by Mike Schnitzel
The International Reading Association (IRA) has selected the Willow Road and Wheeler Avenue Elementary schools as two of the five finalists in New York state for the Exemplary Reading Program Award.
"Sometimes it takes an outside agency to come in and validate what we do every day," said Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Lison. "We like to have authentic opportunities for our children to shine, and that is being recognized here."
An IRA review team visited Willow and Wheeler earlier this year and were impressed with what they saw, according to Eileen Hodrinsky, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction .
Working with students, teachers, and parents alike, the district has used the latest technology to assist students with their reading development at all grade levels. For at-risk students who may not be reading at their grade level, programs are individualized to focus on target areas in which those students need improvement, and computers can generate reports that keep track of their daily, weekly, and monthly progress, said Hodrinsky. Computers, books, and other interactive materials are combined to enhance children's reading experience, and teachers are encouraged to experiment with different teaching methods to assist their students, said Lison.
"The board encourages us to take risks," said Lison, "so our teachers are not afraid to try new ideas with their students and then evaluate [their effectiveness]."
She added that one teacher recently incorporated the Winter Olympics into her lesson plan to get the students interested in the material that they were reading.
The district also holds parent workshop series throughout the district to inform parents how they can help with their childrens reading.
"Everybody has a piece of this award," said Board of Education President Cathy Subbiondo. "The administrators, parents, students, teachers, the board. Everyone worked together to make this happen."
Hodrinsky said that curriculum maps were created to lay the groundwork for lessons that teachers would use to help students maintain and improve their reading abilities. The district has a program for students who are behind their grade level in reading. An intervention program called Read 180 uses computer technology and audio-assisted reading to help students make advanced progress with material that is age-appropriate, said Hodrinsky.
Subbiondo noted that the district has used several grants to aid their reading program efforts. District 13 received a grant from the East End Writing Project, and affiliate of the National Writing Project, which will aid the district's staff development. Subbiondo said that by helping enhance the teacher's writing skills, they would be better able to address the literary needs of their students. In addition to a fully-stocked library at every school, the district has reading materials in every classroom. A Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) grant that was received by the district helps to buy magazines, poetry collections, fiction, and non-fiction material for all classrooms, said Hodrinsky. Children also receive three free books per year through the RIF grant which they are allowed to take home. A New York State Technology grant was used to purchase the district's video conferencing equipment and towards staff development programs which help teachers to formulate strategies for reading comprehension improvements.
Among the guidelines set forth by the IRA, candidates for the Exemplary Reading Award must have a reading program that is consistent with sound theory, research and practice. The community must be involved in the reading program and the school or district must offer support services for the program. Students must demonstrate success in reading, and administrators and teachers must provide leadership and vision for the building and/or district reading program.
"They look at an overall exemplary program that allows every child to succeed," said Lison.
Subbiondo said that the district had been working for years on developing a vision for a reading program that integrated technology into lesson plans which incorporated interractions between students, teachers, and parents.
"This shows the fruits of our labors," said Subbiondo. "We changed our practices over the years to get to this level and someone else is telling us that we made it."
The district was supposed to be notified by Mar. 1 who had won the Exemplary Reading Program Award, but as of publication they have not received notification from the International Reading Association.
Comments about this story? Mschnitzel@liherald.com or (516)569-4000 ext. 265.
