What's Working in Idaho with NCLB: New Plymouth Elementary School

CREATING EXCELLENCE

New Plymouth Elementary School had a problem. Its kindergarten and grade 1 students needed help sounding out words. Students in grades 2 and 3 weren't reading as fast as their peers in other Idaho schools.

It was time for a change and New Plymouth staff members responded. They eliminated pull-out programs (instruction outside of the child's regular classroom), purchased a new reading curriculum, lengthened the school day and agreed to spend more focused time, working and planning together.

The change worked. In spring 2003, only 58 percent of New Plymouth's kindergarten students could read at grade level. By spring 2004, that number had risen to 70 percent. The difference was even more dramatic in grade 1, jumping from 47 percent in 2003 to 86 percent by spring 2004.

Principal Carrie Aguas said the school has always worked to give students the best education possible. But the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act required much more.

"It's urgent," Aguas said. "We have three years to get every student up to the standard."

Aguas explained that a Reading First grant from the State Department of Education made the changes possible. But the money came with strings attached.

"First thing we had to do was lengthen the school day," Aguas said. "We had to be able to have a 90-minute, uninterrupted reading block."

The school also had to choose a scientifically based reading program and use it in every classroom.

Aguas said teachers were skeptical at first but agreed to work with the new materials for a year. Their hard work and commitment paid off. In each classroom, more students met the
standard than ever before and the kids are having fun.

"People are hyped up about it," Aguas said. "They don't have to try to create materials and scrounge for stuff. They're trusting the experts."

Marybeth Flachbart, a State Education Department bureau chief, said that New Plymouth isn't the only school experiencing these kinds of results. Statewide, grade 1 students at schools that received Reading First grants last year scored above the national average and above grade level in reading.

"It was so exciting to see how these kids scored on a national test [associated with the reading program]," Flachbart said. "It really does show that the program makes a difference."

She added that the Reading First program also has reduced the number of students being referred for special education services.

Flachbart explained that many children who qualify for special education have a problem with reading. "For many of these kids, we can prevent reading disabilities," Flachbart said. "If they get the right instruction, with the right intensity, at the right time, they'll always read [at] grade level."

But the best thing about the program, Flachbart said, is that it is changing the way schools think about reading instruction. Teachers are getting more training and classroom support. Schools and districts are working together to solve problems. And an elementary school in New Plymouth is helping more students experience success.

"We're so thankful for No Child Left Behind," Aguas said. "It gave us the data and the funding to make a difference."

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