Photo courtesy of Vestavia Hills City Schools
Vestavia Hills Elementary West interventionist Mandy Smith reads a book to students at summer reading camp.
After Gov. Kay Ivey recently vetoed the delay of the third grade retention portion of the 2019 Alabama Literacy Act, leaders at Vestavia Hills City Schools are working to ensure third grade students are reading at grade level and able to progress to the next grade.
Brooke Wedgworth, director of curriculum and instruction for the school system, said while the law was passed in 2019, this upcoming school year will be the first in which third grade students who are not reading at a third grade level, determined by an assessment, will have to be held back in third grade instead of progressing to fourth grade.
Wedgworth said school leaders are concerned about the new law and how to ensure students are not held back.
“There’s a lot to it,” Wedgworth said. “It [holding students back] is not something we usually recommend in third grade. … It’s concerning.”
It may be difficult to explain to a third grade student that he or she cannot continue to learn with their friends, Wedgworth said. While teachers can explain they are doing it because they want the student to be successful, that’s hard at such a young age, she said.
One of the issues with the law is that it applies to all students, even those with learning disabilities, Wedgworth said. While there has been communication about exceptions to the law, it was not known what those exceptions would be.
Reading is “foundational” to everything students will do, and it is vital they learn to read so they can have success in all areas, Wedgworth said. Students who are not reading at grade level are consistently showing a reading deficiency and are placed on a reading improvement plan and can receive specific reading tutoring before or after school, she said.
This summer, students also had a chance to participate in a reading camp held at Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights. Erika Ponder, a teacher in the second grade summer reading program, said this is the first summer the system has held a reading camp like this. The camp was 70 hours of instructional time with small classes, and students also spent time building up their science, technology, engineering and math skills, as well as taking physical education and enjoying snacks, so it didn’t feel like “summer school,” Ponder said.
“We’re definitely doing more,” Ponder said. “Students who struggled in reading always have help.”
Teachers communicate monthly with parents about their child’s progress, Ponder said. Students who receive the extra help or come to the camps have increased their reading skills, and most students are able to make the progress they need, she said.
At the camps, Ponder said she tried to help students see reading as a positive skill. “We want them to love camp and to leave loving reading and books,” she said.
Wedgworth said system leaders are also focused on what parents can do at home to help their child develop reading skills, while continuing the intervention and tutoring that takes place during the school year. Students take reading assessments during the year, with different grade levels taking different tests, while the state test, the ACAP, is taken toward the end of the school year. The assessment results will help teachers form their instruction for the school year, Wedgworth said.
“We’re really trying to support our teachers in this as well,” Ponder said.
For parents who want more information, there is a tab on the school’s website about the Alabama Literacy Act. It can be found under the “Teaching and Learning” tab at vestavia.k12.al.us.
