A Proven Schoolwide
Staff Development Program
for High, Rapid Reading Gains
K-12

CARBO READING STYLES PROGRAM
Developed by Marie Carbo, Ed.D.

Every child is unique and learns differently. By accommodating each student's natural strengths, every student can learn to read with ease and joy, learning is accelerated, and failure is virtually eliminated. No child is left behind.

CRSP has been validated as a research-based reading program by the: U.S. Department of Education, Education Commission of the States, National Staff Development Council, and Milken Foundation.

What CRSP Is and What it Does
CRSP is an exciting, comprehensive, school-wide approach that greatly increases teacher effectiveness, prevents failure, accelerates learning, and leaves no child behind. CRSP also welcomes the active participation of parents. The program is based on learning styles research as well as brain research. One of the program features is the identification and accommodation of a student's natural learning style for reading, or “reading style.” CRSP provides high-quality professional development from expert trainers, trains teachers to use proven strategies for assessment and classroom management and makes available unique instructional materials. The research-based curriculum materials combined with the training have produced exceptionally high reading gains for all grade levels. Extensive professional development includes: on-site training of concepts and instructional materials, on-site technical assistance, website assistance and direct support via fax, mail, phone or e-mail. We also offer an annual national conference, seminars in major cities, and coaching for administrators and their building teams.

Table of Contents

1. Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

•Grades K-3
•Grades 4-6
•Grades 7-12

2. Alignment of Reading Content

•Fluency, Comprehension, Vocabulary
•Phonics, Phonemics, Word Recognition
•Reading and Writing

3. Materials
4. Carbo Method of Recording
5. Assessment
6. Professional Development
7. Building Team / Facilitator
8. Trainers
9. Family Support

CSRP In-Depth
CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION, AND ASSESSMENT
CRSP is a high-interest, thematically oriented, student-centered, activity- and literature-rich reading program. Crucial to CRSP is the identification of students' learning styles for reading, or “reading styles,” with the Reading Style Inventory (RSI). Identification of students' reading styles with the RSI (a web-based assessment instrument) allows for students to be taught to read quickly and accurately through their modality strengths.
After reading style identification, learning and teaching strategies can be modified or fine-tuned, and classrooms can be assessed for the most effective grouping, instruction, individual needs, interests, etc.

Beginning in kindergarten, teachers will be taught how and when to use a variety of assisted reading methods that rapidly increase reading language knowledge, vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency. One of the most powerful methods that will be introduced is the Carbo Recorded-Book Method, which enables students to read fluently and comprehend text--almost immediately--that is well above their reading level. The Carbo Recorded-Book Method is central to the instructional materials (consisting of hundreds of titles) that make up the CRSP. Teachers will receive an extensive library of specially audio-recorded, carefully graded literature, including our Power Reading Series, which contains exciting, reproducible short stories, followed by questions and games that provide practice in state reading objectives. All audio-taped materials are recorded by Marie Carbo and Bob Cole using Dr. Carbo's method.

Grades K-3. At the core of the program is its high-interest, fast-paced, fun, on-target instruction that emphasizes the development of oral language, reading, and writing, while accommodating students' reading styles. The teachers will be shown how to implement practical, structured management strategies to foster student responsibility and independence. CRSP strategies support the Four-Blocks Model, which recommends a two-hour language arts block, with approximately 30 minutes devoted to writing, 30 minutes to text reading, 30 minutes to free reading, and 30 minutes to skill work.

CRSP is structured to increase incrementally the use of thematic units, children's literature, learning centers, active learning, and small-group work. Our special recordings of high-quality literature and reproducible short stories can be used individually and in listening centers. We train teachers in a wide range of reading methods, depending on the assessed strengths and needs of students--a strategy supported by the International Reading Association. Our multi-sensory, sequential phonics program (MultiSensory Phonics) is meant to be used daily for approximately 15-20 minutes, accommodates hands-on, kinesthetic learners, and contains direct-instruction strategies. Our own continuum of assisted reading methods will enable teachers to select the most effective methods for each child or group.

