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A Principal’s Commitment to Reading Begins to Pay Off
Four years ago, students at Fairview Middle School simply took
one reading class. Today, under the leadership of Principal Roger
Pinholster, students are placed in reading classes based on their
needs. The progress at Fairview is similar to what we have seen
across the state.
Students are placed in classes that address their deficiencies,
whether they are having difficulty decoding or have a limited vocabulary,
they participate in intensive reading programs. In some cases 6th,
7th, and 8th graders are placed in the same class to work on particular
skills. Mr. Pinholster placed his most struggling readers in smaller
classes for individualized attention, even if it meant slightly
increasing the size of social studies and science classes.
Four reading coaches helped create a whole-faculty approach to
reading. All teachers work on reading strategies. All classes participate
in BIRD time Reading, which stands for Building Individual Reading
Development (time for every student to read in class). The faculty
has a professional development book club in which they select books
on research-based approaches and all teachers – math, science,
social studies, P.E. – participate.
Mr. Pinholster is proud of his student’s hard work. He appreciates
the perseverance of the four reading coaches at Fairview. With
their help, the faculty there is helping all children obtain the
reading skills that lead to life-long learning.
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