Making up for lost time in literacy
Mimosa Public School initiated the MULTILIT (making up lost time in literacy) program for Year 2 to 6 students in 2012.
MULTILIT is a research-based initiative of Macquarie University, which aims to address the needs of students with reading disabilities and similar problems from Year 2 to high school by providing an intensive, structured, systematic program of instruction in reading and related skills carried out within a positive teaching environment.
MULTILIT began in 1995 as the MULTILIT research and development initiative at the Macquarie University Special Education Centre, led by Professor Kevin Wheldall, a research psychologist specialising in the area of learning and behaviour difficulties in children. In 1998, Professor Wheldall and his team of academic researchers and special educators developed and published the first edition of the MULTILIT reading tutor program, based on the key components for effective tuition programs for low-progress readers, as identified by research.
Since then, through continuing research and development, MULTILIT has provided assistance to thousands of low-progress readers through a variety of settings, including schools, our own Sydney-based reading clinic, and community projects in New South Wales and far north Queensland. Teachers and other educational professionals are now also able to use the MULTILIT program to help low-progress students make up lost time in literacy.
Reading recovery
Reading recovery is an intensive program available to a small number of identified students in Year 1 who require further support in literacy.
This is an intensive program in which children are given a daily half hour lesson, on a one-to-one basis, with the trained reading recovery teacher. This can be for a period of between 10 and 20 weeks depending upon the need of the individual child.