Reading coaches from the St. Clair County School System met with textbook representatives last week at the Central Office to adopt the reading series for this year.Jan Darnell, school improvement specialist for the county school system, said once the reading series is in place, it will last for the next eight years.
“We are putting a lot of time into this and today is our fourth meeting,” Darnell said. “Next week, we will be reflecting on research-based materials and teacher feedback. We are really trying to make the best decisions for kindergarten through fifth grade right now. We will then do a sixth grade through twelfth grade reading series adoption.”
Darnell said they are looking into research from ARI and the components they offer.
“Even professional development is a very important component for our teachers,” Darnell said. “It is very important that after we discuss ideas here, these reading coaches go back and share these ideas with their teachers. Hopefully, we are going to have the best for our students and our county. We are just trying to make the best choice for our students here in St. Clair County. It’s all about student learning.”
St. Clair Schools Superintendent Jenny Seals said it is very important to have teamwork and collaboration so the best for students can be provided.
“That’s what this meeting has been about,” Seals said. “I trust their opinion and value what they say because they are the reading coaches at each elementary school. We are taking reading serious.”
