Testimonials: Elementary

I am very pleased with the success our child has had with 100 Book Challenge and the way he likes to read now.

—First Grade Parent, Propel Charter School, PA

100 Book Challenge was the glue needed for a full literacy program. The 100 Book Challenge has created a culture where reading at a high level is expected rather then simply hoped for.

—Trevor McDonald, Principal, James McEntee Academy, CA

I had a wonderful morning visiting Zoology at Washington School! The children are so excited and are learning so much. One kindergartener said during a class discussion, ‘We’ve had so much rain, it looks like the wetlands!’

—Teacher, NJ

My daughter is very independent now and is able to do things we never thought were possible. She has an uplifting desire to learn. She can even read now because of the 100 Book Challenge.

—Kindergarten Parent, Propel Charter School, PA

The 100 Book Challenge is one of the finest and most positive approaches to literacy that I have ever seen.

—Stephen M. Waldron, Elementary Literacy & Title Coordinator, Springfield School District: Delaware County, PA

I have never had a program impact my students so quickly. 100% of my students passed the TAKS test this year.

—Elementary School Teacher, Brownsville Independent School District, TX

100 Book Challenge is individualized, self motivating, and places the student in control of his or her own learning.

—Michael Mimms, Principal, Sumner Elementary School, NJ

100 Book Challenge has enabled our school to provide our population of preK–5th grade students with 40,000 books [in] 100 regular education, special education, and ESOL classrooms….

—Gar Underwood, Assistant Principal, Hilton Head Elementary School, SC

[100 Book Challenge] is the only program that gives teachers the confidence to work with students one on one.

—Assistant Principal, Rose Warren Elementary School, NV

The ‘performance gap’ at the first grade level has all but been eliminated within the…schools utilizing an early intervention model—the 100 Book Challenge.

—Steven R. Marrone, Coordinator of Federal Programs, Assessments, and Grants, Chichester School District, PA

The 100 Book Challenge program has enough flexibility to allow teachers to develop unique motivational strategies to engage their children in the program and yet follow a structure that helps measure [each] student’s progress.

—Bluffton Elementary School, SC

I went into his room to tell him to shut off the TV and go to bed, and [instead of TV] he was reading.

—Parent, School District of Philadelphia, PA

The 100 Book Challenge reading program has made our school a real learning community. Students are developing a love of reading….

—Peter Stewart, Principal, Sidney Elementary School, NY

I have seen a change in attitude. … The children take out books on their own and groan when we have to stop.

—Second Grade Teacher, OH

The IRLA is a magnificent piece of work. No other assessment or program can match its depth and comprehensiveness—and we’ve searched!

—Elementary Principal, FL

Nowhere [else] have we found the breakdown of comprehension by levels [as in the IRLA].

—Reading Specialist, FL

Through embedded conferencing and coaching procedures, 100 BC serves as an immediate and on-going diagnosis of student needs, both for instruction and possible further intervention. As such, it provides direct and up-to-date information to the teacher that serves as the basis for follow-up Guided Reading within the classroom. Additionally, it provides a common unifying vocabulary in terms of the day-to-day observations and the entire K–4 experience for each student.

—Director of Title Programs, Assessments, and Grant, Chichester School District, PA

100 BC provides us with a common, on-going measure and evaluation of students’ growth and development over time for the entire K-4 continuum, both in terms of level and pace. As such, it serves as the perfect internal growth model of student achievement.

—Director of Title Programs, Assessments, and Grant, Chichester School District, PA

I am hooked on 100 Book Challenge. The students LOVE it, their attitudes and feelings towards reading are transformed. We can feel the excitement in the air when it’s time to earn a step. One of my children told me last week that he has the ‘reading bug.’ I am trying to tell them to be aware of their reading habits—and to let me know when it feels strange NOT to have a good book to read….we are making progress.

—Third Grade Teacher, Baltimore County Public Schools, MD

[From] Kindergarten up into the Intermediate grades…the students still love to hear their names announced over the PA system for the amount of [15-minute] Steps they read and proudly display their gold medals for every 100 Steps.

—Elementary Principal, School District of Philadelphia, PA

I can’t tell you how important it is for classroom teachers to ‘check’ student independent reading levels. From experience and tons of conversations with parents—independent reading MUST be fast, fun and easy. We lose kids quickly when they attempt to read books that are too hard. The most effective way to make sure this is done is to build in teacher/student conference time daily. This way, teachers are able to assess students every day and monitor their just right levels. One of the biggest parts of 100BC that relates directly to students making progress in reading. VOLUME + JUST RIGHT LEVELS + TEACHER/STUDENT FREQUENT CONFERENCES = reading success!

