Stimulus-Funded Reading Program Provides 30 Days of Teacher Training to Propel Student Reading Growth in Pennsylvania’s Oxford Area School District
Watch a Short Video About American Reading Company’s Action 100 Working in Oxford on YouTube
Oxford, Pa.—This year Oxford Area School District embarked on an ambitious district-wide literacy initiative, requiring teachers and principals to participate in 30 days of on-site training. “We committed to professional development in a way that is atypical for schools,” explained Dr. Cathy Taschner, Assistant Superintendent of Schools. “Instead of one-shot professional development we created a system that has been pervasive, meaning it has affected all of our teachers, and persistent.”
All Oxford elementary schools are participating in Action 100, a Response to Intervention (RtI) accountability model implemented in partnership with American Reading Company using federal stimulus funds. “It’s no secret that what makes a school or child successful is the expertise of the teacher,” said Jane Hileman, Founder and CEO of American Reading Company. “What Action 100 does is to make sure that teacher quality is the constant, not the variable.”
Schools are also using data-monitoring software to track the actual rate of reading acquisition. With just eight weeks remaining this school year, over 98% of students are on track to achieve the reading goals set forth by the district. Students take books home to read each night and parents serve as Home Coaches to monitor independent reading practice.
“This year we’ve become good diagnosticians,” said fourth-grade teacher Linda Hicks of the Nottingham School. “We’re more reading specialists in classroom now.”
Oxford will host two observation days on May 6th and 13th to showcase their success with Action 100. More than 30 educational leaders from neighboring districts and other states are expected to attend the events, hosted by Principal Paula Voshell at the Nottingham School, 736 Garfield Street, Oxford, PA 19363. Parents and students will also be on hand to share their personal success stories about reading gains.
About American Reading Company
American Reading Company transforms school cultures to create sustainable reading achievement through training, management, and monitoring systems. The company was founded in 1998 and is now based in King of Prussia, Pa. Today, more than a million students in 1,800 schools across 420 districts in 40 states participate in the company’s programs. Extensive research results show that 100 Book Challenge has boosted the standardized reading test scores of students and dramatically closed the achievement gap in participating schools. Action 100 is the company’s most comprehensive intervention program to turn around the nation’s lowest-performing schools under the requirements of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. For more information, please visit www.americanreading.com.