Academy for Reading Progress

A.R.P. Project

Reading Academies Goals

GOAL: Arp Elementary School will provide adequate and appropriate skills, strategies, reading time, materials, and enrichment opportunities to encourage and ensure growth in reading for all students.

Objectives for Teachers:

K-3rd grade teachers will:

  • Participate in staff development to learn strategies to evaluate and engage beginning and low-achieving readers
  • Provide balanced and research-based (whole-part-whole) multisensory instruction in reading strategies and skills (phonemic awareness, decoding skills, profuse (literacy-rich) reading both oral, shared, and silent reading, and both objective-based writing and personal journal writing)
  • Monitor and assess students using a balance of analog (one-on-one) and digital (electronic) evaluations to analyze individual student progress and to provide individualized student growth plans (including Dyslexia screening and intervention.)
  • Schedule "D.E.A.R." (Drop Everything And Read) time into each classrooms daily routine
  • Provide library and research skills instruction using a coherent sequentially appropriate curriculum guide provided by Texas Library Association
  • Participate in the Accelerated Reading Program and S.T.A.R. electronic assessment program using computers in each classroom to help students maintain the appropriate level of reading practice.
  • Provide Reading "Nannies & Pappies" from the community and PTA for weekly story time reading circles
  • Collaborate with Librarian for optimum library time
  • Incorporate multimedia and electronic books and research materials into daily enrichment activities
  • Assist all students in generating word processing content-related writing assignments and electronic daily journals

Objectives for Parents:

Parents will:

  • Participate in "DEAR" time at home and log this time for documentation
  • Participate in online, face-to-face, and written planning, training, implementation, and evaluation activities for student reading improvement
  • Assist student reading progress by attending Tuesday and/or Thursday evening Family Reading Academies held in the elementary school library
  • Utilize free computer check-out for student journaling, reading media, and remote access from home

Objectives for Students:

K-3rd grade students will:

  • Gain fundamental and enhanced reading skills through a literacy-rich and balanced reading program that provides a large selection of reading, multimedia and research materials
  • Successfully attain or exceed grade-level reading competencies by the third grade
  • Gain extensive knowledge and comprehension skills through participation in broad-based and profuse high-interest and content reading and writing
  • Exhibit a love for reading by selecting it as a free-time choice

Objectives for the Campus:

The Arp Elementary Campus will:

  • Provide students (through this grant) a library that is adequately equipped with adequate volumes of high-interest, literary, research and multimedia volumes
  • Provide (through this grant) students, parents, and teachers access to an online catalog through each classroom (3 to 5 available drops in each classroom) and via remote access
  • Provide students, parents, and teachers access to the Texas Library Initiative via the Internet made available to the district by a TIF ’97 grant
  • Provide (through this grant) training to parents and teachers in basic reading skills and strategies for intervention
  • Provide a Dyslexia Therapist for screening students and training and consulting with parents and teachers
  • Provide through a previous NASA grant 75 MACs to rotate for family check-out to extend journal writing time, and access to multimedia, research materials, and school’s Project Web site
  • Provide (through this grant) an outside evaluator (TCET) for formative and summative assessment of the entire Academy for Reading Progress (A.R.P.) Project
  • Provide (through this grant training) staff development for teachers to gain skills in appropriate assessment and analysis techniques utilizing new state approved instruments through the Region VII Education Service Center
  • Provide (through TIF grant) Web site for coordination of A.R.P. Project and all its components for the community, students, faculty, and administration
  • Provide (through this grant) remote access to reading academy Web site for parents, students, faculty, and community for extended learning time at home
  • Provide (through Title 1 funds) access to the elementary school’s library on Tuesday and Thursday evenings along with training in strategies for better reading comprehension and use of MAC computers for the home
  • Provide (through this grant) access to the elementary school’s library on Saturday mornings from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon for reading circles, storytime, and book check-out.
  • Provide reading circle partners (High School National Honor Society) to read to or listen to students read during extended library hours.

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