Grades 4-6. The use of thematic units extends into these grades, as well as small-group work, project work, assisted reading methods, multi-sensory materials, and learning centers. Students develop a deeper understanding of their own reading style - their natural strengths - and learn to accommodate their strengths and those of their classmates, particularly when they work as a team.
A major goal for grades 4-6 is the gradual development of greater student responsibility and independence. Students learn to design their own study materials based on their strengths, such as hands-on games, flash cards, and audio tapes. Increasingly, fewer and fewer youngsters require the assisted reading methods and recorded materials, and more students read independently with ease at this level. Throughout the training, emphasis is placed on challenging students and the development of high-level thinking, such as application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

CRSP works well in self-contained classrooms, departmentalized programs, and special education programs. Some elementary schools have developed Reading Labs based on CRSP strategies (see description of Reading Labs for grades 7-12).

Grades 7-12. At this level, schools may choose our schoolwide program, or they may develop a reading lab for students who are reading below grade level, or they may use a combination of both strategies. Most often, an entire faculty is taught how to apply reading styles teaching throughout the curriculum so that students' strengths are accommodated and learning is accelerated. Staffs are taught how and when to use: hands-on materials, plays, projects, kinesthetic activities, student-made materials, visuals, small-group techniques, and so on, depending on the subject.

The development of Reading Labs in middle school and high schools has been particularly successful, producing high gains in student motivation and reading achievement. Lab teachers are taught a variety of reading methods that are consistently successful with older students; and they are trained to use our specially recorded reading materials, as well as the accompanying questions, games, and hands-on materials that practice critical reading skills.

Students also apply and demonstrate their learning through a wide variety of means that accommodate their strengths and extend across curriculum areas, including: formulating questions, drawing maps, interviewing, and creating games. Emphasis is placed on the higher levels of thinking in Bloom's taxonomy, such as application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.

ALIGNMENT OF READING CONTENT
CRSP enables students to make rapid progress in reading, especially those reading well below grade level. Children must read with a high degree of fluency for good comprehension to occur, because students who stumble over simple words and phrases as they read expend so much mental effort on the low-level task of decoding that they cannot fully apply their minds to understanding challenging text. With CRSP curriculum materials and training that problem is minimized. When CRSP is implemented as intended, students will be able to read material well above their reading level with fluency and ease, in short periods of time.

A critical component of CRSP is a broad library of audio-recorded books, short stories and activities that provide practice in critical reading skills, including: distinguishing between fact and opinion, identifying cause and effect, following directions, identifying word meanings within context, author's purpose, drawing conclusions, making inferences, predicting, and so on.

Emphasis on Fluency, Comprehension, Vocabulary. CRSP significantly improves students' letter recognition, letter and word formation, word recognition, fluency and comprehension so that youngsters can apply themselves more easily to high-level comprehension tasks. As students' reading skills increase through CRSP's ever widening range of challenging texts, it will become easier for teachers to accomplish the goals of the Core Content/Skills for Assessment, namely: identifying different types of texts, comparing and contrasting types of texts, discussing characterizations, and analyzing, evaluating, and connecting reading texts to the students' lives.

Use of Phonics, Phonological Awareness, and Word Recognition. Students will be presented many strategies for decoding words. CRSP emphasizes a variety of reading methods including phonics, phonemic awareness, and word recognition. Our multi-sensory, intensive, systematic phonics program employs direct teacher instruction, audiocassettes, games, and kinesthetic activities. The essential phonics skills taught include: phonetic associations, word families, blends, digraphs, phoneme blending and isolation, and phoneme segmentation. Many strategies can be used to develop word recognition, such as, Carbo-recorded stories, word walls, card readers, and assisted reading methods. Some lessons will be for the entire class; others will be for youngsters in need of particular instruction.

Integration of Reading and Writing. The Language-Experience method is an integral part of CRSP. Students will be encouraged to move from writing about their own experiences to analysis and evaluation of and identification with characters they read about, as well as analysis across all subject areas. Students can be taught to work in large and small groups or individually, as they refine their writing skills.

MATERIALS
Support materials provided by CRSP are extensive and include: training materials and professional resource books which explain key strategies of the program through text and photos; the Reading Style Inventory which identifies students' strengths and recommends compatible teaching strategies; instruments that monitor student progress and evaluate program effectiveness; colored overlays that can reduce dyslexia; our unique audio-recorded library of literature and original short stories that increase students' fluency, comprehension and vocabulary, coordinated games and questions which practice and assess level-appropriate reading skills; and a multi-sensory, sequential, phonics program that contains activities, games, assessments, and audiocassettes.

