The evidence is clear. The Strategic Adolescent Reading Intervention (STARI) accelerates the development of reading skills among adolescents who struggle with reading in Grades 6-9.
Educators know that many students continue to need help with foundational reading skills beyond elementary school, and for the last decade STARI has been proven effective in providing that support. But now, with the unprecedented situation of students experiencing an extended period of remote instruction, there will be a massive need for the accelerated reading development STARI provides.
STARI is uniquely designed to thoroughly engage students in building their reading and comprehension skills. The themes are complex and age-appropriate for older students, even though STARI builds foundational literacy skills together with grade-level reading skills.
STARI is ready to go!
For districts and schools that need to plan now for what lies ahead, STARI is ready to go! The student workbooks and teacher lesson plans can be downloaded for free, or purchased from our print-on-demand partner. The novels and other books and supplies can be ordered through the STARI literature storefront, where districts can make purchases and have the books delivered to individual schools or even individual teachers.
Teachers and students love the program.
Teachers love the program because the thorough lesson plans allow them to be successful, even when they have limited training in how to teach reading.
Students love the program because they work with partners, engage in discussion and debate of interesting topics, and read accessible books that genuinely interest them.
You can hear from students and teachers in this video.
Flexible professional learning opportunities are moving online.
STARI will offer a flexible online professional learning series to teachers. Local facilitators can be supported to lead an institute prior to the start of school and lead pre-planned PLC sessions during the school year, or teachers can complete the online course individually. Flexibility is the name of the game!
With federal and state funding requirements that specify the use of evidence-based programs, STARI has got you covered. In fact, STARI has met What Works Clearinghouse Standards Without Reservations, demonstrating strong evidence of effectiveness (ESSA TIER 1).
If you’re ready to accelerate middle grades reading in your school or district, please visit serpinstitute.org/stari. Your students will be glad you did.