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Northwood credits targeted literacy program and grants for iRead gains to 88%
Summary
Northwood staff told visitors that targeted Orton-Gillingham instruction, Jumpstart teachers funded by a Brannigan grant and Title I dollars, and college partnerships helped raise cohort iRead pass rates to about 88% and set multi‑year goals toward the state 95% target.
Northwood Elementary, part of Franklin Community School Corp, said targeted literacy supports and outside partnerships have produced substantial gains in student reading. Carly, a school presenter, told visitors that the school’s differentiated Orton‑Gillingham (OG) block places students by need so those far below grade level receive smaller, intensive instruction.
"We are 60% free and reduced lunch," Carly said, framing the context for the interventions. "We're up to 88%." She said those gains reflect both classroom changes and extra staff funded through grants and Title I dollars.
Carly credited a Brannigan grant and Title I funds for enabling Jumpstart teachers and part‑time intervention staff who worked with second and third graders; she said intervention groups showed very high iRead pass rates. "We were lucky enough last year to receive the Brannigan grant," she said, describing two part‑time teachers who helped accelerate progress.
School leaders described other supports that feed into reading outcomes: use of progress monitoring, a building schedule that "floods" grade levels with extra teachers or assistants during OG blocks, an instructional coach who continued professional development after the district literacy cadre, and Franklin College education students who spend January term placed at Northwood to assist classroom instruction.
Carly presented cohort data showing steady improvement: earlier third‑grade pass rates were near 69–70 percent, rising in recent years to about 88 percent. The school has set incremental second‑grade goals (from 38% historically toward a current-year target of 55%) and a multi‑year aim to approach the state's 95% pass goal.
School staff also described family engagement and incentives that support learning: Title I–paired family nights, student‑of‑the‑month recognitions, a book vending machine run in partnership with PTO, and classroom routines such as a daily 'Owl Oath' and morning meetings focused on character traits.
No formal district action was announced during the presentation; staff said midyear assessments and further monitoring will inform next steps.
