In reading tests in 2022, Oregon students tested lower than children in 28 other states, according to the .
The next year, Gov. Tina Kotek made childhood literacy a priority, and the Legislature followed suit by approving the Early Literacy Success Initiative and $90 million in grant funding.
Now, nearly $5 million in state money has been earmarked to help Central Oregon educators ensure elementary school students are efficient readers.
Bend-La Pine Schools received $1 million in March and will receive another $1 million next year. In March, Crook County Schools received nearly $238,000 for the 2023-24 school year and $247,000 for the 2024-25 school year.
“Making sure that we have very solid readers early, and that in every one of our classrooms we have high quality curriculum materials in place and that our educators are trained to teach students how to read, is the most important work that we’re doing,†said Julie Walker, director of elementary curriculum and instruction for Bend-La Pine Schools.
Foundational skills and staff training
Bend-La Pine Schools is using the funding for staff training and curriculum.
The new Expeditionary Learning curriculum will be put into practice in the fall, said Walker. The district has used the Really Great Reading foundational phonics curriculum for several years now, and feedback has been positive.
“In each of our classrooms, there’s a part of the day that’s devoted to foundational skills, and then there’s a part of the day that’s devoted to what we call language comprehension,†said Walker. “Within the language comprehension, that’s where we’re building background knowledge.â€
By this fall, both programs will be used in all kindergarten through fifth grade classrooms.
Bend-La Pine Schools also used the funding for teacher training in foundational skills as well as a two-year training course for teachers to learn more about reading instruction. Twenty-five teachers are halfway through the program and another 25 are set to start this fall.
The district also has 25 staff taking a year-long literacy instruction course through Eastern Oregon University. It is offering teacher trainings over the summer on the new Expeditionary Learning curriculum.
The district’s main goal is for all students to know how to read by the end of second grade, said Walker.
Next school year, the district will start an early literacy team to set goals for students.
“The biggest impact that I hope for is that we are building confidence in our students as readers,†said Walker. “I think of reading as a right for students.â€
Saying yes to curriculum
Carrie Lowenbach, director of teaching and learning for Crook County Schools, spent around 20 hours working on the funding application.
“For us, it was important to give it a go and be able to provide these additional resources,†she said.
The district will reapply for the literacy grant in 2025. This first batch of funding was mainly meant for kindergartners through third graders, while only a small amount could be used for fourth and fifth graders.
Crook County Schools hired an additional literacy specialist who is working out of Steins Pillar Elementary, as well as a part-time literacy interventionist who is working at both Barnes Butte and Crooked River elementary schools.
The district also used the funding for supplemental curriculum resources, which had to be chosen from the Oregon Department of Education’s approved science-based list. Funding was also put toward literacy-focused summer school, as well as the literacy training through Eastern Oregon University, she said.
“Anytime we get grant funding like this, it just allows us to be a little bit more flexible,†Lowenbach said. “It allows us to say yes a lot more when teachers and reading specialists advocate for curriculum or resources or training with which to get better at their jobs and with which to help support students.â€
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