Polk County Itemizer-Observer • March 11, 2015 15A
Polk County Schools/Education
Ramping up reading efforts
New Falls City
program has
kids making
sizeable gains
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
FALLS CITY — Small
group reading time for first-
and second-graders at Falls
City Elementary School be-
gins with, not a book, but
stretching, singing and danc-
ing.
OK, so it’s not that uncon-
ventional — the phonics
“dance-chant” helps them
memorize letter sounds, and
the movement is an energy
outlet for a naturally fidgety
age group.
The best part? Seemingly,
the students look forward to
literacy song and dance.
Second-grader Allyssa
Hurst walked into the library
where Falls City reading spe-
cialist Suzi Spencer was wait-
ing. Allyssa approached the
wall with colorful cards post-
e d re p re s e n t i n g l e t t e r
sounds and how to pro-
nounce them, with a sheep
for “sh,” a chicken for “ch,”
and phone for “ph.”
“Can I do this?” Allyssa
asked about the chant and
dance routine.
Spencer also is a fan of the
before-lesson activities.
“They are asked to sit
down a lot,” Spencer said,
noting the brief exercises
break that routine.
That’s just part of Falls
City’s overhauled reading
program that appears to be
producing results. Since the
beginning of the year, stu-
dents in Falls City, for the
most part, have been im-
proving reading skills by
leaps and bounds.
The success has been a
few years in the making.
In 2012, the district
changed its K-6 reading cur-
riculum, but it wasn’t until
the following year that the
elementary school changed
its reading program strategy.
Previously, students had
Legislation would
jeopardize program
JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer
Suzi Spencer, reading specialist at Falls City Elementary School, leads a group of first- and
second-graders through a “phonics dance chant” to begin a small group reading session.
Reading Improvement
Since beginning school in September, most students in
grades K-6 at Falls City Elementary School have shown
improvement in literacy skills testing. Here’s the break-
down by grade level:
• Kindergarten: 55 percent increase.
• First grade: 37 percent increase.
• Second grade: 16 percent increase.
• Third grade: 39 percent increase.
• Fourth grade: 11 percent increase.
• Fifth grade: 2 percent decrease.
• Sixth grade: 8 percent increase.
Of note: Increases represent the growth in the percentage of
students meeting or exceeding benchmarks for their grade level.
been taken from their classes
and placed into the grade-
level class that matched their
reading level. That meant in
some cases fifth-graders
were taken to first- and sec-
ond-grade classes, Spencer
said. With small classes in
Falls City, that wasn’t the
most confidence-boosting
experience for the older stu-
dents.
“With 10 kids in every
class, walking them to (their)
grade level for reading wasn’t
really working,” Spencer
said.
With the support of then-
new Superintendent Jack
Thompson, the school’s staff
reversed that strategy. In-
stead of having kids leave
their classes to go to a differ-
ent grade level, Spencer and
educational assistants went
to the students.
“Beginning in the fall of
2013, we implemented a
‘push-in’ program with the
educational assistants and
myself providing support so
the classroom teachers are
able to instruct their own
students in small groups
who have similar skill levels,”
Spencer said.
Now in the second year of
the program, required read-
ing tests — Dynamic Indica-
tors of Basic Early Literacy
Skills (DIBELS) — show
marked improvement in all
but the fifth grade, which
slipped slightly.
While the fifth-grade class
as a whole has performed
well on tests in the past, the
lack of growth has resulted in
further changes — more
reading and analysis of read-
ing assignments — in hopes
of seeing improvement.
Spencer said another key
measure of success, and one
that wouldn’t be found in the
results of any test, is that stu-
dents are enjoying reading.
She said the district has pur-
chased books popular with
students, making them more
likely to read on their own.
“I love seeing students
walk into the room with a
book they’ve chosen to read
— instead of one we’ve as-
signed to them,” she said.
“The students are talking
about their books with each
other and asking to share
quotes from their books.
“When students are excit-
ed to read, and asking for
more time to read, I think we
are doing things right,”
Spencer added.
DALLAS — The Dallas
School District is watching
carefully a bill introduced
this legislative session that
could affect its Extended
Campus Program and similar
programs in other districts.
Extended Campus, Dal-
las’ fifth-year — and now
sixth-year — program, al-
lows students to attend up
to two years at Chemeketa
Community College for free.
Programs like Extended
Campus are paid for with
state funding as students
enrolled in the programs
defer receiving their diplo-
mas, technically remaining
high school students.
One bill in particular
might threaten the popular
DHS program that now al-
lows students the possibility
of earning an associate de-
gree concurrent with a
diploma.
Senate Bill 322, spon-
sored by Sen. Mark Hass (D-
Beaverton), would establish
a funding mechanism that
would allow $4,500 for each
student enrolled in a fifth-
year program if they take at
least 45 quarter credits per
school year.
However, Dallas High
School Assistant Principal
Brian Green said there has
been a recommendation to
amend the bill to cut partici-
pation in programs in half by
2016 and eliminate them
completely in 2017 because
of concerns of using funding
designated for K-12 educa-
tion to pay for college classes.
Dallas Business Manager
Tami Montague reported to
the Dallas School Board
Monday that the bill will be
tracked closely as it moves
forward.
DHS robotics team
places first at state
Itemizer-Observer staff report
DALLAS — Dallas High
School Robotics Team ram-
Rod took top honors at the
VEX Robotics State Cham-
pionship Friday and Satur-
day.
Team ramRod’s Jake
Shryer, Jacob Reimer and
Ben Rounds were on the
winning alliance, consisting
of three teams competing
at the tournament.
Seventy teams qualified
for the tournament, which
took place at North Marion
High School in Aurora.
“In the six years of robot-
ics at DHS, teams have
brought home a lot of tro-
phies, but this is by far the
farthest any team has
gone,” said Lee Jones, DHS
robotics coach.
The team will now repre-
sent Oregon at the Worlds
Tournament in Louisville,
Ky., in April.
“It is a huge deal,” said
Dallas High School Princi-
pal Steve Spencer. “I’m a big
sports fan and love DHS
athletics, but this is as big
of a deal to me as anything
else because it partners
that competition with aca-
demics.”
Robotic success is now
moving to LaCreole Middle
School.
The school’s teams also
participated in the first VEX
Robotics Middle School
State Championship tourna-
ment last weekend at North
Marion, said Jamie Richard-
son, LaCreole principal.
Team members Samuel
Noack, Brennan Bassham,
Jackson Eastland and Walter
Crichlow won the STEM
(science, technology, engi-
neering and math) Research
Award at the competition.
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