilities in monitoring program quality and fidelity. A shared vision of program goals and expectations is developed by school/district leadership and clearly communicated to all constituents, including teachers and parents. Leaders learn all aspects of Lindamood-Bell’s Response to Intervention framework and how to effectively manage this framework school wide. INFORMS for Schools Orientation/Web-based data management Teachers and administrators receive instruction and access to Lindamood-Bell’s web-based data management system. This system includes an automated test-scoring module that generates individualized real time student reports, progress monitoring data, and attendance tracking. This is a critical tool for schools/districts, as it allows for the management of the learning needs of very large numbers of students, using nationally-normed diagnostic evaluations to comprise the “body of evidence” necessary in an Response to Intervention model. This web based system does not require the school/district to purchase any additional software or hardware. Access is included with Lindamood-Bell’s contract for services with the district. Test Administration Orientation and Support: Lindamood-Bell® staff will train school personnel in test administration for assessing student skill level in various components of reading and comprehension. Lindamood-Bell® staff will shadow and coach school personnel throughout the year to help manage the various stages of assessment, scoring and entering of data. Quality Control Visits and Meetings: Project oversight visits occur a minimum of two times a year to provide regular program monitoring, support, and review of key indicators as a part of a continuous plan for improvement. Data Analysis and Reporting; We understand the importance of accountability and decision-making based on data. We continually monitor and measure the efficacy of our services and programs through comprehensive data analyses. It is our goal to provide partners with timely data analyses and recommendations to maximize program quality, fidelity, and sustainability in the Lindamood-Bell® model. On a monthly basis, we report to site principals and to the district administration regarding the status and fidelity of the implementation. Throughout the year, we will also provide the district administration and school board with reporting and data analysis of pre and post-test results for all students participating in Lindamood-Bell® instruction. Tips for Home/Community Outreach: Lindamood-Bell provides mutually agreed upon events for the families of students, each semester, including our Tips for Home presentation, to increase community awareness and involvement in the targeted schools. These events are a critical component behind the success of the Professional Learning Community. Lindamood-Bell’s focus is professional development rather than direct instruction. All students in the school will benefit from the provided professional development; therefore Lindamood-Bell does not price our services per pupil. The sample fees may vary based on goals and objectives being met each year. The Professional Development design plan can be scaled-up and customized based on the need and size of the school. Additional Sample Fees for Materials ($15,000 per year): Instructional and testing materials must be purchased and received separately by the school. Instructional materials are available separately through Gander Educational Publishing® (800-554-1819) and testing materials are available separately through the various test publishers. Lindamood-Bell will provide a list of publishers and contact information for the school’s convenience.Program Specifications
Setting for which the program is designed.
Small group of students
BI ONLY: A classroom of students
If group-delivered, how many students compose a small group?
1-5Program administration time
- Minimum number of minutes per session
- 60
- Minimum number of sessions per week
- 5
- Minimum number of weeks
- 16
- If intervention program is intended to occur over less frequently than 60 minutes a week for approximately 8 weeks, justify the level of intensity:
Does the program include highly specified teacher manuals or step by step instructions for implementation?- Yes
BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION: Is the program affiliated with a broad school- or class-wide management program?-
If yes, please identify and describe the broader school- or class-wide management program: -
Does the program require technology? - No
-
If yes, what technology is required to implement your program? -
Computer or tablet
Internet connection
Other technology (please specify)
If your program requires additional technology not listed above, please describe the required technology and the extent to which it is combined with teacher small-group instruction/intervention:
Optional Technology – Instructional materials are available in digital format for online, synchronous instruction, if necessary. Instructors and students would need access to a computer and internet connection.
Training
- How many people are needed to implement the program ?
Is training for the instructor or interventionist required?- Yes
- If yes, is the necessary training free or at-cost?
- At-cost
Describe the time required for instructor or interventionist training:- 13.5 hours of initial training, then mentoring until program competency and delivery are met.
Describe the format and content of the instructor or interventionist training:- Our plan for professional development is job-embedded, evidence-based, and tailored to meet the desired goals of a particular school or school system. The backbone of this approach is the implementation of an RtI-based Professional Learning Community (PLC), in which educators can collaborate around a particular methodology or approach, review and discuss student data, share and problem solve issues related to classroom practice, and learn collectively from their own research and experience. A core component of this work is to review teacher and school-wide efforts to improve student learning, including sheltered instruction, specific interventions, and student support systems. Through the use of our pedagogy and programs, teachers learn to ‘speak the same language’ when comparing progress of students within or across curricula or content areas. Ultimately, this process informs the delivery of standards-based instructional strategies and content-based instruction as well as the overall school or district plan for ongoing professional development.
