The Arkansas Literacy Intervention Matrix

Developed through the

State Improvement Grant (2003-2009)
Arkansas Department of Education—
Special Education Unit

Marcia Harding, Associate Director
Howard M. Knoff, State Improvement Grant Director
Lisa Haley, State Improvement Grant Literacy Coordinator

Within the ADE, the Literacy Intervention Task Force was formed, made up of SIG Consultants and Literacy Experts across the state, including literacy specialists, Reading First Staff, special education teachers, general education teachers, speech language pathologists, special education supervisors, principals and university professors who met and worked together from November 2004 through January 2006 to enhance existing Arkansas Smart Start, Smart Step and Next Step literacy curricular approaches. The result was the Arkansas Literacy Intervention Matrix, a resource consisting of instructional materials for grades K12 addressing the five essential areas of literacy; phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension, plus two additional components--oral language and writing. The core of the Matrix is sample lessons and interventions for students in Tier's I-V.

Acknowledgements

The completion of the Arkansas Literacy Intervention Matrix was supported by the State Improvement Grant received from the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education (H323A030002). Content and any opinions or recommendations reflected in this tool do not necessarily reflect the position of the U.S. Department of Education, and such endorsement should not be inferred.

As with any document involving the identification and integration of research-based interventions developed by multiple authors in the field, great care has been taken to appropriately reference these authors' work and to respect the copyright of all materials. Nonetheless, if any author or representative believes that a different level of acknowledgement is due, we invite the party to contact us directly so that we may address the issue caused by any inadvertent oversight and provide the full credit necessary.

The Arkansas Department of Education, Special Education Unit would like to express its sincere gratitude for the expertise and dedication of the members of the ADE-SEU Literacy Task Force (2004-2006). Due to their hard work and commitment to the children of Arkansas, we now have an outstanding resource that teachers across the state, and possibly the nation, will be able to implement in their classrooms so all students can be successful learners.

Kathy Ayres    Special Education Teacher, Bee Branch School District

Vicki Brantly    K-12 Literacy Specialist, Mountain Home School District

Rosemary Burks     SIG Literacy Consultant, Arkansas Department of Education/Special Education Unit

Dr. Clara Carroll     Associate Professor of Education, Chair of Professional Field Services, Harding University

Karen Carter     Principal of Meadowcliff Elementary, Little Rock School District

Debra Crouch     Speech-Language Pathologist, Fayetteville School District

Debbie Dilse     Educational Consultant, Arkansas Special Education Resource Center

Susan Friberg     SIG Literacy Consultant, Arkansas Department of Education/Special Education Unit

Susan Grogan     K-4 Literacy Specialist, Wilbur Mills Cooperative, Beebe

Rose Merry Kirkpatrick     Educational Consultant, Arkansas Department of Education

Dr. Patricia Kohler-Evans     Assistant Professor of Education in Department of Early Childhood/Special Education, Univ. of Central Arkansas.

Dr. Jan Morgan     Associate Professor of Education, Director of Middle Level Education & Special Education, Harding University

Glenda Nugent     AR Reading First Professional Development Associate, Arkansas Department of Education

Danny Osburne     Supervisor of Special Education, Stuttgart, Arkansas

Opal Owens     Supervisor of Special Education, Camden, Arkansas

Gloria Phillips     Principal of Luxora Elementary, Luxora School District

Rick Porter     Speech-Language Pathologist, Arkansas School for the Deaf

Dee Price     Speech-Language Pathologist, Pearcy School District

Nancy Rahn     Assistant Director of Special Education, Cabot School District

Dr. Lynn Springfield     Educational Consultant, Arkansas Department of Education

Aleecia Starkey     Consultant for Students with Traumatic Brain Injury, Arkansas Special Education Resource Center

Jo Ann Steed     General Education Teacher, Jonesboro School District

Diane Stockman     Special Education Teacher, Cabot School District

Cheryl Wade     Special Education Teacher, Crossett School District

Shelley Wier     State Consultant for School-Based Speech-Language Pathology Services, Easter Seals

Judy Winslett     Assistant Principal of Gentry High School, Gentry School District