Spotlight on High Standards and Teacher Support
East Dover Elementary in the Capital School District has been implementing the Reading First Program with fantastic results. Reading First is a nationally-sponsored reading program for schools serving at-risk populations and with significant achievement gaps between white and minority students. East Dover has implemented Reading First by creating a school wide instructional focus on literacy and has used all available resources to focus on improving student achievement.
How does it work?
- Reading First is a federal grant program that requires schools to provide students with extra supports for reading instruction. East Dover received the grant through its district and has quickly become the state model for how the program should be implemented.
- Colleen Rinker, the Principal at East Dover, worked with her Kindergarten through third grade teachers to build 90-minute reading blocks into their schedules and then brought in a literacy coach and two reading teachers to work with both the teachers and students to ensure that students are receiving the instruction they need to become successful readers. They use a national assessment to benchmark the students’ skills and then customize instruction to meet their individual needs. Students identified as at risk receive extra instruction in select areas and work in small groups to master reading skills.
- East Dover has integrated reading across its curriculum, using it as a focus in all classes, including Art, Music, and even P.E. They have also turned their reading resource room into the reading center of their school, making it a place where teachers and students can go to learn innovative reading techniques, build ideas for lesson plans, and collaborate with other classrooms, all focused on building literacy skills.
- Principal Rinker has used funds flexibly to concentrate her paraprofessional teachers in the early grades to ensure that students have the extra attention they need to build their reading skills. She also has integrated a number of new technologies, including voice amplification devices for reading teachers and mobile assessment tools on palm pilots, into classrooms and assessments to ensure that teachers have the right tools to meet the needs of all students.
What are the results?
- East Dover has made impressive gains on the DSTP over the last four years, raising the number of students at or above the reading standard by 19 percent, and has completely closed the achievement gap in reading between white and minority third graders. 83 percent of all students are now reading at or above the standards. Teachers, the literacy coach, the librarian, and the reading teachers work together collaboratively to ensure that all students receive the instruction they need to become proficient readers.
How does Vision 2015 address an instructional focus?
Vision 2015 recommends:
- making our standards challenging—and supporting each student to make sure they can meet these standards.
- measuring student progress over time, in order to make sure students are on track to meet standards, and providing them the resources they need to meet them.
- aligning content-based teaching tools with classroom-based coaching, so teachers get the support they need to deliver high-quality instruction to every student.
- Giving principals and their leadership teams flexibility in how funds are spent, along with increased accountability for results.
Where can I learn more?
East Dover Elementary School Website
