Reading program key to student success

Students at Sisters Elementary School have a team of people looking to ensure all students are provided the instructional support they need to make them successful.

One of the key pieces is the reading program.

Stephanie Jensen, the Title I Reading Specialist, along with Kori Cantrell, the special education teacher, and other teachers and administrators work to "close the achievement gap" for all students by working together to develop reading skills early.

The Federal Title I Program is one of the nation's oldest and largest federally funded programs for education - around $14 billion annually. The original Title I program was enacted in 1965 within the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to bridge the discrepancy between low-income students and other students. In 1994, the policy was rewritten to include helping all students at risk of failing.

A recent revision of the original act, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) will continue academic support for students regardless of outside factors like race, income, zip code, home language and others.

In Sisters School District staff and administrators review all students' progress three times a year.

"It really is a team effort," Jensen says. "Parents are the students' first teachers. We try to create a partnership between classroom teachers, parents and specialists in order to best serve each student."

While all students are provided with strong skills-based core instruction in the classroom, students that may need additional academic support in reading and math are identified. This multi-tiered level of support allows for additional instruction and parent participation.

"Outside programs like SMART (Start Making A Reader Today) are wonderful to help focus on early literacy," says Sisters Elementary School Principal Becky Stoughton. "The SMART program's involvement in the SPRD Community Preschool helps to support Sisters younger learners. Parents can help at home too by reading to their children every night.

"Research shows that if parents and guardians read to their children, they will become stronger readers," says Stoughton. "Reading to children from birth to school-age years also helps to begin early literacy skills and support what we are doing in the classroom."

Through the identification process, students who demonstrate a need for support and small group intervention are typically placed with between four and five students with similar skill levels.

"We try to get to know the students as a whole, as a collaboration between the student, the teacher and a specialist," says Jensen. "When the kids come to group we work to help grow their skills."

Community members may remember specialized reading instruction as being a disruption to the school day. Students used to have to miss out on a class like PE, music or art to attend a special reading study group. All that has changed.

"The older model didn't feel good for the students," says Jensen. "They felt as though they were missing out on something they really enjoyed - like art or PE - in order to be in the reading program which led to the group being less successful. Now, we try to schedule the specialized program at a time that works well for the students. It's very fluid - it moves from room to room and even instructor to instructor."

Those students who receive specialized instruction have their progress monitored frequently. If, after a period of instruction in the small groups, there is still a concern, school staff work together to implement an individualized reading intervention.

Grade-level instructors meet together monthly with the specialist team and monitor both the effectiveness of the teaching and how the students are growing.

"The whole staff works together to plan and deliver instruction in the most effective way to our students," Jensen says.

The Schulers recently moved to Sisters last October. Their son has struggled with reading and math, and they struggled to work with the staff and administration within their previous district.

"School can be frustrating as a parent," says Jeff Schuler, the father of a fourth-grader at Sisters Elementary School. "Everything revolves around reading - even math with story problems. If your child's reading skills are not at the level they need to be, then their math skills will suffer, even if they are confident in math.

"With a 'gray area' child, we are looking for support," says Schuler. "The first time we sat down with Ms. Parsons and Mr. Warburton we knew this was a personal and caring community that was invested in our child. At our last district, when we would go to a meeting with teachers and other staff we felt like we were part of a grand jury. My wife and I would come home almost in tears. We never saw the kind of compassion (we see at SES) and we were never given the tools to help our son be successful.

"The elementary school has a personal touch. We only have one child - a teacher has a whole classroom. Our son's teachers take time with him and show compassion, and together they make it through thick and thin. He has been getting better and better every week, and we don't get anxiety for parent-teacher conferences. Regardless of how he is doing, we know there will be a game-plan and follow-through."

There was recently a meeting for Title I-eligible students and parents. The specialized instruction provides several ways for parents to become great partners in their children's education. Tips shared for parents at that meeting included making time to share books, taking turns to read, what to do when your child gets stuck, avoiding blame and even using technology through apps and other sources.

"We encourage parents and students to read every night," says Jensen. "Promote where your child's interest is - find a series that hooks readers, utilize the library and e-readers. Whatever motivates your child, find books, magazines or articles about it and talk about the subject when you can. Simple tools like that will help develop a great reader."

The Sisters Elementary School, through the Parent Teacher Community, hosted a reading night in January for the entire school and several families attended. Tools like utilizing the local library and online resources were discussed. Many of these items shared tips and tricks about motivating young readers and enhancing and encouraging reading skills at home.

"We are very proactive parents," says Schuler. "But there has to be effective support on both sides. Sisters School District, in the last three months, has been a joy to interact with. If I had to live in a tent for my son to attend this district, I would do it."

Volunteers are utilized to lead groups and assist with the reading team. Community members are welcome to volunteer for the program. All interested people need to be screened by the Sisters School District and train with Stephanie Jensen. For more information or to volunteer with the program, contact Jensen at [email protected]