Message from Mrs. Yonts

Dear Parents~

What do we do when kids don't read well?  What do we do when kids struggle in math?  We have been asking ourselves these same questions in an on-going pursuit of helping kids make steady growth and improvement in their academics.

Upon returning from Winter Break, our Reading Intervention Team and our Math Intervention Team, led by Mr. Wolcott and myself, have been collecting student test score data over time, studying each student's data and working to identify and develop specific interventions to help those who are at risk.  In addition to looking at students who are struggling, we are working to identify and implement programs and tools so that EVERY student at Garrison is guaranteed to receive the maximum benefit from our general education programs.  

Reading:  Our data in reading shows two areas where we need to provide intervention: Decoding (how to read words) and Fluency (how quick & accurately you read).  Staff and students will be piloting interventions this next quarter in an effort to get help to kids who are in need of these interventions.

We have come to the realization that ALL students will benefit from specific Vocabulary and Comprehension instruction in all subjects.  We are currently using collaboration time on Wednesdays to support the development of year-long vocabulary lists which should be helpful.  The more opportunities students have to discuss their learning, watch educational programs on T.V. or read interesting materials specific to what they are learning about in class, the more students are helped to build their background knowledge and allow them to participate in ALL classes effectively.  These strategies will support ALL students in their comprehension of content-specific materials.

Math: Our Math department has been implementing a new math curriculum this year and as we take a closer look at our student data, concerns are surfacing in the area of Computation (adding, subtraction, multiplication & division) and Number Sense (place value, adding, subtraction, multiplication & division of whole numbers, decimals and fractions).  We are working collectively to identify specific interventions and groups of students needing intervention. 

ALL students benefit from regular practice with their multiplication facts.  The more automatically kids can quickly recall math facts, the more easily they will advance in their learning.  The more opportunities students have to do daily math operations, the easier they will find it to make connections between the math classroom and math in everyday life.  Involving your child in daily activities, such as grocery shopping or estimating cost of a tank of gas, taking time to practice basic math facts, and checking that they are being successful with their nightly math homework, will go a long way towards making those connections.

Garrison staff members are very excited to be tackling this important work and are working hard to address the challenges.  We are working methodically to study the data and have this study inform our next steps.  We look forward to this hard work having the benefit of student success and in knowing that each day ALL students are accessing their education in fruitful ways.