Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Alamo reading scores 'phenomenal'

Submitted to El Defensor Chieftain

Teachers and students at Alamo Navajo Community School are celebrating the improvement made in kindergarten through third grade reading scores. Independent evaluators administered the tests.

The announcement was made last week by seven federal Reading First Program auditors at the Alamo School during a parent-teacher meeting.

According to the professional team of educational examiners and observers, "Alamo Navajo Community School is a national leader among all Bureau of Indian Affairs schools in the country including Hawaii and Alaska!"

The examiners found a 71 percent improvement in reading scores between fall and spring test results.

The Eastern Navajo Agency has repeatedly commended Alamo School as a leader of the BIA schools in New Mexico for being "way ahead of the rest."

More than a dozen schools in New Mexico, including one in Arizona, has requested assistance from the community school. In addition, Alamo School has broken the stereotypical reasons why low-achieving schools say they fail: a poverty-impacted community, poor environment, a presence of drugs, and students who speak English as a second language. These same factors exist in the Alamo Community, but the school proved to the entire country that quality teaching with a scientifically based program could help students to be successful.

Parents who attended a meeting with school faculty and the examiners commented that major changes have occurred at the school and everyone now takes education seriously. Alamo School has attained "phenomenal levels of achievement," a success level that has surpassed 400 schools participating in the Reading First Program.

As a result, Alamo School will automatically qualify for a fourth year of continued funding for the Reading First Program in order to improve children's reading achievement through scientifically proven methods of instruction.

Over a dozen schools in New Mexico and Arizona have requested assistance from the Alamo School. In addition, Alamo School broke the stereotypical reasons why low-achieving schools say they fail: poverty-impacted community, poor environment, presence of drugs, and students who speak English as a second language. These same factors exist in the Alamo Community but the school proved to the entire country that quality teaching, with a scientifically based program, could help students to be successful.

Reading First is a program that teaches students to read using consistent research-based practices in kindergarten through third grade. The Alamo Navajo School Board received a grant to implement this program in the school.

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