Schools Focus on Elementary Reading

Robert Bustillos, 8, looks through his three favorite reading books but can't decide which one he likes best.

"They're all good," said Robert, a third-grade student at Dollahan Elementary School. "They make you think, and they're funny."

Robert and his classmates spend a good portion of their school day focusing on reading. Jerry Rucker, principal of Dollahan Elementary School, said the school is constantly looking at ways to redefine its reading program.

"We're sitting on scores that may be OK for Rialto, but they're not OK for us," he said. "We want to improve our scores for all grade levels."

The audit of educational effectiveness praised Dollahan and Bemis Elementary schools for having high levels of student achievement in reading. They could serve as models for other district schools at which students continue to struggle.

Third-grade students at Dollaban and third- and sixth-grade students at Bemis scored near the average on the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills, which was the standardized reading test given to students in the 1996-97 school year.

Teachers at both schools said their focus on reading in the classroom helps students succeed on standardized tests.

"We have a tremendous amount of materials available to us in the classroom that support reading," said Sue Coughenour, a third-grade teacher at Dollahan.

Levi Bemis Elementary School reading specialist Judy Ruliffson helps first-grader Dessire Calderon, 6, with her reading assignment

At Dollahan, students in first through third grades use a phonics-based reading series to help them with vocabulary and reading comprehension, said reading specialist Doris Stoltenberg.

At Bemis, teachers use a three-step process: teachers reading to children; students reading to teachers; and an exercise called reading with children.

When teachers read to students, they use a book with large print. Students are then able to see the words and follow along.

Reading with children is where both students and the teacher read the book together, sounding out words and working on vocabulary.

Teachers at Bemis also stress the importance of reading at home and have a library of books in each classroom for students to chose from.

Teachers at both schools say reading scores should continue to improve because their class sizes have been reduced to 20 students or fewer.

"It gives you more time to spend with each child," said Bemis second-grade teacher Gary Podratz. "I think for the first time (students) can really feel successful at reading."

Reading and mathematics skills among Rialto students peak as they end their elementary school years and decline as they get older, an audit of educational effectiveness shows.

And part of the reason is a shift in focus, an educator believes.

"In high school, there is less instruction on learning to read and more emphasis on literature and the use of English for analysis, comprehension and research," said Michael Brown, the Rialto Unified School District's assistant superintendent of instruction.

There also is a shift in the upper grades from mathematics to algebra, a more demanding concept that deals with the relations of numbers in the abstract.

The audit shows that reading achievement is at its highest levels in grades 6 and 9 for students whose native language is English. But there is a significant decrease in reading skill in grades 9 and 10 and only slight recovery in grade 11.

Achievement in mathematics peaks for the same student group in grades 6 and 9, but drops at other middle and high school levels.

Former math teacher Lynne Kennedy, now assistant principal for instruction and curriculum at Rialto High School, said the achievement tests are new for the district and are expected to serve as base line data for future analyses.

"This is just one part of the learning puzzle," she said. "I'm hesitant to make any predictions or say there is a trend reflecting student achievement at these grade levels in reading or mathematics.

"I believe there will be a substantial increase and improvement in scores once students are familiar with the formatting or the tests, and teachers have a firm understanding of how material will be tested and what the subcontent is."

In the upper grades, English instruction focuses on understanding relationships between different concepts, genres and literature, Brown explained.

Part of the reason for a drop in reading skills in high school stems from students inability to comprehend literature.

"And some of their energies may be directed in grades 9 and 10 to other interests," Brown said. "Social relationships, stresses and extra-curricular activities preoccupy their time, and academic interests come in third."

"Our high school principals (Floyd Bragg at Eisenhower High, and Anna Rodriguez at Rialto High) want to learn how to channel students' interests so that they can balance their social activities with their studies."

How does the Rialto school district plan to improve students' reading and math skills?

"We've applied for special state funds to train teachers to be more effective reading teachers," Brown said. "And we are looking at special academies, tutoring and after-school instruction.

"In both high schools, we also are instituting a course called 'language' to help students who need more help in reading skills. We plan to expand it next year in both ninth and 10th grades. We believe this will help."

To upgrade mathematics skills, the Rialto district has developed end-of-course exams aligned to state standards.

"This will help teachers analyze their instructional programs to ensure that they are covering required concepts," Brown said.

"If students need help, we'll provide special assistance or other classes to shore up their math skills."

The school district also is spreading algebra courses over a two-year period so students can learn the concept of the courses. This will allow students to grasp algebraic concepts at a slower pace before moving into the district's regular algebra program.

"For the past two years, we've offered Algebra A and B for slower learners," Kennedy explained. "Each is a one-year course to give these students a more solid understanding of mathematical concepts."

Other changes also are planned in the Rialto district.

"There will be more refinements as we move along, with more focused and concentrated efforts with some students who don't have reading and math skills," Brown said. "We may cluster them in more basic work."

Kennedy is optimistic.

"If this audit spurs us to reevaluate what we're doing and how we're doing it, then it is good," she said. "We need to be reflective practitioners. That's what I try to do, and that's what I tell our teachers to do."

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