Personalised, data-driven reading support to accelerate progress and build confidence in our senior tamariki.

Reading Plus and Lexia are adaptive reading programmes that we offer as part of our Year 7 and 8 learning programme. These programmes support literacy progress and have consistently shown excellent results. They are used in a number of private and public secondary schools across Canterbury, up to Year 13, and can significantly enhance student reading efficiency for future success.

These programmes are adaptive, meaning that an initial assessment determines your child’s current performance level and generates learning opportunities tailored to their needs. The programmes focus on reading comprehension and vocabulary, with Lexia also covering word study and grammar. These align with Structured Literacy approaches and the focused teaching we provide in class.

We have set clear expectations for students. They are to complete tasks each week and dedicate a minimum of 60 minutes per week to the programme. If students complete their assigned tasks in less than 60 minutes, they are expected to continue working to meet this target. If tasks take longer or indicate a drop in accuracy, your child’s teacher will reach out to offer support and adjust expectations as needed.

At school, we endeavour to allocate approx. 10 minutes, 4 times a week for students to work on Lexia or Reading Plus. However, to reach the required 60 minutes for optimal progress, students are expected to complete the remaining time at home as part of their homework. Students are encouraged to do more, as increased practice leads to better progress and outcomes in reading. (See graph below)

Reading Plus also offers projected outcomes, estimating how a child will perform by the end of the year based on their current usage (see below for an example of the graph.)

You can see from the above graph that the student is completing more reading tasks than expected, and so their growth trajectory is above the blue line.

Please note a projection graph is only available for students using the Reading Plus programme.

Data from both Lexia and Reading Plus will be shared with you at the learning conferences.

The programme provides detailed data that teachers use to identify next steps, address challenges, and monitor student performance.

Reading instruction in the Toroa learning hub is a hybrid approach. We use journals, articles, novels, book studies, and online tasks to create a rich and engaging reading programme. Instruction includes a mix of large and small group teaching, flexible groupings, reading aloud, buddy reading, and targeted support from teacher aides.

We recognise the importance of reading across all areas of the curriculum and the expectations for students as they transition to high school. Our reading programme is designed to support this. As we engage with the refreshed New Zealand curriculum, you can be assured that our passionate and dedicated staff are committed to providing the best possible education for our tamariki.

If you have any questions regarding Reading Plus or Lexia, please contact Carolyn Davies and we encourage you to ask your child to show you their adaptive reading accounts so you can see what they are doing.