Chesapeake reading program has kids in a 180

CHESAPEAKE

Early Tuesday morning, teens grabbed books about plane crashes, car wrecks and professional wrestling before settling into plastic lawn chairs to read.

This is “my favorite station because I get to read what I want to read,” whispered 13-year-old Ekara Cowles , one of 70 students selected for a pilot reading program at Oscar Smith Middle School last fall.

“Before this I didn’t want to read and I didn’t like math,” Ekara said . “Now I like to read and I’ve got a C in math.”

Travis Riggins, 14, added, “Before this, I didn’t read, I didn’t focus and I didn’t participate in nothing.”

Six months into the pilot, called Read 180, students are reading more, English grades are improving and students find themselves eager to talk about literacy.

In a tight budget year, Superintendent W. Randolph Nichols’ proposed budget seeks to bolster reading programs such as Read 180. Reading is an area of focus in Chesapeake, said Assistant Superintendent Patricia

Powers, because literacy is “the most important ingredient in a student’s ability to succeed in all content areas.”

Powers said so far the pilot results are encouraging.

Read 180 costs between $31,000 and $42,000 per school to start and $1,000 annually to maintain. Virginia Beach and Norfolk have also used the program.

In Chesapeake, some students have made progress teachers did not expect to see until the end of the year. Still, officials said, it’s too early to call it a success.

Students disagree. They created a video to thank the School Board for the class and for addressing their needs.

“Since I’ve been here I think I’ve improved in social studies and English. I have an A in Social studies and a B in English,” said Travis, who moved to Chesapeake this school year and enrolled in Read 180.

Eight more schools adopted the program this semester. Students are invited based on grades, standardized test scores and reading assessments.

Most are two years behind grade level in reading.

Secretly, “I felt kind of happy actually. I wanted to feel smart,” said Travis , who initially complained to the principal about having to give up an elective to take a reading class.

Beth Pallister, an English teacher at Oscar Smith, said it has affected other areas of students’ lives.

“They’re much more comfortable in taking on challenging texts and they’re no longer reluctant to read or anxious to talk about the material,” Pallister said.

Robert Shirley, the division’s supervisor of secondary English, said sometimes students fall behind because they don’t have information about subjects, which this program works to change. He said background knowledge is essential to learn to read.

Rashad Burden, who has been in Read 180 since the fall, said now when reading, “I can visualize what is happening. When you read those smaller books the pictures are just right there in front of your face.”

Students said they used to work around the problem by choosing less challenging books, skipping unfamiliar words or asking others to read.

In Read 180 there is no more faking or hiding, said Carlos Lynch, an eighth-grader in the class.

Computer programs teach vocabulary, give students essential background on subjects and force them to listen to themselves pronounce words. Independent reading makes students practice with books that interest them. Group reading with the teacher demands comprehension and deeper thought. Everything is monitored and tracked daily.

Early reading scores reveal that students have already made the kind of gains that take an entire year.

Officials said student performance will continue to be measured individually through the end of the year, when officials will determine if Read 180 works for Chesapeake’s students.

Sitting with a book about a blackout in his lap, Travis already knows.

“I can express myself now,” he said.

“I feel smart.”

Amy Couteé, (757) 222-5216, amy.coutee@pilotonline.com