The district has seen positive results since it began piloting the program at Cooper and Frost elementaries in February, Chief Academic Officer Sonja Howard said at an April 22 board meeting.
How it works
The district launched the Literacy First Early Reading Intervention program in partnership with The University of Texas at Austin Charles A. Dana Center.
The program provides daily interventions and support for kindergarten through third grade students in phonics, decoding and reading fluency. Teachers and paraprofessionals assisting students in the program receive additional support and specialized training.
The impact
Thirty students have participated in the program, 20 of which are at Cooper Elementary and 10 students of which attend Frost Elementary. As of late April, nine students had graduated from the program by reading at grade level, enabling more students to receive literacy intervention services, Howard said.
This school year, the percentage of kindergarten through fifth grade students reading at grade level has increased from 49% to 57%, according to GISD information.
The background
Last school year, district officials discussed plans to improve reading strategies for elementary students following the release of 2024 scores for the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness test, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
In 2024, third through eighth GISD students performed at or below state averages in reading. The percentage of third grade students approaching grade level in reading dropped from 74% in 2023 to 68% in 2024, according to the Texas Education Agency.
Frost and Cooper Elementaries were two of seven rated GISD campuses that received a D or F accountability rating from the TEA in 2023.
Looking ahead
Next school year, GISD is seeking to expand the program to all campuses needing similar literacy intervention, according to district information.
“We already have students that have benefited so greatly from it, and so the goal is to expand that across to other campuses where we have this similar need,” Howard said.
