By GRAYSON LEE MAXWELL
Rutherford County Schools
David Youree elementary students are receiving a boost in reading instruction thanks to a recent acquirement of the 95% program.
Using Title I funds, the school has purchased program materials for students in grades K-2, which supplements the school district’s recent implementation of the program in elementary schools for grades 3-5. Other Title I schools have also chosen to purchase the program for grades K-2.
The best part about 95%, other than its success rate, is how familiar the instructional coaches already are with the program.
“I used the 95% program with my intervention kids,” David Youree instructional coach Heather Keweza said. “I was a classroom teacher, but I also taught tier two and tier three intervention. And so we just saw so much growth with that particular program.”
The need for remediation comes, on what many hope, are the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic. The instructional coaches and teachers at David Youree understand there’s a pressing need to get kids caught up on critical lessons they may have missed while quarantining and learning from home.
“How do I go back and fill in a whole year of kindergarten for a kid that missed it? (A kid) who was online or didn't have that face-to-face with the teacher?” Keweza said. “This one is going to target specific, smaller portions of what kids are missing because we've noticed some of our kids really only needed a few blocks filled in — this program will help us do that.”
Another benefit of acquiring 95% — students who just need specific skill remediation don’t need to be moved to intervention. The key point here is targeted instruction. The 95% program is not a catch all net, but a precise tool.
About 150 kids already in intervention will be using the program, with more added as teachers who provide tier two intervention are learning how to incorporate the materials, Keweza said.
“I hope the impact is that we see less kids in intervention,” Keweza said. “In the fall, there were so many kids that just fell below percentile. And you can only serve so many. So I hope with this program we see less of that and our kids are actually able to read – and read independently.”
David Youree Principal Monica Wilkerson intends for the program to have long-term effects on students as they progress through elementary school and beyond.
“Hopefully with our remediation in K through two, by the time they get to third, fourth and fifth, they won't need as much intervention to fill those gaps,” Wilkerson said.
The overall impact? To change the reading growth trajectory of David Youree students.
“I think it would be great,” Wilkerson added, “to see more of the difference in them wanting to read and not feeling defeated by reading.”