What types or professionals are qualified to administer your program?
General Education Teacher
Reading Specialist
Math Specialist
EL Specialist
Interventionist
Student Support Services Personnel (e.g., counselor, social worker, school psychologist, etc.)
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Therapist or Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA)
Paraprofessional
Other
If other, please describe:
- Does the program assume that the instructor or interventionist has expertise in a given area?
-
No
If yes, please describe:
Are training manuals and materials available?- Yes
-
Describe how the training manuals or materials were field-tested with the target population of instructors or interventionist and students: - The PD model and programs were evaluated in a large, multicultural urban school district (Pueblo, CO, grades 3-5) comparing its Title 1 Schools to the state (see Sadoski, M. & Willson, V. (2006). Effects of theoretically based large-scale reading intervention in a multicultural urban school district. American Educational Research Journal, 43(1),137-154. https://doi.org/10.3102%2F00028312043001137.) Below is a more thorough description of the scope of implementation of our programs, demonstrating the use and in schools and private learning centers. Beyond the 55,000 plus students that have served in our intensive clinics since 1986, it should be noted that that number is significantly small in comparison to the number of students served through our professional development sectors, even just comparing the numbers over the last 3-6+ years. The majority of those students we have served, directly and indirectly, outside our learning centers in public education are as follows. We started partnering with schools in Alaska in 1992. Since 2014 via our School Partnership contracts, our Learning Center on Campus projects, and more recently our Coaching Initiatives and Imagery Language Connection initiative we have had a total of 577 contracts. In those 6 + years we have trained 6,765 teachers who have gone back to their respective educational environments using our programs. The conservative estimate of serving 20 students per class (RTI Tier 1) for those teachers trained in the programs means that the numbers of students being served through professional development is approximately 135,300 students in their regular educational settings in some fashion. From that 135,000, based on our analysis of the demographics in those actual schools, approximately 26% of the students that were served are minority students and 68% of those students are in Title I schools. Over the last 5 years approximately 88,000 thousand students in high poverty schools have received instruction in the programs. More specifically, regarding the delivery of our services in schools, of the 135,000 students served by teachers having received professional development, we have data on those students where the contract specifies that they are offered intensive instruction. Over the last 3 years 5,023 students have had, in their schools, customized intensive interventions in the programs. Over these same 3 years LBLP clinics have served 10,875 students. Ergo, students served intensively out of the 135,000 public education students served through our professional development offerings over the same period of time, we have half as many children intensively as we have served intensively in our clinics. As an aside, if we go back 13 years where we have a full composite of data from school districts on intensive students, we have addressed the needs of over 23 thousand students. Additional support for the effects on being able to process the phonetic structure of the English language using the Seeing Stars® program can be found in the trend analysis from Fort Smith, Arkansas. IStation testing is administered to all K-2 students in September, January and April of each year to measure progress in foundational reading skills. The graph included in Fort Smith Public Schools Report to the Public contrasts the number of students scoring in Tier 3 ("At Risk") and the number of students scoring in Tier 1 ("Grade Level") in overall Reading. Since beginning the Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes professional development program, using the Seeing Stars® Program, there has been a steady increase in the number of students scoring at Tier 1 and a decrease in the number of students scoring at Tier 3. Clearly, an increase in “phonics” knowledge contributes to these positive changes (Fort Smith Public Schools, 2019).
Do you provide fidelity of implementation guidance such as a checklist for implementation in your manual?- Yes
-
Can practitioners obtain ongoing professional and technical support? -
Yes
If yes, please specify where/how practitioners can obtain support:
Level 1 - Following training in the introductory workshop, educators receive 12 months of access to online, on-demand training modules to review each step of the program. They also have access to instructional experts through email and phone support. Level 2 - Educators have a one-year subscription service with access to online, on-demand training modules to boost and refine their instructional skills. They also have access to monthly, live webinars with instruction experts, an online forum chat groups, and free and discounted instructional materials. Level 3 - Educators receive weekly or biweekly coaching for one to two semesters. Job-embedded coaching is provided primarily online, but may be made available in person. Educators also participate in monthly PLC sessions, and have access to On-demand, advanced training modules in the areas of assessment, differentiated instruction, and instructional fidelity. Level 4 - In a comprehensive, system-wide adoption, schools receive full-time coaching, project management, student testing, reporting, and community outreach. Educators have access to all On-demand training components, including an Instructional Leader development course. Administrators have access to an On-demand Leadership development course.
