Prototype Development of an Instructional Improvement Kit for the Beginning Reading Program.

The development of a strategy for increasing pupil performance in the Southwest Regional Laboratory (SWRL) Beginning Reading Program (BRP) is described in the introductory section of this document. This strategy, or support system, is embodied in "The Instructional Improvement Kit," presented as an appendix to the document. The kit is designed for both program assessment and instruction and instructional improvement. In the program assessment section, suggested procedures for monitoring the BRP are discussed and practice opportunities are provided. The primary instrument for program assessment is the Class Performance Chart, which allows a teacher or administrator to record actual class performance data and unit completion dates for each unit of the BRP and to compare them with performance and pacing criteria established prior to beginning the program. In the instructional improvement section, procedures are outlined for isolating the source of apparent problems and for prescribing appropriate remedies. Accompanying the text is a workbook that furnishes data for the practice exercises and contains answers to and explanations of each of the items. (LL)