Reading Program
All students have equal access to reading support. Incoming 9th-grade students are identified through a screening process based on multiple criteria; including the STAR assessment, previous MCAS scores, middle-school grades, and teacher recommendations.
Once students are identified, they are retested at the beginning of the year using the Language Exclamation to ensure accurate placement, and post-tested at the end of the year to gauge performance/growth. Post-test results are used, in part, to identify students who will need additional support in the 10th-grade.
Key Elements of the Reading Program Include:
- Instruction that reflects the learning standards of the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks for English Language Arts.
- Student use of active comprehension strategies; using graphic organizers, recognizing narrative and expository writing, summarizing, and outlining.
- Multiple forms of assessment; including oral presentations, written reports, teacher observations, performance assessments, quizzes, and pre and post-tests.
Reading Program Courses
READERS/WRITERS WORKSHOP A
The primary emphasis of this course is to improve each student’s ability to communicate effectively through the use of strategic reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. Instruction is tailored to students’ individual learning needs, based on a variety of assessments, and includes extended learning time. The goal is to provide students opportunities to increase motivation, independence, and transfer of literacy skills to their academic, professional and personal lives. Freshmen who obtain a Lexile level of 430 or below on the Stanford 10 test will be placed in this class.
READERS/WRITERS WORKSHOP C
The primary emphasis of this course is to improve each student’s ability to communicate effectively through the use of strategic reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. Instruction is tailored to students’ individual learning needs, based on a variety of assessments, and includes extended learning time. The goal is to provide students opportunities to increase motivation, independence, and transfer of literacy skills to their academic, professional and personal lives. Freshmen who obtain a Lexile level of 430 to 800 on the Stanford 10 test will be placed in this class.
READERS/WRITERS WORKSHOP E
The primary emphasis of this course is to improve students’ abilities to communicate effectively through the use of strategic reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. Instruction is tailored to students’ individual learning needs, based on a variety of assessments. Students are placed in Readers/Writers Workshop E as the result of the Stanford 10. Their Lexile levels are between 950 and 800. Freshmen students placed in this class will work to bring their reading and writing skills to or above grade level expectations in one year.
READERS/WRITERS WORKSHOP D
This course builds on the foundation of Reader/Writers Workshop A with continued opportunities for students to deepen knowledge and improve skills in reading and writing, speaking, and listening. Instruction is tailored to students’ individual learning needs. Students in Readers/Writers Workshop C who score below 990L on the final benchmark assessment take Readers/Writers Workshop D as sophomores.
For more information, please contact Kathryn Palladino, Director of Language Acquisition, 978-441-5360 or kpalladino@gltech.org