Hawthorne Elementary is a K-5 elementary school that consists of approximately 84% free or reduced lunch rate students. Our school improvement efforts focus on reading and math skills across the curriculum. Factors that will contribute to our achievement levels are the following: District benchmarks have been aligned with the state standards through Target Teach. Our reading program is balanced and provides opportunities for all students to succeed. We also have a strong Title I program for reading: SRA Directed Reading. We provide after-school tutoring program, and we have a very dedicated, caring staff.

READING STRATEGIES:

Overview of the components of the school’s reading program.
Hawthorne's reading curriculum is based on district-developed benchmarks that were aligned with state standards. The balanced reading program provides instruction, modeling, and application opportunities for all students. One component of our reading program is a basal series, which was implemented during the 2005-2006 school year. Teachers use the series along with other materials to provide instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, and comprehension strategies. Additional reading instruction is provided to some students through after-school tutoring, and summer school. Assessment and evaluation of student performance is ongoing. Other components of our reading program include the use of various trade books and at-home reading requirements. Teachers model reading and instill excitement for reading through daily teacher-read time. Students are given daily opportunities to apply reading strategies during a period of silent reading. Reading material is provided to students through the library media center and teacher-created classroom libraries.

Professional development strategies used to support delivery of powerful reading instruction.
Teachers keep current by attending workshops, state conventions, and teacher in-services. Our current basal reading series encourages higher-level thinking, problem solving, writing, and reading. Reading strategies are incorporated in all curricular areas, such as science and social studies. Dialogue among colleagues is another significant sharing and learning opportunity.

How data is used to inform reading instruction.
Teacher, formal, and informal evaluations; text benchmark tests; standardized tests; teacher observations of students; and student responses to literature in their writings are all ways that we gauge whether our efforts in reading are successful. We have looked at data and cross-referenced test scores for a number of years and interviewed parents, staff, and students to assess our progress. We make adjustments accordingly.