Instructor Sue Norris gives a report of the 2017 elementary summer reading program to the Highland School Board. Photo by Sam McIntosh.

The Highland School Board reviewed their summer reading program and discussed changes for next year at their recent meeting.

Instructor Sue Norris gave a report on the two summer school sessions they held this year, “So, some goals that we have for the summer reading program, just what’s best for students: interacting with literacy, collaborating with others, small group instruction. It’s not necessarily the same goals that you would have during the school year, to show that growth in reading over those weeks. It’s more to avoid that summer slide.”

The program invited students entering 1st-4th grade who tested as non-proficient in any of the benchmark tests taken in the year. The attendance rate in the first session was 85% and 50% in the next session. Norris comments on this attendance, “Some of the takeaways for that for next year: we’re going to try to look at when those camps are, when they’re being planned next year. Vacations for both staff and students, try to get a feel for when those student vacations take place as well. And then maybe reworking the sessions altogether, maybe not doing it in two sessions maybe just having one long session. We’re just going to explore a lot of different options.”

Of the 24 students who tested non-proficient last spring and attended the summer school, five of them tested within the standard deviation of proficiency this fall, according to Norris.