READING, CORE CURRICULUM, and TESTING

By Wally Lowry

Phonics-based reading program, new academic standards for each grade, and common course exams need strong philosophical and budgetary support.

POSITION PAPER

The following are a few of my views that directly relate to the direction in which I would like to see the Board of Trustees proceed and to which I might provide significant assistance as a Board Member:

READING, CORE CURRICULUM, and TESTING

With the new adoption of a phonics-based reading program most grade teachers and reading intervention teachers need better materials, better training, and better evaluation. I have a strong determination to see that the new program will stay focused. It is disheartening to observe that a school's reading program results appear to be geographical - witness the latest published Star Test results. My goal will be to "level the playing field" among individual schools.

The State's new academic standards detail what students are to learn in each grade with tests to see how well its students have mastered those standards. I support this approach to K-12 curriculum.

In the common core course area I believe that "exit exams" are appropriate. I am indifferent as to whether they should be used to help the teacher determine the course grade. I have no problem with leaving such a decision up to the teacher. In my years of teaching, one system-wide academic goal that was never achieved was to tell a teacher how to grade his/her class. Our objective as a Board is to ensure that all new teachers come with the highest and best academic backgrounds and appropriate references. Progress of our graduates in their career pursuits, as well as review and evaluation of published test scores over the passage of time, should become self-correcting with respect to the common core courses.