—Peter Stewart, Principal, Horace Mann Elementary School, NY

The 100 Book Challenge has also had an effect on raising both our Terra Nova and PSSA test scores over the past 9 years at Kearny School with the 2005 PSSA scores showing at least 66% of our 3rd & 5th graders reading at the Proficient and Advanced levels.

—Principal, Kearny Elementary School, PA

Since my daughter began the 100 Book Challenge program, her reading has become more fluent. It has extended her vocabulary, which has helped her become a better writer as well. The gradual increase of reading difficulty has encouraged her to learn new words and has enabled her to read for longer periods of time without getting bored. She also spends more time reading for fun and likes going to the library in search of new reading material. Overall, her language skills have improved tremendously during the course of the 100 Book Challenge program and as a parent I am pleased with my child’s continued progress.

—Third Grade Parent, Margaret Park Elementary School, OH

Thank you so much for all your help and support over the last few years. As you know, I will be retiring shortly and I did not want to leave without expressing my deep appreciation for all that you have done to help us establish the 100 Book Challenge program here at Springfield School District. This program has been one of the greatest supports to the children in attaining success in their reading. This year our children at Scenic and Sabold elementary schools have read for over 9,278,040 minutes! That represents an increase of 3,547,740 minutes of ‘Fun, Fast & Easy’ reading in which our children have engaged! Just being able to say that, is such a powerful thing. The children, parents and teachers are immensely proud of all our kids have achieved and that is directly because of what you and your company have brought to us. Give my best to everyone there.

—Elementary Literacy & Title I Coordinator, Springfield School District: Delaware County, PA

Goldfarb Elementary School witnessed double digit gains in our test scores this year and I contribute much of that success to 100 Book Challenge. The program gave students exactly what they needed, that being the ability to apply skills independently that were taught to everyone as a class.

—Dr. Jacqueline S. Conarton, Principal, Goldfarb Elementary School, NV

I just wanted…to let you know how GREAT the 100 Book Challenge Program is. I have seen a complete change in [my son] Joey’s outlook on reading. Up until this program started, it was a battle to get him to read anything. We have purchased many books and nothing worked. He now looks forward to reading every night. One night he surprised me when he was so quiet in the Family Room. I asked what he was doing. He replied, ‘I want to log an hour tonight.’ He ended up with an hour and a half.

—Parent, Charlotte County School District, FL

The Skills Cards are a great resource. This year I am writing monthly guides for the teachers with suggestions of what to do, and I can see, for example, that if the kids are BB, then the teacher would serve them well by working with them using the BB Skills Card. And, every teacher should make a big chart of the Word Attack Strategies card and use it for shared reading and guided reading

—Supervisor of Elementary Curriculum, NJ

100 Book Challenge has made a tremendous change in my daughter’s reading. When she first started, I didn’t think anything about it, but as time went on Taylor was reading more and so much better. … So I like to thank the school system for going with the 100 Book Challenge. You made a big difference. Thanks!

—Parent, Margaret Park Elementary School, OH

100 Book Challenge has made a tremendous difference in teaching and learning at our school. Children are reading, reading, reading! Teachers are conferencing and are much more aware of students’ needs and abilities because of it. There is an excitement about reading that permeates the building. Reading is a celebration!

—Pamela Chatelain, Third Grade Teacher, Margaret Park Elementary School, OH

A quiet young fifth grader became our school’s first 100 Step medal winner. His peers cheered for him when his name was announced over the loud speaker. Everyone began asking each other what step they were on. Then they started sharing their favorite books and helping each other. When we bought this program we did not anticipate the collegial spirit it would inspire and the truest sense of community. Our kids are really loving reading!

—Wissahickon Charter School, PA

The children are very excited about becoming zoologists!!!! They love walking around the room with their clipboards that they use to diagram animals, take surveys of favorite savanna animals, etc. We really enjoy the pages where we show children how to draw specific animals step by step. We take mini art lesson and they have drawn dogs, pigs, lions, and giraffes thus far. We are impressed in the children’s writing that they are using the power words and spelling them correctlly in their sentences. Also we see the children beginning to spell phonetically…(example a child sounded out tiger and spelled it tigr) We were amazed!! All in all, it is evident that this program touches on the various aspects of our Literacy program.

—Teacher

I was coaching a fifth grader who didn’t really like to read before 100 Book Challenge. As her coach I saw that she was getting excited about the book she was reading and asking a lot of questions like how a book can be fiction if it really has a lot of true ‘stuff’ in it? It was the first time she was asking questions and questions that showed she was thinking about what she was reading.

—Wissahickon Charter School, PA