School Business

Management
Decision
Adoption of a Reading Program in
Brandon Schools
Shelly Schantz & Jenny Gieselman
 Rationale...
- Third Grade Retention Law
- Elementary Reading Scores
- Elementary teachers are planning for multiple subjects. Within reading alone there are
5-8 individual groups being planned. Adopting a program would create less prep time
finding resources and more time can be devoted to best practices and craft. (more time
teaching, less time preparing)
- Reading programs provide systematic sequences and systemic progressions of literacy
development across grade-levels.
- Ultimately students are being tested on grade level reading material. If they are only
exposed to their “just-right” reading level within reading this isn’t preparing them for the
test they will take for the state.
What We Discovered….
According to Brandon’s October 2017 Staff Update:
Since the fall of 2014, NWEA scores are up 9.2 percentile points in math and 5.3
percentile points in reading.
According to the April 2018 Superintendent’s Update to the community:
Since the fall of 2014, NWEA scores are up 10 percentile points in math and 6.4
percentile points in reading.
2013 was the year Brandon adopted a math program.
Pros…..
- Top rated programs offer on-going professional development
- Diagnostic tools for analysis are embedded in practice
- Provide materials and pacing guides
- Common language and skills are systematically built upon each other from grade
level to grade level.
- Embed best-practices that include grade level concepts, differentiated- small
group instruction, and research based sequencing of skills.
Cons….
- Upfront costs and fees
- Need someone to oversee material distribution and cataloguing
- Not all programs are the workshop model our district has been training in
- Coaching focus may change to more of an intervention focus
 Top Program Picks
Fountas and Pinnell
Classroom
Per Teacher:
Shared Reading Kit (k-3)
Interactive Reading Kit (k-5)
Phonics, Spelling, and Word
Study Kit (k-5)
*Reading Mini-Lessons(k-5) & Book
Clubs(k-5) Coming Soon
Per Grade Level/ Building:
Guided Reading Kit (k-5)
$180,000 +
*not included in estimated price-
Additional to add in 2019
Journeys (Houghton Fountas and Pinnell
Mifflin Harcourt) Interactive, Word Study and
Guided Reading Sets
Classroom Kit with 6 year Per Teacher:
digital license Interactive Read Aloud Kit (k-5)
● Leveled readers Word Study (k-5)
● Reading and Writing Per Grade Level/ Building:
Lessons Guided Reading Kit (k-5)
● Word Study and
Vocabulary
● Interventions
● Assessments
$156,072 + $108,000 +
Additional costs over 200 With the potential to add in Reading
students in a grade level. mini-lessons and book clubs later.
 Possible ways to fund this investment?
Curriculum Chairs instead of a curriculum director. Part-time teachers/chairs, share position. Oversee
professional development of their particular curriculum area, curriculum happenings, materials, etc.. Eliminate
curriculum director, chairs would report directly to building principals.
Creates a more affordable type of curriculum director, not all responsibilities on one person - provides money for
program / on-going professional development provided by district.
Utilize coaches as head interventionists, working directly with students. By adopting a high-quality program, less
time will have to be spent on best-practices of teachers. More emphasis can be spent on regular high-quality
intervention and instruction, ultimately impacting more students. Reading coaches could become the curriculum
chairperson.
These initial costs, when spread out over the course of just five years, is between $21,000 and $36,000 per year.
These are certainly saved with the elimination/ reduction of a curriculum director, even with a stipend or salary for
curriculum chairpersons.
 Over Time…..
Less copies would need to be made by teachers as pre-printed and digital resources are
utilized.
More consistent instruction across grade levels- same language, increased teacher
efficacy
Consistent assessment and analysis tools.
The increased rigor and systematic progression of skills means that students will be more
prepared to tackle grade level material.
Supports development of reading progressions and interventions that are in line with the
3rd Grade reading law, including interventions.
Resource Links
https://www.heinemann.com/collection/fpc#ic
https://forms.hmhco.com/virtual-catalog/publication/ac61deaa#41