Intervention(s)
MORE is a Tier 1 program that improves students’ reading comprehension outcomes by developing mental schemas—or intellectual frameworks—that help students acquire, organize, and apply science knowledge (Alexander, 2003). MORE operates over three years repeating the activities with decreasing involvement from the MORE team over time. In the first year they will lead the key (support) components, the second year there is shared responsibility for the key components, and finally in the third year, the district chooses whether to adopt the MORE teacher tools, and if they adopt them, implements the key components with minimal support from the MORE Team. These stages both enhance the likelihood of sustainability of the program after the grant and build upon READS Lab’s initial finding that a spiraled curriculum across years leads to transferring knowledge to untaught topics (i.e., state standardized End-of-Grade tests) in about three years.
Core Activities: Evidence-Based Teacher Tools. READS Lab provides its evidence-based teacher tools for Title I schools. In developing the MORE teacher tools (thematic lessons, digital activities, formative assessments of transfer) READS Lab incorporated the principle of “replicable modularity in design and speed in iteration” to conduct social validity, usability, and feasibility tests (Flyvbjerg, 2021). The result is a short-term, flexible intervention that eliminates the burden of adopting a long and cumbersome curriculum while accommodating varied instructional schedules across schools. (1) MORE’s thematic lessons consistent of 30 modular lessons (15 science and 15 social studies) fit into a school’s science or social studies block (on average between 30-45 minutes per day). Typically, these have been implemented in the Spring, but because they are modular and flexible, the partner will decide what implementation works best for them. In addition to written lesson plans, teachers have access to lesson slides that guide facilitation of equitable and content-focused student discussions. These equitable discussion practices repeat week after week, allowing teachers to refine their implementation of these practices over time, thereby giving teachers and students the cognitive space to focus deeply on the evolving content. (2) MORE’s digital activities are accessible throughout the school day. The activities incorporate principles for building evidence-based apps from a recent meta-analysis (Kim, et al., 2021) and students who are struggling with the lesson vocabulary can receive extra practice with the words through the digital activities – completing approximately two “books” before the end of the lesson. (3) Formative assessment of transfer are provided at the end of each unit and take, on average, about 30 minutes to complete.
Support Components: Professional Learning (PL) to support teacher structured adaptations leverages schools’ literacy Teacher Leaders (e.g., literacy facilitators, multi classroom leaders, that often focus on K-2 or 3-5 grade bands) to facilitate activities grounded in team-based learning (Michaelsen & Sweet, 2008) and research on the effectiveness of structured teacher adaptations (Kim et al., 2017; Kim & Mosher, 2023). (1) Teacher leader professional learning (PL): Teacher Leaders (TLs) from each participating school attend a flexible two day professional learning session to start the school year focusing on how MORE engages student emotionally and cognitively. The PL also provides training on the logistics of rolling out the digital activities and MORE’s structured discussions embedded into the thematic lesson to help get all students talking in the classroom. These TLs then participate in 3 sessions to help them lead Professional Learning Community (PLC) sessions around the three MORE teacher tools. (2) Asynchronous teacher modules: Approximately one or two weeks prior to the introduction of a teacher tool (e.g., the digital activities), teachers are asked to acquire knowledge about a tool through MORE asynchronous modules and complete a short quiz (e.g., individual Readiness Assurance Test or iRAT) before a PLC session. (3) Team-based learning leading to structured adaptations: During the PLC sessions, teachers participate in Team-Based Learning (TBL; Michaelson & Sweet, 2008) to help them (a) apply knowledge about MORE as they work in teams to address a practical improvement goal (e.g., ensuring all students’ have to time access the digital activities) and (b) use knowledge, prior experience, and local data to adapt MORE for their students. After completion of the PLC session, teachers apply what they have learned and retake the quiz to assess how their knowledge has changed (e.g., team Readiness Assurance Test (tRAT)).