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Help One Student to Succeed (HOSTS)

www.hosts.com

Evidence of Effectiveness:

HOSTS has received numerous awards for instructional leadership, including being selected as a national mentoring model by the US Secretary of Education; a mentoring model for dropout prevention by the National Center for Dropout Prevention, Clemson University; and the Secretary=s Excellence in Compensatory Education award as their state=s exemplary compensatory program for Washington, Arizona, Montana, Texas, California, Hawaii, and North Dakota.

Washington State

Comparison of Remediation Assistance and Program Impact for Validated and Locally Developed Projects, Grades 2-6, Reading Combined

Project Type

Mean

Hours Instruction

Instructor/Student

Ratio

Number

Tested

Mean NCE

Gain

Hours Instruction

NCE Unit Gain

HOSTS

83.2

1:1.3

792

14.7*

5.7*

Locally Developed

62.6

1:3.2

4401

9.3

6.7

Project Reading Improvement

63.2

1:4.1

174

8.9

7.1

Classroom Intervention

58.2

1:3.8

251

7.6

7.7

Catch-Up

71.1

1:3.8

212

9.0

7.9

Title I Remedial Reading

80.0

1:2.7

8.3

9.6

Model Classroom

140.0

1:2.9

143

9.4

14.9

Individualized Language Arts

151.6

1:9.1

116

6.0

25.3

A Chance For Every Child

88.8

1:3.8

195

3.9

22.8

*Highest average NCE gain (14.7) and lowest hours of instruction per NCE unit gain

Dallas, Texas: J.W. Runyon Elementary (October 1993 – May 1994)

· Group Characteristics: 52% Male/48% Female; 64% African American/32% Hispanic/4% Caucasian; 12% English Language Learners.

· 2.2 years average reading gain for 51 students pre- and post-tested.

· 60% of the 4^th, 5^th and 6^th grade students who participated in HOSTS all year passed the state mandated test (TAAS) in reading and writing, significantly above previous performance for compensatory students in Texas.

· 92% of the HOSTS students successfully completed grade level requirements and will pass to the next grade.

· 80% of the HOSTS students raised their grades in all subjects.

· HOSTS students had a higher attendance rate (97.6%) than the school-wide rate (94.5%).

· There were no discipline referrals on HOSTS students.

Ephrata, Washington School District – Sustained Gains Study

The HOSTS Reading Program is in its eighth year of operation in the Ephrata School District. The following examines the evaluation results for three years based on the Total Reading Score of the California Achievement Test.

Title I guidelines require each remedial program to conduct a “Sustained Gains Study” to determine the long-term effects of the project. The Sustained Gains Study for the Ephrata HOSTS program was conducted over two years. Thirty-one second and fifth grade students were randomly selected from those participating in the program. Review of average percentile scores on the California Achievement Test revealed the following:

· Over the three-year period, the average annual NCE gain for all students was 11.1, which is nearly double the national average for federally supported programs.

· The average percentile gain for students in the Sustained Gains Study from fall to spring was 22.4. This gain declined slightly through spring and fall of the second year to reflect an overall gain of 18 percent.

· 81% of students enrolled by the second grade were able to exit the program after only 9 months of instruction.

· 84% of all students included in the Sustained Gains Study have maintained their gains in reading and no longer qualify for remediation assistance.

Other Results

· In a federal, multi-state study, HOSTS programs produced consistent improvement in educational attainment at every grade level from one to nine; these student gains exceeded the national average of 50 percent.

· In the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, nearly 90% of the target students in HOSTS were Hispanic and achieving below the national average. Within a two-year period, 1200 students involved in HOSTS achieved gains at double the national average for compensatory students.

Program Description:

· Nationally recognized structured mentoring program that matches trained business and community volunteers, peers and cross-age mentors with at-risk students.

· Mentors follow a lesson plan created by the teacher using computer technology to individualize students= lesson plans and match students= interest levels, learning styles, and skill levels with specific objectives.

· HOSTS is not a curriculum, but an instructional strategy designed to reinforce the classroom teacher and reduce workload, while improving student outcomes and containing costs.

· HOSTS does not require additional personnel, but works with existing compensatory staff, improving their efficiency and productivity.

· HOSTS is a continuous progress model that works well with any assessment, curriculum, objectives and philosophies.

· HOSTS database and software programs align the school and district=s curriculum with any state or locally developed objectives, thus saving up to 80% of a teacher=s time in planning.

· HOSTS database links commercial and locally developed resources to specific objectives in Reading (English and Spanish), Writing, and Math to create individualized prescriptions for students in grades Kindergarten through 12.

· HOSTS represents a virtual warehouse that contains references, strategies, and assessments that can be customized and accessed by local schools and parents if desired.

· The Language Arts database contains literature references and will connect titles to state and local standards based upon themes, ethnicity, reading, and interest level, fact or fiction and Spanish or English language.

Aspects of Reading

This program addresses the following aspects of reading:

·         Phonemic Awareness ü

·         Phonics ü

·         Fluency ü

·         Vocabulary ü

·         Comprehension ü

·         Motivation ü

Correlation to Nevada State Standards

Currently being completed.

Teacher Support:

Language Arts

· System Support - Two on-site visits for technical and educational assistance. These visits include written reports to the customer following each visit.

· Additional services provided include telephone help line service, voucher for partial registration fee for two people per site to go to the HOSTS National Conference, and copies of the HOSTS Newsletter.

· Installation Workshop - A three-day workshop for up to four people per site designated by customer (e.g., principals, reading specialists, teachers, aides, supervisory or line administrators) including:

- Organizing and Setting Up a HOSTS Center

- Instructional Strategies for Structured Mentoring

- Quality Assurance Program

- Mentor Strategies

- HOSTS Software Training

- Evaluation

Mathematics

· System Support - Same as noted under Language Arts

· Installation Workshop - A three-day training for up to four people to cover scope and sequence of objectives, screening and placement, assessment, concept development of objectives, use of support guides and manuals, computer training for software management system.