ABERDEEN, S.D. – A team of Aberdeen Public School District educators has been working hard behind the scenes to improve outcomes in reading and writing among students.
The Aberdeen Public Schools Literacy Committee is made up of a small group of elementary teachers and administrators, all working toward the goals of the district’s elementary literacy plan.
“The main goal is building confident readers—increasing the student’s ability to read fluently, to comprehend written text,” said Bailey Mohr, Elementary Instructional Coach/Coordinator for Aberdeen Public Schools.
Specifically, the goals of the Aberdeen Public School District Elementary Literacy Plan are:
· Increase student ability to read fluently and to comprehend written text and spoken language.
· Build confident readers.
· Increase assessment proficiency on standardized assessments.
· Provide a consistent tiered system of reading support across the district.
· Expand reading strategies for all K-5 students.
· Reduce Tier 3 referrals.
· Provide early reading interventions within the least restrictive environment.
The district is currently on year one of the four-year literacy plan, which focuses on core instruction. This year also involved establishing the committee and Mohr’s role, as well as training teachers in practices that align with the science of reading. All elementary classroom teachers, EL teachers, special education teachers and Title reading teachers have been working to complete AIM Pathways to Proficient reading training.
Mohr said the committee has met throughout the school year and has completed training to better understand the science of reading and effective literacy instruction.
“It’s a group that has been very thoughtful, very thorough, and taken a lot of time,” Mohr said. “They’re really invested in what we’re doing.”
The committee has also studied the district’s ELA standards in preparation of the school district adopting a new K-5 ELA curriculum for next school year, Mohr said. The new ELA curriculum is expected to be up for adoption by the School Board on April 14.
“It has been wonderful collaborating with this committee, successfully choosing the curriculum and watching our plan materialize,” said committee member Jaime Tiff, Title I Reading Teacher at O.M. Tiffany. “As a group we know the importance in reading proficiency and that it leads to being able to excel in other subject areas. We also would love to find a way to show them what it is like to enjoy reading when they are confident.”
Plan includes Communication with Families
Communication between teachers and families is a big part of the plan, Mohr said, including the creation of:
· A digital literacy hub that teachers and staff can access.
· Monthly family literacy newsletter.
· Weekly staff literacy newsletter.
The district’s literacy plan aligns with a statewide literacy initiative, as well as a nationwide focus on the science of reading.
“Literacy is unbelievably important, and it all starts in elementary school,” Mohr said. “Students learn foundational reading skills starting in kindergarten and then continue to build on those skills throughout school with the goal of becoming confident readers who comprehend what they read. The foundational reading skills include phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension.”
Parents Play an Important Role
When it comes to literacy, parents play an important role.
“Reading with your child is very important but also paying attention to where your child is at in their reading journey,” Mohr said.
They can also reach out to teachers.
“Our teachers are eager to work with parents on how to improve students’ reading skills,” she said.
Tiff said parents are sometimes worried that they should not be reading to their children anymore and that their children should be doing all the reading.
“Our students need to 'hear' good readers and have great conversations about what was read,” she said. “This will broaden their vocabulary and literacy skills while spending time with their parents.”
Parents can also ask questions and have a conversation about what their child is reading, she said.
Literacy Committee Members
Below are the members of the Aberdeen Public School District Literacy Committee:
· Sara Tennant, Title Teacher, Lincoln Elementary
· Hope Joachim, Title Teacher, Mike Miller Elementary
· Kelli Helms, Title Teacher, May Overby Elementary
· Jaime Tiff, Title Teacher, O.M. Tiffany Elementary
· Amelia Whittlinger, Title Teacher, Mike Miller Elementary
· Lindsey Osborne, Kindergarten Teacher, C.C. Lee Elementary
· Kayla Krause, 2nd Grade Teacher, Mike Miller Elementary
· Amanda Hatzenbuhler, 4th Grade Teacher, Simmons Elementary
· Shannon Scheel, 1st Grade Teacher, Lincoln Elementary
· Gretchen Rux, 3rd Grade Teacher, May Overby Elementary
· Chandra Johnson, 5th Grade Teacher, C.C. Lee Elementary
· Sheena Buckhouse, English Language Teacher, O.M. Tiffany Elementary
· Abby Miller, SPED Teacher, Simmons Elementary
· Bailey Mohr, Instructional Coach, Aberdeen Public School District
· Kim Aman, Principal, Simmons Elementary
· Chris Osborn, Principal, C.C. Lee Elementary
· Nicole Olson, SPED Director, Aberdeen Public School District
· Camille Kaul, Assistant Superintendent, Aberdeen Public School District
· Carla Clark, Librarian, Aberdeen Public School District
About the Aberdeen Public School District
The Aberdeen Public School District provides a comprehensive educational program to approximately 4,200 students in grades K-12, with a mission of empowering all students to succeed in a changing world. Our students receive the knowledge and skills necessary to reach their potential in a global community through high expectations of academic achievement; diverse educational opportunities; and community involvement in a safe, supportive environment. Learn more at aberdeen.k12.sd.us.