Curriculum CritiqueSuccess for All

Whose interests are being served by this curriculum?

o Success for All (SFA) is meant to serve at-risk students but can be used for
all students. The program is leveled so that students receive instruction at their
own reading level.
Who is not represented in this curriculum?
o All students are represented but the challenge is when students are in older
grades and they have gaps their needs are not always met.
How will this curriculum serve students as future learners?
o The curriculum teaches students to clarify, summarize, and question as they
read. This helps readers become more independent and reflective while reading.
Students can apply these reading strategies in the future. Students are also
taught to work in groups and that it is okay to have different opinions as long as
you can give reasoning. I think students benefit from learning how to work
cooperatively with one another and will use these skills beyond SFA.
Are students active or passive recipients of this curriculum?
o Students are active recipients of the curriculum. The teacher is a facilitator and
monitors the students, providing feedback and guidance.
What are the historical origins of this curriculum?
o Bob Slavin and Nancy Madden began the idea and research for the program
when they were in College at Reed College in Oregon.
o Success for All grew out of a program of research and development that
started with basic research on cooperative-learning strategies.
o Success for All started in its first school in Baltimore, MD, in 1987.
o Success for All Foundation is a non-profit organization.
What existing research supports its use?
o SFA has been researched by more than 30 institutions during the last two
decades. Success for All has been found to increase reading achievement, cut
the achievement gap between African Americans, Hispanic, and white students,
and prepare teachers to support the needs of English learners.
o SFAs original approach is based on best practices across education.
o Its implementation has been thoroughly evaluated and proven to be replicable
for student achievement in more than 30 research studies, most of which were
done by independent researchers.
o Success for All Foundation maintains close links with researchers at the Johns
Hopkins University School of Education, where the founders are current faculty
members.
What assumptions are taken for granted?
o The program assumes that students will move up a level frequently. It does not
take into consideration what happens if a child does not progress and is in the
same level for a number of quarters.
How are critical issues dealt with?
o Critical issues such as race, gender, class, or ethnicity are not dealt with. There
are a few books that discuss race and ethnicity but they are not the focus of
the book. It seems that these issues are ignored in the program.
Strengths
Students are placed in leveled classes that are taught at their instructional level.
The program uses whole pieces of literature, rather than a basal.
The program uses a cooperative learning format.
Gaps
Students may read the same books repeatedly if they do not move up levels.
There is not intervention plan embedded in the program for older students who are
struggling with phonics or sight words.
Books may not interest students.
Students do not have a choice in what they read.
Students may not receive grade level Common Core standards because of the level
they are placed in.
There are many Common Core standards that are no covered within the reading
curriculum.