Tulsa Public Schools commited to Sawyer's reading plan

Thursday, January 11th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Tulsa Public Schools Superintendent David Sawyer wants every child in the district to be reading by the time they finish the third grade. Sawyer wants to see higher reading scores. Hereâ€™s a look at how teachers will try to accomplish the superintendentâ€™s edict.

Most everyone knows reading is foundational to learning. A prerequisite for success not only in school, but in life. It's also a multi-faceted and complex process. Tulsa Public Schools had begun work on reading improvement before Sawyer named it a priority. Last year's test scores pointed out work to be done.

The average reading score on the Iowa Skills Test:
3rd grade 50 percent
7th grade 48 percent

On the state reading test...
5th Grade 69 percent
7th Grade 67 percent

Sawyer's plan calls for 60 to 70 percent of students to achieve at least a 50% score, and improve incrementally from there. Specialists say several factors influence reading ability, beginning at the pre-school level. "If they have good oral language, if they know the concepts of print,â€ said Joanna Clark, T-P-S reading coordinator. â€œIn other words, how we use books, top to bottom, left to right, those kinds of things."

Clark says too many children come to school without those skills, and others needed, such as alphabet knowledge. Educators say parents can make a critical difference by reading to their children from infancy on. "All of our interventions don't work unless we have the parents working with us,â€ said Kendall Whittier Principal Judy Feary. â€œThey need to help their children practice vocabulary, and building vocabulary."

Tulsa Public Schools will focus on diagnosing reading problems, not only through standardized testing, but throughout the year including the ways to intervene. Clark says staff training is a major component, looking at what teachers are doing to respond to the needs of children, such as flexible grouping. "Like this group of children did not understand this skill or did not demonstrate mastery of this skill,â€ she said. â€œSo what can we do to provide this instruction in another way to reinforce that."

Feary says educators are learning more about diagnosing and teaching reading than ever before. She says with the district's commitment of resources, plus parental support that the new reading goals are attainable.

While Tulsa Public Schools will target elementary students, Clark says the district isn't forgetting older children. Intervention programs exist at ten Tulsa middle schools. Also reading help is available through the high school level. If you'd like help for your child, ask your school's principal.