Friday, January 28, 2000
School bets on reading emphasis
BY ANDREA TORTORA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COVINGTON — Every morning, for about 90 minutes, all 400 students at First District Elementary concentrate on their reading.
Hunched over books, they sound out words. In groups and in one-on-one sessions, students call on teachers, parents and other volunteers.
When is a vowel long or short? What does this word mean? Inside Kentucky's poorest performing elementary school — and the third worst school in the state — students are in tune and attentive, begging teachers for a chance to read aloud or to give an answer.
Five months ago, the school started a dozen improvement plans to boost its academic scores and attendance. The efforts, which include a reading program called Success For All — are beginning to yield early signs of success, say parents, teachers and administrators.
“If these kids don't come out of here reading, then something else is wrong,” said India Greer, parent of second-grader Marsha (pronounced marsh ay) and kindergartner Josh. Ms. Greer, who is studying to take a high school equivalency exam, also works and volunteers at the school.
“Now my kids want to read all the time,” she said. “Everywhere we go, they read the signs or the labels. They even correct me when I get something wrong. Honestly, we are all really learning.”
Students and teachers spend 90 minutes reading. Ev ery teacher in the building — 28 — acts as reading teacher. Parents and other volunteers offer daily tutoring sessions.
The efforts are in response to the school's low performance on Kentucky's state exams, which tested fourth- and fifth-graders' abilities in c subjects like reading, math, science and writing. In addition, a statewide “accountability index” released Wednesday put most Covington schools at the bottom.
As a result, all eight schools in the Covington District are working on new strategies this school year to improve scores.
The index measures schools' attendance, drop-out rates and academic records.
First District's accountability index was a 36.4 out of a possible 140. The state's elementary schools averaged 61.3. The highest scoring schools scored in the 80s. All schools are aiming for a 100 by 2014, officials have said.
There is no specific passing or failing grade, but a school with a score in the 30s has more work to do than one with an index of 80, said Lisa Gross, state Education Department spokeswoman.
Covington Schools Superintendent James Kemp said he is pleased with the schools' efforts but he won't be satisfied until the programs demonstrate that students performbetter and learn more.
For example, if the new reading program at First District bears fruit, it is likely to be used throughout the rest of the district, Mr. Kemp said.
So far, at First District this year:
• Attendance has been just below the district goal of 95 percent. That's above the state average of 94 percent.
• After the first eight weeks of the new reading program, every student showed some improvement, with some students moving into higher reading levels.
• Students are being assessed again this week, and reading facilitator Diane Hatfield expects more students to advance.
The real test will be this spring, when fourth- and fifth-graders will take the state exams again.
“I would really like to see gains,” Mrs. Hatfield said, “but this is about being preventive. It's not just a Band-Aid. It takes time.”
First District is fighting poor attendance in kindergarten, a geographically scattered student population, and the school's location in the downtown business district, rather than a residential area, Mr. Kemp said.
Added Ms. Gross, “People who are blessed with high-performing schools don't realize the underlying differences you have sometimes in a school that's not performing well.
“There are all of these intertwined problems in the community. If you can get the parents to come to the school and be involved, that's a good part of the battle right there.”
There is an extra push to get parents involved. Family Resource Director Jan Ising works with families to get students to class.
“We found that some kids were afraid at the bus stop,” Mrs. Ising said. “Others were left with older siblings (who were) not getting them to school on time. The parents just weren't aware.”
Now parents and school staff meet regularly to discuss obstacles to learning and ways to overcome the barriers.
Teachers had to make changes, too, learning new ways to connect with students. For instance, some teachers were writing on the board less and sitting on the floor with their students more.
Principal Betty Wiley said the new methods require “an unbelievable amount of work.”
“But even if results on the tests are not impacted by what we are doing, we are doing the right thing because the kids are reading better.”
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