Reading initiatives post strong results

Students in two of Charleston County schools' flagship literacy initiatives made far more progress in reading last year than they did when they weren't in the program.

Third- and sixth-grade academy participants not only posted stronger gains but also outscored similar high-poverty, low-achieving district students who were in traditional classrooms this past year.

District officials described the gains as significant and the results as exciting.

"I'm very pleased with these results, because they show clearly that when great teachers, additional resources and proven methods are matched with students who need extra help, good things happen, and happen quickly," said School Superintendent Nancy McGinley.

The school board passed a policy earlier this year making literacy the district's top priority after a series of Post and Courier stories revealed that nearly 20 percent of the county's ninth-graders read on a fourth-grade level or worse.

The policy called for the superintendent to craft a district-wide plan to boost students' reading skills.

The district will expand on and improve the third- and sixth-grade academies this year. The most significant changes include:

--Participation in the programs will be mandatory instead of voluntary.

--The number of sixth-graders served will be increased.

--The programs will be offered to first-graders.

An estimated $6.7 million in new money will go to the new literacy efforts this year, while a total of nearly $11 million will be spent on these reading programs.

Third-grade academies

Eleven schools offered third-grade academies last year, kicking off with a three-week summer program. The same highly effective teachers who led those programs stayed with students throughout the year. Class sizes were kept at a 15 to 1 student-to-teacher ratio, and students had an extra four hours of instruction each week. They also took twice as many reading and math classes as students in similar schools.

Educators compared local students' scores with similar students nationally to determine typical growth for a year. Forty-three percent of students in the third-grade academies made substantially more gains than what is considered typical in reading, while the previous year as second-graders, only 24 percent of those students made substantially more gains.

Third-grade academy students also outscored similar district students, with only 34 percent making more than expected progress.

"This is really what we need in a program like this," said Janet Rose, the district's executive director of assessment and accountability. "We need our students to catch up. The program is absolutely a lot more effective for our lowest-scoring kids."

Results in math also were strong, with 46 percent of third-graders making substantially higher gains than what is typical compared with only 28 percent doing so the previous year as a second-grader.

This year, officials plan to expand the third-grade academies to 12 sites and increase from 19 to 24 classes. The money that had been going toward an extended school day now will be spent on associate teachers who will work with the classrooms' lead teachers. They also will keep tabs on students leaving the third-grade academies and give them extra help as fourth-graders.

Sixth Grade Academy

The Sixth Grade Academy opened at the former Ron McNair Elementary School building in North Charleston last fall to serve 130 students. The program was not mandatory, which became a problem because many of the district's lowest-scoring students who could have benefited from it opted out, said Chief Academic Officer Doug Gepford.

The academy started with a two-week summer program, class sizes were kept small, and the school day was extended by 45 minutes.

Still, results were strong. Forty-one percent of students made substantially more gains than what is considered typical for reading, while as fifth-graders, only 28 percent of those students made substantially more gains.

Sixth Grade Academy students also outscored similar district students, with only 34 percent of those students making more than expected progress.

"Those are very significant increases in the number of kids making substantially large gains," Rose said.

Students who entered the academy scoring at higher levels didn't make as much progress as similar students who weren't in the Sixth Grade Academy. That's an issue that was recognized mid-year, and it will be addressed this year because the district's lowest-scoring students will be required to participate, Gepford said. They will take higher-achieving students' spots, who will return to regular classrooms, he said.

The program will expand to a total of six sites this year and grow to serve 360 students. The district used a more rigorous process to choose the best-performing teachers for the program, and the sites will use a curriculum piloted at West Ashley High School that teaches reading as if it's a foreign language.

Going forward

Educators hope to see fewer students who need these kinds of programs, and school board members seemed pleased with the first-year results.

"If a child has fallen behind, given the data, I think we'd be doing a disservice if we don't provide this to the kids who need it the most," said board Chairwoman Ruth Jordan. "We have fought for this, we have funded it, and we need to make sure that all students have access to participate so we can move students forward."

Reach Diette Courrégé at 937-5546 or dcourrege@postandcourier.com.