Savannah, JA. (WSAV) — A quarter of students in the Chatham County Savannah Public School System (SCCPSS) are reading grades three through eight or above the outstanding level resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the latest data.
Now the county is doing something about it.
On Wednesday, SCCPSS called the Literacy Task Force presented recommendations to the Board of Education on how to improve those rates, with an emphasis on elementary students.
“We all understand that there are challenges our students face, especially emerging from the pandemic,” says BOE member Denise Grobowski, “Reading is key, and so we focus on the specific needs of our students.”
The plan consists of devoting 120 minutes of class time to literacy, training teachers to teach reading and phonics and hiring literacy specialists at the district level.
It’s not just a temporary solution, Grubowski says, but a recipe for lasting success in the classroom.
“Not only do we like to see our reading scores show up where you’re at, but we also realize that reading scores don’t really reflect where students have grown,” says Grubowksi, “so one of our things is to refocus not just on the bottom line of reading, Which is obviously an important metric to consider, but also their growth throughout the year.”
As for when to make the recommendations, Grubowksi says most of them should be included this fall semester.
Right now, the council is in the midst of setting a budget. Until then, she says, some schools are starting to come up with recommendations on their own.
It’s not just new methods coming into the classroom. SCCPSS puts forward several community initiatives to stimulate children’s reading abilities.
One of them will happen next Saturday, April 22nd, at Daffin Park.
It’s the annual “Books, Blankets & Family Fun” event.
“We focus on literacy activities,” says organizer Crystal Bell, “We have some celebrity readers go out and read stories. During story time, we’ll have a rocking chair and a small carpeted area. We have a table where they’ll go out and read to our kids.”
Bell says it’s not just about learning but developing a love for it.
“This is important so that children can see us reading at all ages. We never stop reading, we never stop learning. We just want to make them develop a love of reading and a desire to read.”
Grubowski echoes this sentiment, speaking of opportunities for community members to support student literacy.
“One of the best ways community members can get involved is by volunteering at your local school. We’d love to have more people come into class just to read aloud to students because that can have a huge impact,” says Grobowski.
As for when to make the recommendations, Grubowksi says most of them should be included this fall semester.
Right now, the council is in the midst of setting a budget.
Until then, she says, some schools are starting to come up with recommendations on their own.