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Early Literacy Pilot:
Huge Success! |
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Through the third grade, school age children are learning to read; after the third grade they are reading to learn. Knox County has had too many students not reading at grade level at the end of third grade, so the Great Schools Partnership piloted a program to tackle this problem during the last school year.
The First Grade Reading Intervention Program is a targeted reading program that was implemented at 5 Knox County Elementary Schools -- Inskip, Green Magnet, Beaumont, Norwood and Christenberry. At the beginning of the school year, between 8%-30% of the kids (depending on the school) were reading on grade level. By the end of the school year, the program produced phenomenal results. The percentage of children reading at grade level at the end of their 1st grade year:
- Inskip - 98%
- Green - 87%
- Beaumont - 86%
- Norwood - 83%
- Christenberry - 82%
The Great Schools Partnership, with financial support from the United Way of Greater Knoxville, is expanding this reading program in to nine additional schools this fall.
The Knox County Commission and Mayor also saw the benefits of this early reading intervention and designated $3 million dollars in this year's budget for reading intervention in Kindergarten through 3rd grades. We look forward to reporting the results to you throughout this next year. |
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We look forward to reporting on the success of our summer "bridge" program in our next newsletter. |
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Books Open, TV Off -- Adventures Happen |
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Be on the look out for the Children's Reading Foundation signs "Books Open, TV Off -- Adventures Happen". CRF has provided the yard signs to the Knox County Elementary Schools and their staff to display in yards throughout Knoxville. The Knox County Chapter of the Children's Reading Foundation began its Knox County reading campaign a little over a year ago. The campaign focuses on encouraging reading at least 20 minutes a day with your child from the time they are born.
This school year, CRF of Knox County is continuing its KIDS WHO READ SUCCEED program in the Knox County Schools in grades K-3. This program motivates and encourages the children to read at least 20 minutes every day outside of school. The goal is for the students to spend more time reading with the objective of improving their reading skills and creating a love for reading.
This year, CRF provided each teacher with a colorful, laminated reading chart to display in the classroom to use in establishing a routine where the students will regularly chart their minutes with a marker. Then when they reach a specified goal, they get to ring the classroom READ 20 bell, which will recognize them for their achievement in front of their classmates. Ringing the bell will create a healthy competitive spirit among the students -- motivating each student to read more often.
With a continued focus on making reading a daily habit, The Children's Reading Foundation of Knox County continues to cultivate a culture of young readers. Karns Elementary reported that their school achieved their Accelerated Reader goal in 2011-12 because of the additional focus the KIDS WHO READ SUCCEED program placed on reading. During the previous school year prior to the introduction of the KIDS WHO READ SUCCEED program, they only achieved approximately 70% of their school goal.
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