Conversations on literacy instruction and policy are heating up in Wisconsin. Just today, WCRIS monitored a joint Assembly and Senate Education committee meeting at the state Capitol about potential strategies to improve literacy in Wisconsin.
A body of research called the “Science of Reading” – which emphasizes phonics instruction – was the centerpiece of the conversations today in Wisconsin. It’s also prominent in education reform organizations and public schools around the nation.
Check out the account below, submitted to WCRIS by Amplify Education, about the success Messmer Catholic Schools found after implementing “Science of Reading” curriculum for one semester.
Happy National Reading Day!
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Messmer Catholic Schools’ Director of Instruction, Michelle Paris, recognized a change was needed. Both elementary school campuses, Saint Mary and Saint Rose, adopted a new curriculum and system of professional development that embraces the Science of Reading. When considering different options, Paris stated, “We must get our tier-one instruction correct — first and foremost.” The campuses are now celebrating the curriculum’s impact on their students.
Messmer implemented Amplify’s Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) curriculum at the beginning of this school year. Since then, Kristen Middlecamp, the school’s reading specialist, and Paris shared that more students now read grade-level texts without support. The students are more willing to write and have expressed stamina in their ability.
Messmer’s students are primarily African American; the school also hosts many Burmese refugees; and its enrollment has a high population of English Language Learners, with students speaking a range of more than six languages. More than 90% of students receive free and reduced lunch.
These students exude pride as they read to each other. According to the school, “Kids see themselves in the text they are reading. This diversity stood out to us when we piloted CKLA.”
Messmer’s administration and teachers are thrilled with the results they have seen in just one semester. Using Amplify’s mCLASS DIBELS 8th Edition as their universal screener and progress monitoring tool, both Saint Mary and Saint Rose campuses have seen the following growth from their beginning-of-year assessment (BOY) and middle-of-year (MOY) assessment:
- At Messmer Saint Mary (MSM), 30% of 5K students were at or above the benchmark composite score for the BOY assessment. After one semester, that percentage increased to 55% (MOY) of students at that level.
- At Messmer Saint Rose (MSR), 27% of 5K students were at or above the benchmark composite score for BOY. On the MOY, over 40% are at that level.
- Oral reading fluency increased from 56% to 76% for 4th graders at MSR and 32% to 85% at MSM.
- Fifth graders increased oral reading fluency from 62% to 84% at MSR and from 41% to 75% at MSM.
When making a pedagogical shift in instruction, Paris and Middlecamp emphasized professional development’s important role in their success. Before adopting Amplify CKLA, Middlecamp guided teachers in a study of why a shift to a Science of Reading curriculum was necessary. They read books like Natalie Wexler’s The Knowledge Gap and tuned into Amplify’s “Science of Reading: The Podcast.”
Middlecamp said, “The teachers dove in with open hands and open hearts because it was best for the students.”
A pioneer in K–12 education since 2000, Amplify is leading the way in next-generation curriculum and formative assessment. They specialize in K-12 literacy, math and science instruction. Amplify serves more than five million students — in public and private schools — in all 50 states. Learn more here.
