A group of Hawai'i public schools increased their third-grade reading scores by more than 20 percentage points on the Hawai'i State Assessment over a three-year period, new data show.

Third-grade reading scores are considered to be the most critical benchmark in childhood literacy.

The schools used a combination of strategies that were both homegrown and developed by outside consultants, providing a model for others pursuing ways to help their students read better.

The improvement occurred from 2003 to 2006, before a new assessment test was introduced this year. Student proficiency in reading and math are the key components of the federal No Child Left Behind law, which imposes sanctions of increasing severity for schools that do not make sufficient progress toward achievement goals.

Over the same period, state schools overall saw an 11 percent improvement in third-grade reading proficiency.

'MORE TIME ON LITERACY'

Among methods that appear to have helped pull up reading scores are intervention programs for struggling readers, constant assessment of student progress and incentive programs to encourage independent reading.

While principals say those methods are important, almost every one of the improved schools also set aside chunks of time — anywhere from two to three hours a day — for reading and language arts.

"We spend a little more time on literacy than other schools," said Nelson Shigeta, principal of Makaha Elementary School. "We only have a limited school day to work with kids, so it's become a question of how do we maximize our time. Over the course of the past few years, we've gotten better at that."

The school raised its third-grade proficiency score from 30 percent to 52.2 percent from 2003 to 2006.

The gains made by the schools are included in a new report by the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, which last week recognized the 21 schools with $10,000 grants.

"Research shows that reading at grade level by third grade is a benchmark for all future educational success. If children cannot read at grade level by the time they finish third grade, they are at risk of never catching up," said Marisa Castuera Hayase, program officer for the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation.

The foundation's report included observations from the school principals on various methods that worked for them.

"Often, schools are told what they're doing wrong and we're trying to shine a light on something that is going right," Castuera Hayase said. "Even though we're not there yet, we have some great shining examples in our state of how to close the achievement gap."

At Makaha Elementary School, for example, students focus exclusively on literacy in the first 2 1/2 hours of each school day. The first hour is dedicated to reading, the next hour to writing skills and the last half-hour to specific skill sets, including phonics, vocabulary, comprehension and fluency.

But it's not just this "uninterrupted literacy block." Shigeta also pointed to the constant assessment of student progress.

"You have to provide the instruction for kids depending on where they are at. A lot of it is getting good assessment data on each child," Shigeta said.

At Lanakila Elementary School, principal Gerianne Lee said teachers work continually to identify when a student is falling behind and in what area he or she may need extra help. Most students were tested about three times during the school year, but those having more trouble could be tested monthly, or even every two weeks.

"Based on the results of those tests, we are able to decide if they need help. All of those students who are not at grade level get an additional 45 minutes of some type of intervention," said Janice Ogi, literacy coordinator at Lanakila.

"We want to make immediate changes if we notice that whatever we've programmed for them is not working," Ogi said.

EXTRA ASSISTANCE

All 21 schools that achieved gains in reading scores are Title I schools, meaning a majority of their students come from lower-income homes, which qualified the schools for additional support and sometimes grants.

For instance, in 2002, Wheeler Elementary School was a recipient of the Reading Excellence Act funding, which eventually became the Reading First Initiative. That extra money allowed the school to purchase research-based curriculum specifically tailored for struggling readers, and also paid for additional training in beginning reading practices for kindergarten to third-grade teachers.

"A big part of the grant money enabled us to purchase a school-wide reading program," said Sandra Nakazato, reading coordinator at Wheeler Elementary. "Prior to that, instruction in reading was sort of random where grade levels did their own things. So this initiative brought us together and we began to do things in reading as a whole school."

But even while schools may receive extra support from outside consultants or reading plans, educators say the real key is getting students motivated to succeed and motivating the entire campus — from teachers to office staff.

"I'd say the most important factor is teamwork," said Ogi, the literacy coordinator at Lanakila. "I think most schools are doing all of these things, but it comes down to how it gets implemented."

Principal Shigeta of Makaha said he credits his teachers for the extra work they put in. No matter how much consultants contribute, Shigeta said success comes down to getting all teachers working together to motivate the students.

"A lot of the success goes to the teachers and how hard they work, and the kids too, because they put in the effort to get better themselves," he said.

He also emphasized the importance of promoting reading for students. At Makaha, students participate in a "read a lot" campaign where they are encouraged to read a million words in a school year. Students keep track of the books they read with a reading log and receive incentives when they reach goals.

"Last year, 90 percent of the kids made their million-word goal, so we took the kids to watch 'Shrek 3,' bought each student a book, bought each kid a T-shirt. You have to get them excited. It has to be a schoolwide focus where we are focusing on promoting literacy," he said.

Reach Loren Moreno at lmoreno@honoluluadvertiser.com.