Reading Gains New Priority At Chase
The Chase Middle School site council is considering a plan that would rearrange the school day to allow more time for students to improve their reading skills.
Although members of the parent-teacher group call the proposal “very preliminary,” they say low test scores prove there is a need to focus on reading at the school.
More than half the school’s seventh-graders failed the reading portion of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) test last year.
“A lot of our kids aren’t reading where they need to be,” said Principal John Andes. “It’s a big issue, and we’re wrestling with that.”
Right now, only Chase’s remedial students take classes entirely devoted to reading skills. Parents and educators say all students could benefit from an increased emphasis on reading.
That is this year’s main focus as the Chase staff completes its school learning improvement plan.
“There is concern over the reading scores,” said parent Sarah Beyersdorf, a site council member.
Beyersdorf was part of a group that earlier this year pushed through a schedule change at Moran Prairie Elementary that did away with half-days for professional planning.
The school now has full days off for staff development.
Getting a schedule variance requires approval from both the Spokane Education Association and the district school board.
The Moran Prairie group worked for more than a year before the board approved the variance.
District Area Director Nancy Stowell has already met with the Chase site council to explain the procedure, Andes said.
The new format could include anything from an hour earmarked for reading to special reading workshops.
But any changes at Chase are still at least a year away, Andes said.
“We need to realize that as any possible models crystallize, we need to go to our feeder elementaries and have time for parents to come listen,” he said.
“We want to become knowledgable about the best ways to change things before we make any changes.”