Grant Brings New Chapter To Oswego County Literacy Initiative

by Contributor | April 10, 2023 1:19 pm

OSWEGO – Thanks to a grant provided by the Richard S. Shineman Foundation, the Oswego County Literacy Initiative is once again making strides in supporting teachers implementing evidence-based practices aimed at increasing students’ literacy rates.

The need for this project resulted after two years of interrupted learning for both students an teachers due to the pandemic and is evidenced by students’ Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) and state assessment data.

The Oswego County Literacy Initiative was born in 2018 to meet the growing number of students struggling to read. During the first two years of the initiative, pre-k through third grade educators were trained in the Science of Reading, and coaching of that science began within individual buildings and classrooms. Reading gaps started to close, and then the pandemic hit, stalling ongoing training.

The Reset Grant, in the amount of $50,400 for the first year, will allow for professional development and coaching to resume to support the systematic implantation of tier one reading instruction across Oswego County.

“The need for this reset has been identified by school district data that shows that students are not reading at grade level at present,” said CiTi Director of Instructional Support Heather Witter. “This work is imperative as we know that students not reading on grade level by the end of third grade are less likely to graduate from high school and may struggle to become productive contributors to their community.”
“One of the goals of the OCLI Reset is to build teacher and administrator capacity,” said CiTi Staff Development Specialist for the Science of Reading Liz Amyot. “As the reset ends, capacity built during the reset will enable teacher leaders, internal coaches and administrators to sustain the work within buildings and districts.”

“With guidance from CiTi instructional leaders and opportunities for continued professional development for our newer teachers, I know we can help more of our students read on grade level,” said Sandy Creek Central School District Director of Curriculum and Instruction Amy Howard-McCormack.

“Oswego County Schools need to continue to collaborate through OCLI so we can see growth in teacher knowledge and further understand and implement the Science of Reading, use data to drive instructional practices and ultimately provide the best instructional support for our students,” said Lura M. Sharp Elementary Principal Joelle Hendry.

Through the initiative, Oswego County Schools are using the same curriculum and training called Amplify to help strengthen the implementation across the region.

Richard S. Shineman Foundation Director Chena Tucker recently visited one of the training sessions held at CiTi programming housed at Volney Elementary where teachers had the opportunity to work with Amplify trainers and ask questions.

“Hearing a teacher talk about a third-grader reading at a kindergarten level really confirmed how important the need is,” said Tucker. “Education is at the forefront of what the Shineman Foundation supports, and we are glad to partner with our local school system.”

“This is such exciting work and we are so appreciative of the support of the Shineman Foundation,” said Amyot. “This work will pay dividends for children and our community.”

“As we continue to see such growth in our students, we know that it is a direct result of investing in our teachers and supporting them through embedded coaching,” said Fairley Elementary School Principal Amy Bird.

This grant was made possible by the Richard S. Shineman Foundation. The mission of the Richard S. Shineman Foundation is to be a catalyst for change to enhance the quality of life in Oswego County. The Foundation will use its resources to stimulate economic vitality, encourage strong bonds that strengthen the community and build the capacity of its not-for-profit partners.

Visit CiTiboces.org/OCLI[1] to learn more about the Oswego County Literacy Initiative.

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/news/grant-brings-new-chapter-to-oswego-county-literacy-initiative/

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