Summary of Evidence Base
- Please identify, to the best of your knowledge, all the research studies that have been conducted to date supporting the efficacy of your program, including studies currently or previously submitted to NCII for review. Please provide citations only (in APA format); do not include any descriptive information on these studies. NCII staff will also conduct a search to confirm that the list you provide is accurate.
-
Christodoulou, J. A., Cyr, A., Murtagh, J., Chang, P., Lin, J., Guarino, A. J. … Gabrieli, J. D. (2015). Impact of intensive summer reading intervention for children with reading disabilities and difficulties in early elementary school. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 50(2), 115-127. doi:10.1177/0022219415617163
Donnelly, P. M., Huber, E., & Yeatman, J. D. (2019). Intensive summer intervention drives linear growth of reading skill in struggling readers. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1900. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01900
Eden, G. F., Jones, K. M., Cappell, K., Gareau, L., Wood, F. B., Zeffiro, T. A., & Flowers, D. L. (2004). Neural changes following remediation in adult developmental dyslexia. Neuron, 44, 411-422. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2004.10.019
Huber, E., Donnelly, P. M., Rokem, A., & Yeatman, J. D. (2018). Rapid and widespread white matter plasticity during an intensive reading intervention. Nature Communications, 9, 2260. doi:10.1038/s41467-018-04627-5
Joo, S., Donnelly, P. M., & Yeatman, J. D. (2017). The causal relationship between dyslexia and motion perception reconsidered. Scientific Reports, 7, 4185. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-04471-5
Krafnick, A. J., Flowers, D. L., Napoliello, E. M., & Eden, G. F. (2011). Gray matter volume changes following reading intervention in dyslexic children. Neuroimage, 57, 733-741. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.10.0623)
https://www.nichd.nih.gov/sites/default/files/publications/pubs/nrp/Documents/report.pdf
Olulade, O. A., Napoliello, E. M., & Eden, G. F. (2013). Abnormal visual motion processing is not a cause of dyslexia. Neuron, 79(1), 180-190. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2013.05.002
Review of Seeing Stars by National Center for Intensive Intervention at American Institutes for Research Study: Bell, Hungerford, Flowers, Worthington, & Fitler (Tech. Rep-a) Improved decoding in poor readers following development of symbol imagery. https://charts.intensiveintervention.org/chart/academic-intervention-chart/13661
Review of Seeing Stars by National Center for Intensive Intervention at American Institutes for Research Study: Bell, Worthington, Hungerford, Fitler, & Flowers (Tech. Rep-b) Effect of Symbol Imagery Instruction in an RtI Model for Reading Remediation https://charts.intensiveintervention.org/chart/academic-intervention-chart/13662
Romeo, R. R., Christodoulou, J. A., Halverson, K. K., Murtagh, J., Cyr, A. B., Schimmel, C., …Chang, P. (2017). Socioeconomic status and reading disability: Neuroanatomy and plasticity in response to intervention. Cerebral Cortex, 28, 2297-2312. doi:10.1093/cercor/bhx131
Sadoski, M., & Paivio, A. (2001). Imagery and text: A dual coding theory of reading and writing. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Sadoski, M. & Willson, V. (2006). Effects of theoretically based large-scale reading intervention in a multicultural urban school district. American Educational Research Journal, 43(1),137-154. https://doi.org/10.3102%2F00028312043001137
Sadoski, M., McTigue, E., & Paivio, A. (2012). A dual coding theoretical model of decoding in reading: Subsuming the Laberge and Samuels model. Reading Psychology, 33(5), 465-496. https://doi.org/10.1080/02702711.2011.557330
Yeatman, J.D. & Huber, E. (2019, January 8). Sensitive periods for white matter plasticity and reading intervention. Preprint doi:10.1101/346759
Study Information
Study Citations
Bell, N., Worthington, P., Hungerford, D., Fitler, R. & Flowers, D. L. Effect of Symbol Imagery Instruction in an RtI Model for Reading Remediation. Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes. To obtain: Report available through contacting Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes.
Participants
- Describe how students were selected to participate in the study:
- Students in grades 2-6 from two comparable schools in the same school district were identified as “at risk” or “not proficient” based on test data.