CARBO METHOD OF RECORDING
The Carbo Recorded-Book Method developed by Marie Carbo in 1978, is a powerful reading method which has produced extremely high gains in reading motivation and achievement. In fact, this method has produced some of the highest reading gains reported in the past 50 years of reading research. Young, struggling readers often gain one to three years in reading in just one school year, and older students have made reading gains as high as three to six years in one school year.

Dr. Carbo's recording method features small amounts of text recorded at a uniquely slower pace, with lively expression, and the special segmentation of phrases. The slower pace of the Carbo Method synchronizes for the reader the spoken and printed words, while the good expression and chunking of phrases greatly improves fluency, comprehension, and the aquisition of vocabulary. Marie Carbo experimented with her method in pilot programs across the country from 1976-1984, at the same time training teachers on the recording technique. In 1985, she began to develop the classroom library of recorded books which is now available to schools.

In the last two years, Dr. Marie Carbo. with Dr. Bob Cole, has developed the Power Reading series which contains well-written, high-interest, recorded short stories. The short stories range in reading level from primer to eighth grade. Each story contains questions and a hands-on game which provides practice in critical thinking. Sample stories, questions and games can be viewed and downloaded from this website. Higher-level sets of Power Reading are currently under development.

ASSESSMENT
The Degree of Reading Styles Implementation Checklist allows school faculties to measure their implementation of the key strategies in the Carbo Reading Styles Program. The checklist is used as a self-check and as part of ongoing evaluations conducted by Carbo Reading Styles Program trainers during technical assistance visits.

Teachers will be shown how to make formal and informal observations of student progress, and keep running records of student performance during read-backs with volunteers, teachers, and older students. Read-backs are an essential part of the Carbo Recorded-Book Method and important for meeting the Program objectives. The questions in the Power Reading series are used to evaluate children's progress in comprehension and vocabulary. The Reading Style Inventory is used to identify and assess students' perceptual strengths, their global and analytic styles, their best working environment, and the reading methods best suited to their natural learning strengths. Interest inventories are also provided as a way to ensure that available reading materials are of high interest to students.

The Comprehensive and Basic Plus trainings include extensive reports from the on-site trainer. These reports describe the positive changes brought about by the staff, and the next steps needed to bring the implementation to the next level.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
A variety of training packages are available that include on-site training, materials, and technical assistance. Generally, professional development for CRSP requires two days of training for all teachers before the program begins. Trainers return to the school and provide two additional days of teacher training to the entire staff, and technical assistance that includes classroom demonstration lessons, group and individual work with teachers, coaching, and program development. The school's Building Team is worked with extensively throughout the training to assure a strong implementation and support for the program.

BUILDING TEAM AND FACILITATOR
The comprehensive program includes a Reading Styles Building Team comprised of the principal, the Reading Styles facilitator, and two Reading Styles teachers from different grade levels. The Building Team receives a special two-day training usually before the school year begins. They meet and work with Reading Styles trainers for an overview of CRSP, and they set their vision for their school, problem solve, plan, order needed materials, and visit a Reading Styles Model School. The facilitator works closely with the trainer throughout the school year to assure that teachers are well supported with the coaching, demonstration lessons, and materials they need.

TRAINERS
Reading styles training is provided only by advanced trainers and consultants certified by the National Reading Styles Institute. All are formerly or currently practicing teachers and administrators who have used reading styles successfully in their own classrooms or building successfully. They present at the National Reading Styles Conference each summer, and receive additional state-of-the-art training at Advanced Trainer's forums throughout the year.

Trainers model reading styles strategies and help teachers to: identify their strengths as both learners and teachers; work together to complement one another's strengths; and continually evaluate the degree to which their program accommodates their students' strengths. Also available are a web site, and a national network of consultants, trainers, and Reading Styles Model Schools. Additional resource materials include a video series with instructor's manual. Available free are: articles; a program overview on video; and research.

FAMILY SUPPORT
Parents are given a parent version of the Reading Style Inventory and a booklet that helps them to understand their child's Reading Style. A personalized letter is included that provides parents with important information about their child's Reading Style strengths and preferences. Parents are also shown a variety of effective ways to read with their child at home, encourage reading, and to support the Carbo recordings that are sent home. Some parents volunteer at school to help with children's readbacks, and they create games and recordings. Many parents have made great strides in their own ability using Carbo recordings.