VERNON HILLS, Ill. – Nov.
29, 2005 – In response to the growing demand
for effective literacy intervention resources, ETA/Cuisenaire® today
launched the StarLIT™ Literacy Intervention Toolkit for Phonological
Awareness. Intended for at-risk students in kindergarten and first grade,
and developed in consultation with literacy intervention expert Susan L.
Hall, StarLIT provides intensive, explicit, and systematic hands-on intervention
instruction in six levels of phonological awareness. StarLIT is portable,
ready-to-use, and includes dozens of activities for use with individual students
or small groups, accompanied by hands-on manipulatives, books, and instructional
tools.
Research shows that among students with early reading difficulties, more than
20 percent struggle with phonological awareness, one of the key predictors of
reading success. StarLIT uses assessments, such as the Dynamic Indicators of
Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS), or data gathered from its activities to
identify specific phonological awareness skills to target.
The comprehensive Teacher’s Resource Guide includes 38 scripted, step-by-step
student activities that move students incrementally towards independence; the
latest research on effective phonological awareness instruction; support for
analyzing test scores; and sample lesson plans. StarLIT can be easily integrated
into any core reading program and used by classroom teachers, intervention teachers,
reading specialists, or aides.
A nationally recognized expert on reading intervention, Hall earned
her doctorate in education, writing her dissertation on the types of professional
development that teachers need to identify struggling readers, and how to use
assessment tools to provide effective small group intervention. She currently
consults with several states on Reading First programs and other literacy initiatives.
"Research shows that early literacy intervention can help students overcome
difficulties and reach grade level," said Dennis Goldman, president, ETA/Cuisenaire. "We
worked with Dr. Hall to develop the StarLIT Literacy Intervention Toolkit for
Phonological Awareness so that teachers, classroom aides, and reading specialists
can successfully and easily accelerate the progress of reading skill development
for at-risk students."
For more information about StarLIT or to request an ETA/Cuisenaire catalog visit www.etacuisenaire.com or call 800-445-5985.
About ETA/Cuisenaire
ETA/Cuisenaireis recognized as the premier publisher and pioneer of Interactive
Literacy and manipulatives-based education, with more than 8,000 supplemental
reading, math, and science resources. Aligned to state and national standards,
these products offer hands-on educational opportunities that make learning
fun for students and teaching more effective for educators. For
more information, visit www.etacuisenaire.com or
call 800-445-5985.
For more information, press only:
Londa Della 800-445-5985, ext. 5219,
©2005 ETA/Cuisenaire. All rights reserved. Cuisenaire® and StarLIT™ are
trademarks or U.S. registered trademarks of ETA/Cuisenaire. The names of actual
companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective
owners.
