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Voyager Expanded Learning
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Voyager Passport?
Voyager Passport is an intervention program designed for struggling readers in Kindergarten through 5th grade and is based on research that 95-98% of all children can learn to read. Teachers who use Voyager Passport reading intervention can be confident that critical skills are effectively sequenced, reviewed, reinforced, and practiced so each of their students will master the essential foundational skills. The program should be administered for 30-40 minutes each day for 26 weeks.
 
What kind of training and support do teachers and coaches receive during the implementation of Voyager Passport?
Voyager Passport training is designed for flexible and efficient delivery at the building level. All coaches and teachers receive a Voyager Passport Training Kit, which provides a program overview, tutorial booklets and a video that includes lesson examples and practice sessions on administering the assessments. Training may be done as whole group, grade level or self-guided and can be used for both initial training and review. The curriculum is designed for complete ease of use for teachers—it is easy to follow and takes minimal preparation time. Voyager provides ongoing support for coaches to assist with implementation.
 
Should Voyager Passport be used instead of the core reading program or in addition to it?
Voyager Passport reading intervention is intended to supplement, not supplant, the core-reading program.
 
Does Voyager Passport require a certified teacher to direct the lesson?
Qualified teachers should teach Voyager Passport, because struggling readers have specialized needs. However, the lessons are carefully crafted so that other professionals, such as Reading Specialist and Paraprofessionals, would have success with implementing as well.
 
Can the program be modified or adapted?
Voyager Passport has been carefully designed to address the needs of struggling readers at a given grade level. For students to meet grade-level expectations, the curriculum must be taught as designed every day. Teaching the skills in sequence, delivering the full lesson every day, using explicit language, and using the correction procedures consistently are all important in the acquisition of reading skills. Modifications are possible every fifth lesson when the teacher can use a variety of review options.
 
What makes Voyager Passport different from other programs?
Voyager Passport Reading Intervention is designed based on the five essential components of reading instruction and aligns with Reading First and the No Child Left Behind Act. Daily lessons in all the essential components provide the systematic structure and the additional support that enables struggling readers to accelerate their skills. Teachers who use Voyager Passport reading intervention can be confident that critical skills are effectively sequenced, reviewed, reinforced, and practiced so each of their students will master the foundational skills. All the tools that students need to meet the demands of complex text in the upper grades will be developed simultaneously.
 
Is the Voyager Passport Curriculum appropriate for Dyslexic students?
Voyager Passport instruction is consistent with research described in Overcoming Dyslexia by Sally Shaywitz. The explicit, systematic approach will work well for students with dyslexia. It may not be sufficient instruction for all dyslexic students; therefore, you should address all modalities of dyslexic learners, and decide if additional instruction is needed.
 
Is Voyager Passport Reading Intervention appropriate for my ELL students?
Yes. Voyager Passport has been successful in districts across the U.S. with ESL students who have made significant success. Effective instruction for ESL students utilizes repetition and active learning, and both are integral to Voyager Passport. Additionally, the strong vocabulary component in Voyager Passport levels A and B promotes the acquisition of language. Studies have shown that explicit, systematic instruction with these student populations can effectively close the achievement gap.
 
Which students would benefit from Pasaporte instruction vs. Voyager Passport instruction?
Pasaporte is designed for struggling readers who are receiving instruction in their native language of Spanish. Students who are not proficient readers in their home/native language will eventually have more difficulty in becoming successful English language learners and readers. ESL (English as a Second Language) students or bilingual students, who are receiving reading instruction in English, should receive Voyager Passport instruction, not Pasaporte. We cannot recommend Pasaporte for students in grades above what the program was designed for due to transitional problems. However, there is a strong bridge between Pasaporte and Voyager Passport instruction allowing a more seamless and successful transition from a native language struggling reader to a proficient English language reader.
 
Can a student be removed from Voyager Passport at anytime during the year if he/she shows improvement on the assessments or must the student stay in the program for the whole year?
Most students will need to remain in the program for the full 26 weeks. However, a student can be removed if they clearly have caught up to grade-level performance. But for students who are struggling and behind at the beginning of the year rarely do they make such great progress that they can be removed safely after only a short time. This is especially true in higher grades because the skills gap is often multiple grade levels.
 
When is the best time to implement Voyager Passport?
The best time to implement Voyager Passport is during the instructional day, outside of the reading block. The program is designed to be taught five days a week for 30 to 45 minutes for a 26-week period to achieve the most substantial results. Voyager Passport can also be implemented before or after school.
 
Should I wait until later in the school year before assessing or instructing Kindergarten students in the Voyager Passport program?
We recommend beginning the program about six weeks after school begins for all grades, including Kindergarten. The sooner this targeted instruction begins, the sooner the children can develop and improve their reading skills and complete on-grade level tasks in the classroom. The student will have the full advantage of the program which consists of a 26-week instruction period.
 
Can Voyager Passport be implemented as an after-school program, say for three days a week after school?
The best time to implement Voyager Passport is during the instructional day, outside of the reading block. The program is designed to be taught five days a week for 30 to 45 minutes for a 26-week period to achieve the most substantial results. Implementing Voyager Passport after school is certainly an option if there is no opportunity for instruction during the regular school day. Because students may be completing four to five lessons a week, schools would need to complete two lessons each day. This can be done with a break between the two lessons. The instructional leaders should discuss methods of delivering the curriculum in the most time efficient manner in order to complete as many lessons as possible.
 
What does Voyager recommend for the students in class who are not receiving Voyager Passport instruction?
Many teachers have students work on independent literacy activities while they work with Voyager Passport students. Adventure Centers and Ticket to Read technology can be used by non-Voyager students.
 
What is the maximum number of students in a Voyager Passport group?
Voyager Passport is designed for small groups of six. Research proves that small groups are the most powerful organization for reading intervention. With each student above the maximum amount of six, the amount of student/teacher interaction decreases, the amount of practice time struggling readers receive decreases, and the teacher's ability to provide intensive and strategic support decreases.
 
If a Special Education student is enrolled in 3rd grade but reading at a 1st-grade level, what level of Voyager Passport instruction should I use?
We suggest that you follow the IEP recommendations to determine what level of instruction is best for your Special Education students.
 
Can Voyager Passport lessons take longer for Special Education students?
Voyager Passport is designed to be taught five days a week, one lesson a day, for 30 to 45 minutes. Slowing down the pace of the lessons and/or reviewing the material more frequently is certainly an option. Instructional leaders should determine an adequate and efficient pace for their Special Education students based on their needs. It is recommended that the instructors still follow the curriculum as explicitly and briskly as possible.
 
What is the difference between Progress Monitoring and Adventure Checkpoints and when are they administered?
Progress Monitoring assessments are the one-minute oral standardized measures, administered between Benchmark periods. Adventure Checkpoints are criterion-referenced assessing skills taught during the previous 10-day cycle. Progress Monitoring occurs every Lesson 5 and Adventure Checkpoints occur at every Lesson 10.
 
What Home Connection feature is included in Voyager Passport A-D?
In Lesson 10 of each Adventure, a Voyager Passport to Reading installment is sent home with students. These are located in the back of the Student Assessment Book. The Voyager Passport provides additional practice at home in skills taught and opportunities for students to read 10-15 minutes at home and record their fluency growth.
 
Who can review benchmark results for the entire school?
These can only be viewed by Campus and District level users. In VPORT, each school (per grade level) will be listed with the results for all completed benchmarks. Many options are available for viewing charts.
 
Who can review benchmark results for the district?
This can only be viewed by District level users. In VPORT, each school (per grade level) will be listed with the results for all completed benchmarks. Many options are available for viewing charts.