Published: July 23, 2008 04:45 pm            

County school to make reading a priority in upcoming year

NEWTON — Newton County School District’s number one goal for the 2008-2009 school year is to “Make Literacy King,” according to Pat Ross, Newton County Superintendent of Education.

“There is a large amount of research indicating that students who fall one or two years behind in their reading skills development will eventually end up dropping out of school.” Ross said. “In order to try and reduce the chance of this happening, the Newton County School District will put into place several strategies this year. Although we want to make sure we identify struggling readers early and supply interventions, we also realize the importance of providing material and opportunities that challenge all students.”

Ross said in order to follow through with the NCSD goals, the following strategies have been developed which will be put into place during the upcoming school year.

• Teach students a love for reading - We need to supply reading materials that interest students while we give them opportunities for casual reading as well as required reading. This strategy, probably more than others, will really involve parents and related family members getting involved and promoting a love for reading.

• Identify Lexile levels for all students - Lexiles are simply a way of measuring  the reading level of students. We will be identifying these levels first with struggling readers, and eventually with all students to make sure we are giving reading materials on the correct level, but also challenging them to increase that level.

• Identify reading deficiencies and address them during the first 45 days of school. It is vital, especially at the elementary level, that we assess students early and identify any students having reading difficulties; however we also realize it is just as important to take the data from those assessments and and make a plan for attacking those weaknesses. One part of our plan in addressing these needs is utilizing the FastForward reading program. This program, which is based on 15-20 years of brain research done by the company Scientific Learning, will be available in each elementary classroom for all elementary students. This program is so valuable because it offers remediation not only for those struggling readers, but also acceleration for those students looking to improve their reading abilities. It is our hope that we can expand this program to the middle and high school levels in the next two years.

4. Provide all teachers, especially middle and high school teachers, with professional development on how to incorporate reading in all subject areas. Research indicates that the nation’s most successful schools have learned how to teach reading through, not only the core subjects, but also the arts programs. Reading is a skill that has been relegated to elementary schools, but it is our goal to incorporate reading in each area at all levels; K-12.”

The Newton County School District’s reading initiative is just one of the goals for the upcoming school year.

“If the NCSD addresses the reading needs of all students, then the school district will be on the right track to attaining the most important goal of improving student achievement,” Ross said. “The district’s leadership, teachers, and staff realize the importance of attacking this goal with the help of the community, parents, and extended family. We look forward to working with these groups as we continue the education of the students of the Newton County School District.”

        

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