| 1. | 2/5/2008 1:56:00 AM | I wish we did the same with math. We have reading specialists and "lit. team meetings" we don't even talk about the students who need additional help in the area of math. |
| 2. | 2/5/2008 3:48:00 AM | This is our base. It is must be strong. |
| 3. | 2/5/2008 2:08:00 PM | Important, but let's not outweigh other areas of instruction. |
| 4. | 2/5/2008 3:36:00 PM | Luther does an excellent job of keeping reading instruction a priority. |
| 5. | 2/5/2008 4:08:00 PM | What about math? |
| 6. | 2/5/2008 4:58:00 PM | What about math???? |
| 7. | 2/5/2008 6:53:00 PM | We have not had an emphasis on inservice in reading (Jen Jaworski was a long time ago--lots of new staff) An update on Balanced Literacy and a curriculum map (which was part of last summer's curriculum work) would help. |
| 8. | 2/5/2008 7:20:00 PM | this needs to be looked at again (we are very fractured - we need a better road map) |
| 9. | 2/5/2008 8:44:00 PM | Can't read new science or ss. books without knowing how to read. |
| 10. | 2/5/2008 9:28:00 PM | Teachers in elementary school need a road map. For the past four years I have worked on reading curriculum and the same comments come up from teachers: a road map, more time do develop reading groups, more support in the form of aides, etc. This summer that was supposed to take place and it didn't. Teachers do tell others what we need and it seems like it doesn't happen! We need to respect what teachers ask for and structure curriculum work around the needs of teachers/students not others goals. Also, reading teachers need more time to work with the upper grade levels! Fourth and fifth grade should not be "left out" of reading support. Choosing only 4 students out of 12 or more to support and none in fifth grade really is a diservice to those students and their families. It is also not fair to the classroom teachers trying to meet those needs without any support! |
| 11. | 2/5/2008 11:03:00 PM | We need to give math more attention. Lit meetings are sometimes a waste of time. Especially around November and December when we have to reschedule becasue of vacations and conferences. Sometimes we've had lit meetings that are two weeks apart. |
| 12. | 2/6/2008 3:05:00 AM | We're doing well with this one. Let's not add or change anything. |
| 13. | 2/6/2008 3:07:00 AM | Yes, but our students have many needs. Therefore, they require extra reading support that can not always be provided within the constraints of the school day or due to lack of additional support. We have so much to fit in, because of the reading emphasis, the students that need additional support deserve it. Right now, I can't always provide it as a general educator. |
| 14. | 2/7/2008 5:36:00 PM | I like the way the Math curriculum is set up for us to follow. I wish that the reading goals could be laid out a little more specifically for the classroom teachers. I feel that I am strong with the reading lessons that I am teaching, but what skills are being taught in the other classes? Am I forgetting an important skill that should be taught at my grade level?
The lit. meetings have not helped me out as much as I had hoped they would. I think that time could be a little better spent meeting with grade level teachers. |
| 15. | 2/12/2008 10:07:00 PM | change is good, sustaining change is hard |
| 16. | 3/4/2008 3:01:00 AM | Continue work on a road map for reading instruction. A curriculum team worked on this last summer but was not able to complete this. Teachers (especially new teachers) need to know and understand what is critical to be taught at their grade level and when. A phonics road map has already been established, but skills to teach in whole group and small group reading lessons have not been identified in a formal document. This would be very helpful. Obviously we know what kinds of things we need to cover, but it would be great to have a document to follow as we do with phonics. |
| 17. | 3/5/2008 7:40:00 PM | Something may have to give on the 90 minutes if we are going to continue to increase instruction in other areas like health/guidance etc. |
| 18. | 3/5/2008 8:57:00 PM | When reading improves, other content areas improve. |
| 19. | 3/6/2008 4:15:00 PM | We also need to emphasize math instruction, especially for those students who struggle. I believe pacing is too fast and we also need a "Math Recovery" type instruction for those students. |
| 20. | 3/6/2008 4:52:00 PM | Yes! I believe that reading and math are the most important classes for elementary kids. If the kids need more help in reading or math, where do I get the time to teach them those skills? I can no longer take it from Health/Guidance. Next year I won’t be able to get it from Social Studies. If we adopt a new science program, I won’t be able to get time from that. Kids that need more practice with reading and math need to spend MORE time with it. If we have to test or check off health, social studies, and science, we can’t even use other times of the day to re-instruct or give extra practice time. |
