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This will be the last part of a three-part series on what might be called: “How To Save Children Who Cannot Read.”

We started with a review of a column in the Indianapolis Star by Bill Stanczykiewicz (no, I still cannot pronounce his name), who is president and CEO of the Indiana Youth Institute. His column examined the recent report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, arguably the country’s leading educational research group. Bill S. started his comments with: “Not enough Indiana students are able to read by the end of third grade,” and he followed with: “Indiana’s third-grade reading scores rank 23rd in a nation that ranks only 11th in the world.” Sorry to say, Richmond’s reading scores rank below the Indiana average. And I added the immodest comment that “this is the same conclusion that we amateurs here in Richmond reached three years ago as the motivation in starting the Third Grade Academy.”

Now, on to last week’s blog titled “What Is ‘Summer Slide’?” A brief description of this phenomenon was given, namely that research shows that “Summer Slide” means that a summer without “an engaging school environment” can cause students to lose about one month’s worth of grade-level skills. Why is this very important, even crucial? Let me quote just one paragraph from that blog:

“This is a serious setback that falls most heavily on kids in the lower socio-economic levels. Not only that, it has negative effects beyond the next grade. Recent research shows that by the ninth grade, some two-thirds of the socio-economic achievement gap can be traced to summer slides. Blaming demographics is a favorite excuse, although it is true that there is strong correlation between a student’s economic background and his or her success in school. What this research shows is that the achievement gap is less due to just “being poor” than specifically the cumulative effect of the Summer Slide.”

We’re all familiar with various remedies for this learning gap, principally various types of summer schools, which are rarely effective, and usually do not reach those most in need. So this is where the Third Grade Academy steps in. (Here comes the sales pitch.)

The primary purpose of the Third Grade Academy has always been to try to remedy the gap that has already developed in third-graders who failed the all-important third grade ISTEP reading test. What hasn’t been fully realized is that the Academy also attacks this portion of the summer slide. That is, our pre- and post-tests have shown that students in this four-week intensive summer reading program increase their scores by a remarkable 50%. What isn’t shown (or realized) is that the program also eliminates maybe another 20% loss that otherwise would result from a summer slide.

Another factor, also rarely realized, is that this improvement for the lowest-performing students should save a lot of time that is always expended by fourth grade teachers who must conduct “refresher lessons” for the poor performers to try to bring them up to speed at the beginning of school in the Fall. Not only should this help fourth grade teachers with less time remediating the low performers, but now the higher achievers have more time from the teachers.

Incidentally, the state covers 60-70% of the cost of summer school teachers. Richmond Community Schools allocates funds covering 50% of the costs of the Third Grade Academy, the rest coming from private donations. We feel that the Academy is a worthwhile benefit for the local school system, and of course, the children.

–Vic Jose

Vic Jose :: Jun.27.2010 :: Uncategorized ::

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