- Describe how students were identified as being at risk for academic failure (AI) or as having emotional or behavioral difficulties (BI):
- Individual screening by AIMsweb identified at risk Grade 2 students; Star testing or state standards testing from the previous year identified at risk grade 3-6 students.
-
ACADEMIC INTERVENTION: What percentage of participants were at risk, as measured by one or more of the following criteria:
- below the 30th percentile on local or national norm, or
- identified disability related to the focus of the intervention?
- %
-
BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION: What percentage of participants were at risk, as measured by one or more of the following criteria:
- emotional disability label,
- placed in an alternative school/classroom,
- non-responsive to Tiers 1 and 2, or
- designation of severe problem behaviors on a validated scale or through observation?
- %
- Specify which condition is the submitted intervention:
- In the attached report, the treatment group is carried out at Fairmount Elementary School (FAIR) using the instructional program Seeing Stars®: Symbol Imagery for Phonemic Awareness, Sight Words and Spelling
- Specify which condition is the control condition:
- In the attached report, the control group is Anderson Elementary School (ANDER).
- If you have a third, competing condition, in addition to your control and intervention condition, identify what the competing condition is (data from this competing condition will not be used):
Using the tables that follow, provide data demonstrating comparability of the program group and control group in terms of demographics.
Grade Level
Demographic | Program Number |
Control Number |
Effect Size: Cox Index for Binary Differences |
---|---|---|---|
Age less than 1 | |||
Age 1 | |||
Age 2 | |||
Age 3 | |||
Age 4 | |||
Age 5 | |||
Kindergarten | |||
Grade 1 | 0.0% | 2.3% | 1.83 |
Grade 2 | 10.2% | 19.5% | 0.49 |
Grade 3 | 10.2% | 12.6% | 0.18 |
Grade 4 | 5.5% | 9.2% | 0.27 |
Grade 5 | 10.2% | 20.7% | 0.53 |
Grade 6 | 9.4% | 10.3% | 0.07 |
Grade 7 | |||
Grade 8 | |||
Grade 9 | |||
Grade 10 | |||
Grade 11 | |||
Grade 12 |
Race–Ethnicity
Demographic | Program Number |
Control Number |
Effect Size: Cox Index for Binary Differences |
---|---|---|---|
African American | 0.0% | 6.9% | 2.62 |
American Indian | |||
Asian/Pacific Islander | |||
Hispanic | |||
White | 46.5% | 67.8% | 0.55 |
Other |
Socioeconomic Status
Demographic | Program Number |
Control Number |
Effect Size: Cox Index for Binary Differences |
---|---|---|---|
Subsidized Lunch | 41.7% | 63.2% | 0.52 |
No Subsidized Lunch | 4.7% | 11.5% | 0.52 |
Disability Status
Demographic | Program Number |
Control Number |
Effect Size: Cox Index for Binary Differences |
---|---|---|---|
Speech-Language Impairments | |||
Learning Disabilities | |||
Behavior Disorders | |||
Emotional Disturbance | |||
Intellectual Disabilities | |||
Other | |||
Not Identified With a Disability |
ELL Status
Demographic | Program Number |
Control Number |
Effect Size: Cox Index for Binary Differences |
---|---|---|---|
English Language Learner | 0.0% | 1.1% | 1.40 |
Not English Language Learner | 46.5% | 73.6% | 0.73 |
Gender
Demographic | Program Number |
Control Number |
Effect Size: Cox Index for Binary Differences |
---|---|---|---|
Female | 21.3% | 37.9% | 0.51 |
Male | 25.2% | 36.8% | 0.34 |
Mean Effect Size
For any substantively (e.g., effect size ≥ 0.25 for pretest or demographic differences) or statistically significant (e.g., p < 0.05) pretest differences between groups in the descriptions below, please describe the extent to which these differences are related to the impact of the treatment. For example, if analyses were conducted to determine that outcomes from this study are due to the intervention and not demographic characteristics, please describe the results of those analyses here.
Design
- What method was used to determine students' placement in treatment/control groups?
- Systematic
- Please describe the assignment method or the process for defining treatment/comparison groups.
