Reading Program Enhancement

Without doubt, the capability of a student to communicate, and more specifically to read with comprehension, is the number one prerequisite to success in District 211 high schools. The curriculum is challenging by design. Readings within the curriculum are selected for their ability to help advance student abilities to the post-high school level. This fact is not limited solely to reading within the English department, but rather is true in social studies, science, mathematics, and elective areas.

Unfortunately, students in significant number enter our schools without a reading ability commensurate with expectations for 9th grade. Many of these students enter from conditions of poverty, where the basic materials for learning reading – books and people to read to them – have been lacking all of their lives. Some of these students enter high school a year behind in reading from their peer group; some read at only a second or third grade level.

A great deal of effort has been spent in past years to address this problem. To name just a few of the efforts, additional reading intensive coursework has been put into place; existing English courses have been modified to include more diverse reading material; reading improvement has become a focus in the school improvement plans of all departments, including electives; technology has been utilized; teachers of all subject areas have attended local conferences on reading improvement in their subject area; and summer reading programs have been developed. As a result, there is some evidence that student reading is improving. However, more must be done. It is indisputable that students are still entering our schools unprepared to read at a high school level, and that a greater, more directed effort must be made to address the critical need of this population.

To that end, Associate Superintendent Nancy Robb has conducted several meetings of those individuals most familiar with existing reading instruction programs and in the best position to recommend program improvements. This includes Assistant Superintendent Jeffrey Butzen; Director of Special Education Daniel Cates; Director of Instructional Improvement Lisa Small; chairs from the English, Special Education, and English as a Second Language (ESL) Departments; teachers certified as reading specialists; and other ESL and Special Education Department faculty. Additionally, presentations were made on reading programs and assessment of reading ability. A report summarizing the group’s findings and recommendations is available at: http://www.d211.org/pdf/reading_enhancement.pdf.

At its June 14, 2007 meeting, the Board of Education accepted the recommendations of the Reading Review Committee as presented.