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Title teacher says K–5 small-group reading trainings boosting scores at Dana Bowen
Summary
The title teacher at Dana Bowen described K–5 small-group reading trainings led with literacy coach Britney Sorensen, saying consistent phonics and small-group management practices have coincided with rising student reading scores and regular progress meetings.
The title teacher at Dana Bowen told staff that a districtwide K–5 small-group reading training, led in part by literacy coach Britney Sorensen, is producing steady gains in student reading performance. "So, today, we have all of our staff who teach small group reading," the title teacher said, adding that this is the second time this year the district has pulled those staff together.
The training focuses on small-group management, phonics instruction, blending words, maintaining signals and pacing, and moving into the use of leveled readers, the teacher said. She described a shared approach across kindergarten through fifth grade so educational assistants and teachers use consistent examples and guidelines: "we're all K through 5 learning these instructional strategies and engagement strategies so that we can better help our students so we're all on the same page," she said.
The presenter said the work is showing up in assessment conversations. At the school's 20% progress meetings—regular checkpoints the teacher referenced—"our students, their scores are going up and up," she said, and staff report that groups are making adequate progress. She acknowledged that "there's a student here or there that's really struggling," and said the goal is to fine-tune supports for those students.
Framing the program, the teacher—who said she has worked in the district 28 years and has been a title teacher that whole time—described the model as a strong 45-minute core instruction block with title supports layered on: "we give every student what they need for a really strong 45 minutes, and then title is an addition," she said. She added that the whole building is becoming more successful at reading and that the title room can take students "even further." No formal motions or votes were recorded in the session.
Next steps described by the presenter include continuing the training cycle, reinforcing common instructional expectations across grade levels, and refining targeted interventions for students who remain behind.
