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 Success Story: Long Meadow Elementary School, Rochester Hills, Michigan
“Our PTA has loved this program from the start,” Bethany says. “There are two parents that co-chair the management of the program, so this is a wonderful opportunity for our parents to really have a part in all of our students' success. Parents are welcomed to drop in before and after school for their children to check out Scholastic Reading Counts! books and take the tests in our Media Center computer lab.”   The school administrator at Long Meadow plays a large role in creating a meaningful rewards program for the students. “It's become very important to our students to be recognized by the principal for great reading comprehension skills,” says Bethany. Motivational prizes for students include having their names and pictures displayed on a bulletin board, a citation in the school newsletter, and a personal appearance on the daily school news broadcast—which Bethany says the students really love! Pizza lunch with the principal and “principal for a day” prizes are highly valued by the students, too, Bethany notes. Long Meadow uses the SRI program to test students' reading levels five times during the school year. The test results help the teaching staff create reading groups and monitor reading improvement through the year. Results also help with early identification of both struggling and high-level reading students.
Bethany welcomes the chance to talk to us about her school's success with Scholastic Reading Counts! and the students' enjoyment of the program. “I'm so happy you contacted me,” she says. Students look forward to visiting the Media Center and finding their names on “Elmer's Reading Wall”! |
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Long Meadow Elementary School began using Scholastic Reading Counts! school-wide five years ago. Media Specialist Bethany Strausbaugh expresses her enthusiasm for the program as she shares details of her school's success story. “Scholastic Reading Counts! has helped our students read more and has created an increased interest in reading!” says Bethany. Library book check out numbers have grown. And, she notes that parent involvement in the program is another great benefit for Long Meadow students.
Students have the opportunity to take Scholastic Reading Counts! quizzes during their one hour per week Media Center time, in their classrooms on class computers (3 to 4 in each room) during their daily DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) time, and before or after school in the Media Center with their parents. “We have had many parents helping with this increase in reading tests,” Bethany says. “Our first grade classroom teachers have parent volunteers that help students take quizzes during specific times of the school day.”
