Reading Success for Cambridge School District
This past spring the Cambridge School District received the news that is the top performing in small/rural schools for reading proficiency. It is a wonderful honor brought on by hard work and dedication from the school staff and parents.
I spoke with Anthony Butler the district superintendent/principal on this accomplishment. According to him, one of their top contributing factors is the communication between teachers and staff. They also have monthly meetings between teachers and parents, along with teachers and staff utilizing the time on Fridays without students, making sure everyone is on the same page. It is a real focused effort for everyone. Their goal is to have every child reading by the 3rd grade and laying down the foundation of this in earlier grades.
One might think the smaller class sizes are a big contributing factor. While it does help give teachers more one-on-one time with the students, looking back historically with large class sizes in the past, the school still scores high results. It’s also the continuity between the grade levels, ensuring all process systems are the same throughout all the grades.
Teachers give students confidence before taking state tests by administering monthly practice tests. This allows students to become familiar with it, and teachers utilize the data to guide lessons. Another appreciated benefit is help and support from the parents in whatever capacity. The school’s remarkable success has been widely recognized as they have been invited to present to other schools in the state to share what they are doing, and their reading success.
The school wouldn’t have such success without the support from parents and the community. A big congratulations to teachers, staff, and students for their wonderful success in reading.
