ELA Department Celebrates Student Reading

Megan Gregory (PreK-5 Humanities Curriculum Coordinator) and Laura Messner (6-12 English Department Chair) celebrated how SPS teachers foster a love of reading. Across the schools, teachers encourage student choice in books they read, and expose them to new authors, titles and genres. The libraries at each school support students’ enthusiasm for reading by helping match students to titles. 

In order for students to enjoy reading, they need to be proficient readers. SPS teachers explicitly teach foundational skills, moving towards strategic reading for all students. Elementary schools benchmark K-5 students three times a year to track reading achievement and progress.  

The elementary fall 2023 data is highlighted below, compared to fall 2022 scores which are represented by the lighter bars. The data shows that we are reducing the percentage of students at risk, and increasing the percentage of students exceeding expectations in reading. This data is used by grade level teams to identify instructional focus areas for each student. Please note that Kindergarten benchmarking is wrapping up now, and those results will be shared with families next week. 

Gates and SHS teachers will pilot benchmark assessment of all students 6-12 this year, providing teachers with individual student Lexile measures. This data will be used to open pathways for students across the curriculum to access the most rigorous coursework available, and will further support teachers’ efforts to personalize learning for all students.

Teachers grow lifelong readers at SPS through targeted instruction and a focus on sparking students’ interest.