Executive Summary

The purpose of the Resource Teachers of Literacy 2010 Annual Report is to identify the nature of the support RT:Lit provided to students during the year and to report on student outcomes and progress while receiving RT:Lit support.

For the 2010 Annual Report, RT:Lit were asked to complete an overview form and an individual form for each student. The overview form provides a summary of all students on the 2010 RT:Lit roll and the individual forms provide intervention details for each student. From the overview forms, RT:Lit reported 3,995 students on the RT:Lit roll in 2010. Individual forms were received for 3,648 students on the RT:Lit roll who received support in 2010.

Key findings for 2010

Students who received support from Resource Teachers of Literary in 2010

• A total of 3,995 students were on the RT:Lit roll in 2010, compared with 3,857 in 2009. Of the 2010 students, 676 came from incomplete interventions in 2009, 785 from the 2009 waiting list and 2,534 from formal referrals in 2010. A further 656 students who were referred for RT:Lit support in 2010 were still on a waiting list at the end of 2010.
• RT:Lit provided individual forms for 3,648 of the 3,995 students on their roll (similar to the number of forms received for the 2009 year).
• Over half (52%) of the RT:Lit students received direct support (intensive specialised teaching provided by the RT:Lit to individual or small groups of students), and two thirds (67%) received in-direct support (where RT:Lit support classroom teachers in relation to particular students).
• One third of students (33%) received direct instruction only; either individually (21%), in small groups (9%) or both individually and in small-groups (4%). In comparison, 48% of students received indirect support only. Around one fifth of RT:Lit students (19%) received both direct and indirect support. This is generally consistent with results from 2009.
• Consistent with previous years, more boys (68%) than girls (32%) received RT:Lit support in 2010. Also consistent with previous years, half (52%) of all students were New Zealand European, just over one-third (35%) were Māori, 8% were Pasifika and 5% were Asian and other ethnicities.
• The majority (88%) of students on the RT:Lit roll received support for reading literacy (84% received reading processing support and 57% received reading comprehension support). Almost half of students (48%) received written literacy assistance, while 7% of students received support for oral language.
• Nearly one third (32%) of RT:Lit students had previously received Reading Recovery assistance and of these students, almost two fifths (38%) had been successfully discontinued from Reading Recovery.
• The majority of students (62%) began their RT:Lit support when they were aged between seven and nine years.
• On average, students who received direct instruction were supported by RT:Lit for 17 weeks and students who received indirect support were supported for 18 weeks.

Students' outcomes following Resource Teacher of Literacy support

• Three fifths of all students (59%) supported by RT:Lit in 2010 were discharged by the end of the year. Just over one quarter (28%) of students were due to continue receiving support in 2011. Around 7% of students received incomplete programmes and 3% were referred to alternative support or services. These figures were similar to those in 2009.
• When their support ended or at the end of the year, 29% of students were considered to be 'at age', that is, they were reading texts at a level that matched their chronological age and support was no longer required. Just under half of students (47%) were still considered to be 'at risk', that is they were reading texts at a level more than a year below their chronological age. The remaining 24% of students were considered to be 'of concern' (they were reading texts at a level between 6 months to a year below their chronological age).
• Almost one-third of Māori (29%) and New Zealand European (31%) students were considered to be 'at age' when their support ended or at the end of the year. Pasifika students were less likely (24%) than other students to be judged 'at age' at the end of their support or the year (compared with 15% in 2009).
• Slightly less than half (40%) of students discharged from the RT:Lit roll were considered 'at age' when they were discharged from the roll, 27% were 'of concern' and 33% were considered 'at risk'.
• Around two fifths of Māori (40%) and New Zealand European (43%) students who were discharged in 2010 were 'at age' at the end of their support. Pasifika students who were discharged were less likely to be 'at age' (33%) than students of other ethnicities (an increase from 25% in 2009).
• A comparison of reading assessment data at entry to and exit from RT:Lit support highlighted a general shift in students' literacy achievement over the course of RT:Lit support.