| 21. | 3/6/2008 5:05:00 PM | It would be nice to actually get it streamlined, organized, paced,...etc so we have consistancy accross the district. I thought this was the goal. Develop an easy to use tool quarter by quarter with specific lessons and focus as the guide. It is not set in stone as the needs of your students dictate this, however, it does reduce the amount of planning time and makes gathering material more efficient. It can then be adjusted as students become stronger readers. this should be done in writing as well. Each teacher still has to plan own individualized lessons based upon individual student needs, but the general lesson can be universal. |
| 22. | 3/6/2008 5:09:00 PM | I think we're doing a great job, but need to continue this. |
| 23. | 3/6/2008 6:38:00 PM | Very important, but we do need to remember that we teach math too. |
| 24. | 3/6/2008 7:02:00 PM | I would like to see time to share with mini-lesson ideas with grade level partners |
| 25. | 3/6/2008 10:51:00 PM | ...by giving us TIME to figure out how to piece it together. We ESPECIALLY need some kind of pacing guide for reading. Some days I feel like I'm 'throwing a dart' for what I should be teaaching. The Strategies That Work book was a great help this year though. Before I had that book though, not only did I have to find what to teach, I had to find HOW to teach those concepts to three different levels of groups each day! I'm constantly reinventing the wheel each year in reading and that's frustrating. |
| 26. | 3/17/2008 9:42:00 PM | But, I think it should be hit the hardest from K-3. Perhaps teach mostly reading and math at those grade levels...incorporate science and social studies within this...but stress reading, reading, reading! |
| 27. | 3/18/2008 2:48:00 PM | If you are going to provide the time for teachers to fully understand the curriculum and how to deliver it well. I worry about the teachers that teach this class only as a half a section. They need to focus on the main subject are that they teach and are not fully aware of the reading curriculum. Not their fault...they are just spread too thin. It is hard to know both curriculums inside and out when you teach more than one. One of the subjects is going to suffer. We need to try to eliminate teachers teaching more than one subject at the Middle School level. Teachers need to be experts in their field and this is not possible in the system we currently have. |
| 28. | 3/18/2008 4:17:00 PM | If a student is a struggling reader, he can't learn much about any subject area. |
| 29. | 3/19/2008 5:41:00 PM | Of course, reading is key to all areas of education but ignoring science isn't helping our students prepare for the "real world" either. |
| 30. | 3/19/2008 7:20:00 PM | Important to do, but is it necessary to write it as a strategic plan goal?!? |
| 31. | 3/20/2008 3:18:00 AM | But we need real life inservicing. Not the "on a perfect day, with the perfect class, and all the time in the world," workshops |
| 32. | 3/20/2008 1:48:00 PM | The ability to follow ditrctions is extremely important to allemployers, and if they can't read ?????? |
| 33. | 4/7/2008 9:56:00 PM | High school needs more reading support |
| 34. | 4/7/2008 9:15:00 PM | Include Math and writing |
| 35. | 4/8/2008 12:31:00 AM | Not sure what this means for the HS beyond more interventions like Read 180. |
| 36. | 4/8/2008 1:36:00 PM | Add to that writing and math. |
| 37. | 4/8/2008 1:03:00 PM | Follow through I think is key here. I have heard much discussion and many meetings and such that have happened but have seen little follow thorugh. Once we have the ideas how will we make sure they are effectively happening? This should carry through on all core subject areas ie: math, writing, etc. |
| 38. | 4/8/2008 12:26:00 PM | Reading drive success in all curricular areas. I would like to see some other work on reading for students who seem to do well grade wise but read slowly or have to read things over several times in order to comprehend. These students often don't do well on state tests and ACT's which are timed. |
| 39. | 4/8/2008 3:02:00 PM | So so important! If we can do one thing across the board, this is it. |
| 40. | 4/8/2008 5:08:00 PM | Math provides tutoring; maybe other core areas should have this availability as well. |
| 41. | 4/8/2008 5:18:00 PM | Writing and math should be included. |
| 42. | 4/8/2008 4:59:00 PM | I feel that reading is core to everything academic. How can reading strategies be implemented across the curriculum without adding a load? |
| 43. | 4/8/2008 8:52:00 PM | done on a regular basis with some concrete framework??? The reading program has been so nebulus at the high school level that it has had NO dividends at all. |
| 44. | 4/9/2008 4:10:00 PM | I see a real need to continued work on reading comprehension at the high school level. |
| 45. | 4/10/2008 6:13:00 PM | And writing, and skills. |