Kindergarten teacher Virginia Olivelli is using a new phonics program to teach reading in her English as a Second Language class at Veazie Street Elementary School.

The Providence Journal / Sandor Bodo

PROVIDENCE — Last year, the district introduced a new phonics-based reading program and a number of elementary school teachers objected, saying the curriculum robbed teachers of their creativity and denied children the opportunity to read real literature.

The program, called direct instruction, is a highly scripted way of teaching reading to students who are performing below grade level. It is an updated version of phonics instruction, which starts by teaching students to sound out individual letters, followed by combinations of letters, then words, and so on. Proponents say that children will become better readers once they can decode sounds and letter groups.

This year, direct instruction is being offered in seven elementary schools, most of which have failed to make adequate yearly progress for several consecutive years under the federal No Child Left Behind law.

At two schools, Veazie Street and West Elementary, the program is being offered to all students, not only those reading below grade level.

The beauty of direct instruction, supporters say, is that it groups students by ability, not age, so struggling readers no longer become frustrated because they can’t keep up and skilled readers aren’t bored because they are grouped with children of similar ability.

At Veazie Street, students in the early grades “walk to read.” For two hours a day, they leave their homeroom teacher and walk to a classroom where they are taught at their ability level. In a direct instruction classroom, grades are mixed. The child’s actual grade doesn’t matter; reading skills do.

In kindergarten through grade two, instruction is very scripted, but the curriculum becomes progressively more flexible as children advance through elementary school.

In Virginia Olivelli’s kindergarten class for English as a Second Language students, some children arrive with very little formal language training. In other words, a child might know only two colors, three shapes and their first name. Compounding the problem, students might have limited vocabulary in their native language because books are not readily available at home.

“Their school language doesn’t exist,” Olivelli said. “Some children don’t know how to follow directions; others don’t know how to read from left to right.”

Direct instruction takes none of these skills for granted. It starts with the most basic elements of language: the sounds of letters and letter combinations.

A teacher for 23 years, Olivelli said that she has never seen children leave kindergarten as well-prepared as they were at the end of last year, after only one year of direction instruction. Like many of her peers, Olivelli resisted the idea of teaching by using a lesson that leaves little to the teacher’s imagination.

Last year, critics argued that direct instruction dumbed down reading instruction, playing to those students with the weakest skills. It took all the fun out of teaching, they said, turning teachers into little more than actors reading a script.

Fast forward a year. Several teachers at Veazie Street say that they are sold on the program, whose official title is the SRA reading mastery series. They say it takes the guesswork out of reading instruction by providing daily lesson plans that map every minute of instruction.

“This is what I’ve wanted my whole career,” Olivelli said. “We can tailor instruction to the needs of every child. And, if you’re a new teacher, the program is all there for you. Sure, an actor is handed a script but he can bring it to life.”

At grade four and above, students spend more time reading texts, although they are basal readers, not literature in the true sense of the word. In Lynn DiPippo’s fourth-grade class, students are reading a condensed version of Jack London’s classic, The Call of the Wild. Although the plot follows that of the novel, the narrative is simplified and the names of some of the characters have been changed.

After several children read out loud, DiPippo pauses and asks the class a series of questions designed to tease out if the class understands the story line.

When a child stumbles over a word, DiPippo adds it to “the goodbye list,” which means that the entire class will go over that word the following day.

“I’m absolutely sold on it,” DiPippo said. “These children need structure and this program gives them the structure they need.”

The majority of the district’s 40-plus elementary schools still use a program called balanced literacy, which emphasizes reading comprehension. Although this model uses phonics, it holds to the theory that students learn best by reading real literature.

But Veazie teachers said that balanced literacy isn’t well-suited to children who are struggling to decode words. According to DiPippo, with that approach, children couldn’t read stories on their own and quickly grew frustrated.

“I’ve never seen so much growth in my nine years of teaching,” said Tom Nolan, a third-grade teacher. “Last year, there were 12 third-graders reading at grade level. This year, that number has more than doubled. This is working for kids who have a hard time decoding words. We’re no longer reading over their heads.”

According to Nolan, direct instruction addresses the five core reading skills: phonemic awareness (sounding out the letters), phonics (breaking words into sounds), vocabulary, comprehension and reading fluency. Students master sounds before they master letters and they learn to break apart words before they learn to write them.

Although Nolan says this approach isn’t as much fun for the teacher, he said he realizes, “This isn’t about me.”

Last year, several teachers from Pleasant View Elementary School complained that the brightest students suffered under direct instruction because the teacher no longer could provide accelerated instruction. Critics also claimed that the assessment used to place students isn’t a reliable measure of what they know because the words in the test are spelled phonetically, which children find confusing.

But Veazie Street teachers said that students are frequently tested and those who are ready to move ahead are sent to a more demanding class. Moreover, a literacy coach helps teachers analyze test data, conducts professional training and co-teaches in the classroom.

For many teachers, the proof is in the pudding. Students are happier. They are learning the basics more quickly and moving on.

“The kids like the program,” DiPippo said. “They feel more confident. They like reading out loud now.”

lborg@projo.com