Mat-Su School District launches AK Reads program

A person’s ability to read is a critical predictor of educational and lifelong success. Beginning in kindergarten and continuing through the third grade and beyond, a strong reading program gives students the best possible chance to maximize their education.

Before third grade, students are learning to read. Beginning in fourth grade and beyond, a student must be prepared to read to learn across all subject areas.

To address the crucial time for a child to develop their reading skills, Governor Mike Dunleavy signed into law last year the Alaska Reads Act.

The Alaska Reads Act is a bill that creates a statewide comprehensive K-3 reading policy designed to improve reading outcomes. The policy expands high-quality pre-kindergarten opportunities for four and five year olds, provides direct support and intervention services for low-performing schools, ensures early identification of struggling readers, and requires reading intervention services for K-3 students who need more help to become successful readers.

Since the start of the current school year, school teachers and staff have been hard at work implementing the Alaska Reads Act as part of the school board’s goal for all students to be proficient readers by the end of 3rd grade.

During the latest MSBSD school board meeting on October 4, MSBSD Superintendent Dr. Randy Trani gave a presentation, explaining that they are beginning to identify students who may need extra interventions to build up their reading skills. The district will be using several factors to help assess students, including testing in the fall, but he acknowledged that it isn’t a perfect system as parents can opt out of testing, students might be sick or on vacation.

“There’s students we don’t have a score for, and that’s a problem. We don’t know how they’re doing,” he said during the presentation.

Based on current scores from the MAP test, Dr. Trani reported that 71% of third grade students tested were not projected to be proficient in reading come the spring, while 29% are projected to be either proficient or advanced in their reading skills.

“That’s very alarming. It’s concerning. We have a lot of work to do.” He said that this isn’t just a problem here in the Mat-Su Borough, but all across the state, necessitating the passage of the AK Reads Act.

The numbers were only slightly better for 4th graders, with 64% projected to be not-proficient and 36% are expected to be proficient or advanced. The fifth graders were nearly split in the results.

“You do see the pattern that as kids get older, we’re getting better results, we’re gaining on it. But we would still hope that more than 51% are proficient or advanced.” Dr. Trani did express that he realizes there is a lot of work to be done.

There are other assessments that will be used and analyzed to determine students’ skills and proficiency, including AimsWeb testing, iReady assessments and the AK Star.

“There is a lot of information, and we don’t rely on just one test to assess where a child is. The AK Reads act will focus on the (MAP) testing, but we do use the others to help inform our instruction.”

Students who may require additional intervention services will use services based on the Science of Reading. Reading intervention must be provided in addition to, not in replace of, the core reading instruction which is provided to all students in a general education classroom.

Andrea Everett, Associate Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Andrea Everett reported in September that implementation is ongoing of the Alaska Reads Act, and that the plans have been submitted to the state Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) for approval.

A plan for each kindergarten through third grade school will be based on a multi-tiered system of support or response to intervention tiered framework for planning evidence-based reading instruction and intervention.

The bill’s reading policy includes early education program grants, early screening, parent involvement, teacher training, direct support for low-performing schools, and intensive reading intervention. Fundamental principles include: statewide teacher training on reading instruction and job-embedded training through department-employed reading specialists, ensuring all teachers have the knowledge and skill to teach reading to all students, including students with severe reading difficulties such as dyslexia; focusing existing state and/or federal funds to support policy implementation, including new funding through grants; early literacy screening tool administered three times each school year in grades K-3 to identify students with potential reading difficulties.

Another important component to AK Reads Act is timely parent notification for any student identified with a reading difficulty in grades K-3, along with the development of individual reading plans with the parents being involved, using recommended evidence-based reading interventions geared towards decreasing the reading deficit. Also, home reading strategies and/or programs are provided so parents can support their child at home.

Students can expect their progress to be monitored more frequently ng reading difficulties, along with interventions during the school day and before/after school.

One thing to remember for assessing third grade students is that there are multiple pathways provided to students to demonstrate reading skills required for progression to fourth grade, so one test on one day is not the determining factor. Good cause exemptions for appropriate grade-level progression are provided that recognize the special needs of some students with disabilities, English language learners, and students who have previously experienced delayed grade-level progression.

Dr. Trani told board members that they are currently developing resources to give to parents that they can use at home to supplement the instruction and interventions they use in the classroom.

For more information about the Alaska Reads Act, please visit www.matsuk12.us/matsureads