Educators Look to Improve Students’ Reading Skills
Over 40 educators from across Kansas met recently to learn how to improve student achievement in reading in order to enhance state test scores. Schools nationwide must meet Adequate Yearly Progress through state assessments in order to meet requirements of the No Child Left Behind Legislation.
The workshop, called Countdown to AYP with Reading Sprints, was organized by the Jones Institute for Educational Excellence and held Tuesday, October 24, 2006.
“This workshop is designed to help content area teachers understand how students might struggle with reading textbooks and offer them tools they can use to read informational text,” said Carol Hailey, the workshop’s presenter. Hailey explained if the content area teacher, such as a math or science teacher, can improve the students’ reading skills through the use of the subject’s text, the student will be learning the subject as well.
“These strategies apply across all subjects,” said Beth Lang, a high school teacher in the Wamego School District who attended the workshop. Lang explained the workshop’s strategies can be applied to all subject areas and therefore the reading scores required to meet AYP are not the sole responsibility of the English/language arts department.
Hailey has taught middle and high school English for over 30 years. She is currently the K-12 Reading/Language Arts Resource Specialist for Shawnee Mission USD #512. Hailey conducts staff development for the district, assists schools in developing school improvement and AYP plans, and serves on school improvement teams.
For more information about this workshop, contact Toni Bowling at 620-341-5372 or 1-877-378-5433, mbowling@emporia.edu.
Educators in attendance at the workshop included:
USD 229, Blue Valley – Sara Johnson, Amanda Monroe, Diane Robertson, Deb Satariano
USD 251, North Lyon County – Brian Hadley, Jennifer Richmond
USD 252, South Lyon County – Dianne Heins, Jack Oglesby, Marilyn Stueve
USD 253, Emporia – Carson Matile, Valerie Ringler
USD 262, Valley Center – Becky Cox
USD 288, Central Heights – Debbie Hampton, Cortney Kinyon
USD 290, Ottawa – Ryan Cobbs, Angie Flax, Michelle Gray
USD 320, Wamego – Beth Lang, Tracy Schlegel
USD 335, North Jackson – Joyce Cochren, Lori Henry, Mary Williams
USD 373, Newton – Jennifer Milton, Sonya Peña, Melissa Wright
USD 383, Manhattan – Julie Disbrow, Shelley Faerber, Kathleen Jones, Summer Lunsway, Beth Neitzel, Lori O'Brien, Jamie Svoboda
USD 396, Douglass – Jennifer Bailey, John Eaton, Jill Grimmett, Joli Skaer
USD 413, Chanute – Stacey Henson, Ryan Painter
USD 446, Independence – Tara Maltsberger, Christine Pelton
USD 497, Lawrence – Julie Schwarting, Wendie Wilcken
USD 498, Valley Heights – Pam Lauer, Lora Whetzal
Last Updated July 2, 2007>