- Students in grades 2-6 from two comparable schools in the same school district were identified as “at risk” or “not proficient” based on individual screening (AIMsweb or Star) or state standards testing from the previous year (for grades 3-6). All students were administered a battery of reading and oral language tests in the fall and spring. In the program school, students were placed in small groups of 2-5 (mean 4.6), matched for severity of deficit. Small group instruction was 90 min/day, five days/week throughout the school year, administered by trained reading resource teachers under supervision by a Lindamood-Bell® expert. In addition to supervised oversight by the on-site consultant, formal fidelity monitoring took place at two time points for each teacher. Student progress was monitored by AIMsweb for grade 2 and Star testing for grades 3-6. Additional monitoring was provided by resource teachers’ and the consultant’s daily notes and observations in sessions for pacing through the program and for making recommendations about students exiting or changing the program focus. The two schools used the same basal readers. The control school used two computer programs during parts of the school year, most notably iStation during the last third of the school year.
-
What was the unit of assignment? - Students
- If other, please specify:
-
Please describe the unit of assignment: -
What unit(s) were used for primary data analysis? -
Schools
Teachers
Students
Classes
Other
If other, please specify:
-
Please describe the unit(s) used for primary data analysis:
Fidelity of Implementation
- How was the program delivered?
-
Individually
Small Group
Classroom
If small group, answer the following:
- Average group size
- 5
- Minimum group size
- 2
- Maximum group size
- 5
What was the duration of the intervention (If duration differed across participants, settings, or behaviors, describe for each.)?
- Weeks
- 28.00
- Sessions per week
- 5.00
- Duration of sessions in minutes
- 90.00
- What were the background, experience, training, and ongoing support of the instructors or interventionists?
- Tier 3 resource teachers implementing the program were certified teachers in their state; two were certified in special education. At the beginning of the study, teachers and teaching assistants at each school were asked to complete a survey. At the program school, 26 surveys were completed; at the control school, 13 surveys were completed. On those responding, 77% of the program school teachers had a bachelor’s degree and 31% had earned a master’s; 92% found teaching an effective and rewarding profession and 96% said they use data to improve instruction. At the control school, 77% of respondents had a bachelor’s degree and 38.5% had earned a master’s; 85% found teaching an effective and rewarding profession and 92% said they use data to improve instruction. Prior to the beginning of the project, professional development workshops were held for classroom teachers, reading resource teachers, and educational assistants. The six reading resource teachers who taught small groups and all 13 K-3 grade teachers attended four days of workshops, two days in Seeing Stars® for building decoding and two days for another Lindamood-Bell program (Visualizing and Verbalizing® for building comprehension). The resource teachers also attended a day of additonal training in test interpretation, student grouping and progress monitoring, instructional pacing, and lesson planning. Teachers who have not lead students through a semester or more of instruction require an expert consultant’s assistance for pacing and devising lesson plans that efficiently address the needs of the students. This assistance, with observation and modeling, was provided in the program by a Lindamood- Bell® consultant who was in the building daily.
- Describe when and how fidelity of treatment information was obtained.
- In addition to regular observation and modeling, the consultant completed a standard fidelity-monitoring
checklist during formal observation sessions for each Tier 3 teacher in December and March, scoring
compliance on 61 points during Seeing Stars® instruction and 64 points during Visualizing and Verbalizing® instruction. Each item received a score from 0 (not observed) to 3 (consistently observed) for each item of standardized, sequential instruction specific to the instruction (e.g., introducing the task, demonstrating the procedure, use of multisensory exercises, using questioning, and integrating steps).
- What were the results on the fidelity-of-treatment implementation measure?
- In December, the six reading resource teachers achieved an average of 102 points (range 84-125) out of
the 156 points required for independent competence in Seeing Stars®. In March, the same teachers achieved an average of 140.1 points (range 128-157) in Seeing Stars®.
Fidelity monitoring was quantified by scoring the resource teachers on each instructional step within these categories: introducing the task, demonstrating the procedure, use of multisensory exercises, using questioning, and integrating steps. Scoring on each item ranged from 0 (not observed) to 3 (consistently observed). The total number of cumulative points required for independent competence in Seeing Stars is 156. However, the teachers were additionally monitored and coached daily by the on-site Lindamood-Bell consultant who oversaw lesson plans for every Tier III student. In consequence, these teachers were substantially supported daily by an expert on-site practitioner.
- Was the fidelity measure also used in control classrooms?
Measures and Results
Measures Broader :
Targeted Measure | Reverse Coded? | Reliability | Relevance | Exposure |
---|
Broader Measure | Reverse Coded? | Reliability | Relevance | Exposure |
---|
Administrative Data Measure | Reverse Coded? | Relevance |
---|
Effect Size
Effect size represents the how much performance changed because of the intervention. The larger the effect size, the greater the impact participating in the intervention had.
