Iola Elementary School is ending a reading program after more than two decades, sparking criticism from some members of the staff and community.
The school will no longer use the Accelerated Reader (AR) program and will limit the time volunteers can read to students to focus more time for other types of instruction. Exactly how that change will play out is still being determined.
Volunteers and some staff have expressed concerns that eliminating the program will lead to less engagement with the community and reduced enthusiasm for reading, particularly for disadvantaged students who need the most encouragement.
“The program, as we have developed it, is a source of accomplishment and affirmation for our students and gives every student the opportunity to succeed,” Mona Melvin, a longtime school librarian and paraprofessional, wrote in a letter to the school board in support of AR. “We have spent years fine-tuning (AR) into the program that will best serve all of our students. I think it will be a detriment if we are to lose it.”
ACCELERATED reading is a widely-used educational tool developed by Renaissance Learning to promote reading comprehension, celebrate success and foster a love of reading. Students read books and then are tested with short multiple choice quizzes to verify they understood the material. They score points and earn rewards, though those reward systems vary among districts.
Opinions about the nationwide program’s effectiveness vary. Some dislike the testing part of the program, saying students read only for points and not enjoyment, and recall-based quizzes don’t suit all learners. Older students, in particular, tend to resent the tests.
Others, like second-grade teacher Laura Caillouet-Weiner, say the program enhances reading skills and is an effective way to measure student progress. Caillouet-Weiner is retiring this year after 42 years teaching second grade for the Iola district and as president of the teacher’s union. She has used the program since it was introduced about 25 years ago.
Caillouet-Weiner said she knows of no other reading program as effective that allows teachers to monitor and track reading comprehension.
“We see them in second grade as emerging readers. They become more independent readers and I can double-check their progress. It is amazing toward the end of the year what growth they have achieved. It’s been a good tool,” Caillouet-Weiner said.
The state removed AR from a list of evidence-based programs that qualify for at-risk funding, USD 257 Superintendent Stacey Fager said. If it wants to continue the program, the district would need to find another way to fund the program, he said. It costs about $4,200 per year.
AT IOLA Elementary, first-grade students can meet with community volunteers each morning for help with reading or taking the quiz. Fifth-graders also partner with the younger students. About a dozen community volunteers participate in the program. Several are retired teachers. Some come every day, some may come only once a week.
Next year, the plan is to allow volunteers to work with the students for 20 minutes, down from 45 minutes, and with no structured format. The allotted time slot will be from 7:30 to 7:50 a.m., when students are summoned to the gymnasium for the flag salute and school-wide announcements before going to their classrooms.
The district is limiting that time in order to focus on “core instructional time,” Fager said.
“We know our students learn best at the very start of the day. How can we get them engaged in core content during that optimum learning time?” Fager said. “What we want is a more uniform practice of core instruction as the day begins.”
But that approach will hurt at-risk students the most, volunteer Donna Houser, a retired English teacher, argued.
