Third-graders at Adrian Elementary School, in the poorest county in Oregon, have the highest reading proficiency scores in the state, reports Steven Mitchell of The Enterprise. Test scores were low before the pandemic in rural Malheur County. But four years ago, the district hired a reading specialist and began teaching students the sounds that go with letters, also known as phonics, he writes.
Last school year, 81.3% of Adrian third graders were proficient readers, compared to 39% of third graders statewide.
This year's third graders are the best prepared she's ever taught, says Kelsey Zimmerman. On the walls of her classroom are posters showing how to use punctuation marks, reminders on skills such as comparing and contrasting and cause and effect, and “big idea words,” such as “loyal” sovereignty,” democracy,” and “civic.”
During a recent class, "students shot their hands up with excitement . . . especially when it came to learning multiple-meaning words in vocabulary. Think, bark on a tree versus bark like a dog, or bear in the woods versus bear a load."
"They love reading," says the third-grade teacher.
Asher Lehrer-Small of Houston Landing takes readers inside a Houston middle school that went from an F rating to a B after one year of Superintendent Mike Miles' sweeping -- and very controversial -- reforms.
Forest Brook Middle School's principal, Alicia Lewis, says students are working harder, and sometimes go home tired. But they're improving.
Over a 45-minute period, Tyrone Greaves "pushes students to tackle four complicated math problems without pausing, blitzing through questions about college savings, scholarships and accrued interest. He rotates between assigning individual work, partner collaboration and full-class discussion, ensuring students have the chance to try to solve, then review, each problem."
Then students take a short quiz to determine who stays in the room for more instruction and who goes to a study center to work independently on more difficult questions. Lehrer-Small saw a sixth-grader jump with joy when she earned a score that qualified her for accelerated work. "Let's go, I finally did it," she said.
All core academic classes follow that model, ensuring that students who need more time and attention get it.
Forest Brook Middle School is obviously differentiating its teaching of mathematics, a good idea because it builds social cohesion, which is undervalued by those who want to accelerate some children, leaving others behind (a practice George W. Bush objected to -- although the deficiencies inherent in his centralizing government became more obvious when he worked to nationalize his compassionate approach during his illegitimate first term).
Houston never fails to surprise us! Concurrent with the Forest Brook Middle School success is the exposure of a teacher certification cheating scandal that will affect thousands.