- Utah lawmakers aim to improve reading with a $16 million initiative.
- Mona Elementary exceeds state goals with a 20% reading score increase.
- Community efforts, including custodians and parents, contribute to literacy success.
MONA, Juab County – Utah lawmakers passed a sweeping new law aimed at improving reading in Utah schools after a recent study showed half of students can't read at grade level.
State leaders have set a goal. They want 70% of students to be reading at grade level.
Some of the highlights of this new law: It provides $16 million to train teachers and hire literacy coaches, requires individual reading plans for every student, and allows schools to hold back students who aren't reading on par by 3rd grade.
As they were touring schools last year, they found Mona Elementary was already exceeding that goal, and the students' scores showed that it was working.
"We're setting individual goals and working on an intervention plan for each child," said kindergarten teacher Jordan Jacobsen.
Deanie Wimmer
Every student is getting just what they need. They collect data and have trained teachers and aides on the science of reading.
Principal Brandi Webster said she couldn't figure out why the school's reading data was stuck around 50% literacy.
"Teachers were working harder than they'd ever worked, staying late at night, and we couldn't move that needle and we couldn't figure out why," Webster said.
Here, reading is a community effort. Natalie Darrington, an instructional coach, said that she partners with teachers to look at the data and create individual plans for every student in the school.
"Everybody is working together," Darrington said. "We talk about every student, their assets, and what we can build upon. We talk about what the next step is for them in that progression."
According to Webster, each student has a different goal based on where he or she is. She said the whole school knows those goals, from the teachers to the parents and even the custodians.
"It took everyone working together collectively. It's not my kids or your kids; it's our kids," Webster said.
In fact, the custodian has become the most in-demand reading partner, and parents attend training nights.
"I went to a class and learned practical things that I can do to encourage reading at home," Courtnie Sainsbury, a mom, said. "One of the things I learned … is about how I can model reading at home. I enjoy reading for fun, but she pointed out that my kids are watching me. So that made me want to read more."
As a last resort, they also hold back kids who need more time to develop skills. This year, they anticipate holding back four kindergartners.
"It's the foundational skill for life, I think," Jacobsen said. "If we can teach them to read, we are setting them up for life."
The proof is once again in the data. Reading scores climbed 20% last year. But the school isn't satisfied yet.
"We did hit 70% among third graders. Now, 70% isn't good enough for us," Webster said.
Students have caught on to the momentum.
"I got that feeling when I crushed my goal, it motivated me because it just felt so good," Easton Braithwaite, a fifth grader, said.
Contributing: Pearl Ashton