According to guidelines from the What Works Clearinghouse, an effect size of 0.25 or greater is “substantively important.” Additionally, effect sizes that are statistically significant are more trustworthy than effect sizes of the same magnitude that are not statistically significant.
Effect Size Dial
The purpose of the effect size dial is to help users understand the strength of a tool relative to other tools on the Tools Chart.
- The range represents where most effect sizes fall within reading or math based on effect sizes from tools on the Tools Chart.
- The orange pointer shows the average effect size for this study.
Targeted Measures (Full Sample)
Average Reading Effect Size
Measure | Sample Type | Effect Size |
---|---|---|
Average across all targeted measures | Full Sample | 0.54* |
* = p ≤ 0.05; † = Vendor did not provide necessary data for NCII to calculate effect sizes. |
Broader Measures (Full Sample)
Average Reading Effect Size
Measure | Sample Type | Effect Size |
---|---|---|
Average across all broader measures | Full Sample | 0.03 |
* = p ≤ 0.05; † = Vendor did not provide necessary data for NCII to calculate effect sizes. |
Administrative Measures (Full Sample)
Measure | Sample Type | Effect Size |
---|---|---|
Average across all admin measures | Full Sample | -- |
* = p ≤ 0.05; † = Vendor did not provide necessary data for NCII to calculate effect sizes. |
Targeted Measures (Subgroups)
Measure | Sample Type | Effect Size |
---|---|---|
* = p ≤ 0.05; † = Vendor did not provide necessary data for NCII to calculate effect sizes. |
Broader Measures (Subgroups)
Measure | Sample Type | Effect Size |
---|---|---|
* = p ≤ 0.05; † = Vendor did not provide necessary data for NCII to calculate effect sizes. |
Administrative Measures (Subgroups)
Measure | Sample Type | Effect Size |
---|---|---|
* = p ≤ 0.05; † = Vendor did not provide necessary data for NCII to calculate effect sizes. |
- For any substantively (e.g., effect size ≥ 0.25 for pretest or demographic differences) or statistically significant (e.g., p < 0.05) pretest differences, please describe the extent to which these differences are related to the impact of the treatment. For example, if analyses were conducted to determine that outcomes from this study are due to the intervention and not pretest characteristics, please describe the results of those analyses here.
- Please explain any missing data or instances of measures with incomplete pre- or post-test data.
- If you have excluded a variable or data that are reported in the study being submitted, explain the rationale for exclusion:
- None were excluded.
- Describe the analyses used to determine whether the intervention produced changes in student outcomes:
- One-way analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used to compare group difference in the baseline to posttest
scores. Program students had statistically lower baseline scores on WRAT reading (p=0.01), WRAT
spelling (p=0.01), Gray Oral reading rate (p=0.01), and Gray Oral Fluency (p=0.02); Control students had a
lower baseline score on Following Oral Directions (p=0.005). Adjustments were made by entering the
baseline score as a covariate into the model. The program group made statistically significant gains on all
measures and greater gains than the control group on measures of WRAT reading (word recognition),
Woodcock word attack (nonword reading), Symbol Imagery (orthographic awareness), and LAC (phonemic
awareness).
Additional Research
- Is the program reviewed by WWC or E-ESSA?
- E-ESSA
- Summary of WWC / E-ESSA Findings :
What Works Clearinghouse Review
This program was not reviewed by the What Works Clearinghouse.
Evidence for ESSA
No studies met inclusion requirements.
- How many additional research studies are potentially eligible for NCII review?
- 1
- Citations for Additional Research Studies :
- Christodoulou, J. A., Cyr, A., Murtagh, J., Chang, P., Lin, J., Guarino, A. J. … Gabrieli, J. D. (2015). Impact of intensive summer reading intervention for children with reading disabilities and difficulties in early elementary school. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 50(2), 115-127. doi:10.1177/0022219415617163
Data Collection Practices
Most tools and programs evaluated by the NCII are branded products which have been submitted by the companies, organizations, or individuals that disseminate these products. These entities supply the textual information shown above, but not the ratings accompanying the text. NCII administrators and members of our Technical Review Committees have reviewed the content on this page, but NCII cannot guarantee that this information is free from error or reflective of recent changes to the product. Tools and programs have the opportunity to be updated annually or upon request.