A Leader in Literacy - St. John's School
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Believe and Read Program
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What is Believe and Read?
The Believe and Read program is a unique literacy solution initiated by CSCOE and Cretin-Durham Hall. Believe and Read uses the Groves Literacy Method to provide a solid reading foundation for all of our kindergarten through grade 3 students. Partnering with Groves Learning Organization, with decades of expertise in literacy education, we are proud to be a Believe and Read certified school. All of our K-3 teachers have been extensively trained, and we also have a teacher on staff trained to coach other teachers. In school year 22-23, nationally only 33% of 4th graders are reading at the proficient level (NAEP), here at Saint John's, 67% of 4th graders are reading at the proficient level (MAP). Every year, we continue to see growth and improvement at Saint John's! Our students are building a foundation for successful learning at St. John’s and into their futures!How does it work?
- In addition to their regular reading lessons, teachers incorporate a daily 30-minute phonics-based lesson to ensure students are grasping the reading patterns they’ll need to achieve fluency.
- The lesson plans are structured, so teachers know exactly how and when to introduce each sound and spelling pattern, and how to build up to words from there.
- The lessons use a multisensory approach that explicitly teaches the connections between letters and sounds.
- Our teachers will get support and feedback from our literacy coach, along with assistance in tracking student progress through routine assessments.
- When students need extra practice beyond the 30-minute class lesson, they have the opportunity to work in a small intervention group with their teacher to make sure that they are keeping up with their skills.
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We are proud to offer a robust Wilson Reading program, where students with dyslexia or related learning disabilities can receive 1-to-1 intensive reading instruction. We partner with the local organization Reading Rays, to provide certified Wilson Dyslexia Practitioners on-site at St. John’s during the school day.
Wilson Reading Systems is a multi-sensory structured literacy program based on the Orton-Gillingham approach. It is research-based and proven to be effective with students in Grades 2 and up who are significantly behind their peers in reading. With the support of Wilson tutoring, all of our students can experience academic success and reach their full potential.
For more information about the Wilson Reading program, contact Lucinda White, director of Reading Rays at [email protected].
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Mandi Millard is our Groves Reading Interventionist for students in grades K-3. Mandi works with students who need additional assistance with reading and is able to work in small groups (3-5 students) or one on one. This allows students to have the lesson broken down and to go over areas they are still trying to master. The work is directly on phonics, fluency, and mastery of literacy concepts that they are being taught using the Groves Literacy Method (Believe and Read). Working with students in a small group or one on one allows us to meet students at their level of need, build confidence, and work on skills for mastery. Mandi has also completed her certificate in Wilson so is also a certified Wilson coach.
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Apart from Wilson, in the middle school, we offer a course called Learning Strategies for students who need more individualized assistance in literacy and academics. One of our middle school staff members works with students to build a program that best fits their individual learning needs. This assistance may include tutoring, reading tests and assignments, working on study skills, learning organizational skills, and more. It's aim is to help students learn how they learn best and give them the necessary skills and tools to advocate for themselves so that they can be successful in their lifelong learning.
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