MultiLit (“Making Up Lost Time in Literacy”) is a leader in effective literacy instruction in Australasia. Our programs are uniquely placed to be effective because they:
- Have all been supported by scientific research
- Have been demonstrated to be effective
- Are comprehensive and balanced to suit the needs of each child
As a research initiative of Macquarie University, the company’s publications, training and reading centres are continually informed by an ongoing body of scientific research and development. The research team is led by Professor Kevin Wheldall, who on Australia Day 2011 was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to children’s literacy.
MultiLit has provided assistance to thousands of low-progress readers through a variety of settings, including schools, our own reading centres and community based literacy projects across Australia, New Zealand and Asia.
We are fortunate at MultiLit that each day we watch children blossom – the passport to the magical world of literacy and of learning being revealed through our programs.
History
| 1995 | – | MultiLit began as a research initiative at the Macquarie University Special Education Centre, led by Professor Kevin Wheldall with Dr Robyn Wheldall (Beaman). |
| 1996 | – | MultiLit and the Exodus Foundation established the Schoolwise Program at a tutorial centre for socially disadvantaged youths in Ashfield. |
| 1998 | – | First edition of the MultiLit Reading Tutor Program (RTP) was published. |
| 2000 | – | National Reading Panel in the United States identified and recommended 5 elements as necessary for effective reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. |
| 2001 | – | Gladstone MultiLit Tutorial Centre established in Queensland to improve the literacy skills of the community’s adolescents. |
| 2004 | – | MultiLit short-listed and highly commended for Macquarie University Innovations Award for Innovative Partnerships. |
| 2005 | – | Working with Indigenous leader, Noel Pearson, Professor Kevin Wheldall and Dr Robyn Wheldall (Beaman) began pilot studies using MultiLit programs with Indigenous students in Coen, Cape York. |
| – | National Enquiry into the Teaching of Literacy in Australia reiterated the findings and recommendations of the National Reading Panel in the US. | |
| – | Professor Kevin Wheldall and Dr Robyn Wheldall (Beaman) awarded the Macquarie University Community Outreach Award for 2005 for their MultiLit work with disadvantaged and Indigenous students. | |
| – | MultiLit short-listed and highly commended for Macquarie University Innovations Award for Innovative Partnerships. | |
| 2006 | – | MultiLit Pty Ltd was formed as a spin-off company of Macquarie University. |
| - | The MultiLit Research Unit was established to continue research in the area of literacy. | |
| – | The Rose Report in the United Kingdom reconfirmed findings from both the National Reading Panel and the National Inquiry into the Teaching of Reading. | |
| – | The Schoolwise Program was expanded to a second site in Redfern serving socially disadvantaged inner city Indigenous youth. | |
| 2007 | – | First revision of the Reading Tutor Program was published. |
| – | The funding and the embedding of MultiLit programs in four Cape York schools as part of the Welfare Reform Trial was legislated by the Commonwealth Government in the Indigenous Education (Targeted Assistance) Amendment (Cape York Measures) Bill 2007. | |
| – | MultiLit short-listed and highly commended for Macquarie University Innovations Award for Innovative Partnerships. | |
| 2008 | – | MultiLit tutorial centres were set up in three school sites in Cape York, Hopevale, Mossman and Coen, to run a formal literacy program for Indigenous students struggling with literacy. |
| – | MultiLit worked with the Parikrma Humanity Foundation in Bangalore, India, assisting them in providing the MultiLit RTP program to disadvantaged students. | |
| 2009 | – | Recognition of the MultiLit Reading Tutor Program under the National Partnership on Literacy and Numeracy by the NSW Department of Education and Training. |
| – | Provision of the MultiLit Reading Tutor Program and MiniLit Program to Indigenous students in Cape York was extended to an additional school site in Aurukun, as part of the Welfare Reform Trial. | |
| – | Sponsored in part by the Commonwealth Government, the Schoolwise Program was yet again expanded as 3 new sites were established in Darwin with a focus on supporting Indigenous youth. | |
| - | The publication of the Word Attack Skills Extension Program designed for students who have completed the Word Attack Skills element included in the RTP but who require continued support to master more complex decoding skills. | |
| 2010 | – | By 2010 over 1,500 students have been supported via the MultiLit partnership with The Exodus Foundation in three states or territories of Australia. |
| – | MultiLit collaborated with the New South Wales Department of Education and Training in the development of an online version of the MultiLit Reading Tutor Program. | |
| – | A successful randomised trial for a new early literacy instruction program called MiniLit was begun. | |
| – | Recognition of RTP under the National Partnership on Literacy and Numeracy by WA Department of Education and Training. | |
| 2011 | – | The MiniLit program for meeting initial needs in literacy was published. |
| – | Delivery of MutiLit’s first online program – Reading Tutor Program online. | |
| – | Professor Kevin Wheldall awarded the Order of Australia (AM) for service to education as an academic and researcher, particularly in the areas of learning and behavioural difficulties, and through the design and implementation of innovative literacy programs. | |
| 2012 | – | In collaboration with the National Centre for Indigenous Excellence (NCIE), MultiLit began a trial of the Online Reading Tutor Program with Indigenous students in remote locations in Australia. |
| – | The publication of PreLit, a preschool literacy program designed to complement a play based learning environment through brief periods of daily instruction focussing on phonological awareness and storybook reading. | |
| – | Kevin Wheldall was appointed Emeritus Professor of Education, Macquarie University. |
