Many of you may have heard of the Alabama Literacy Act but may not know the details of what this means for your child. This law is designed to ensure that all students are able to read prior to moving from third to fourth grade. Many other states across our nation have similar laws and Alabama has now joined those states by passing the Alabama Literacy Act on June 10, 2019.
According to the Alabama Literacy Act, “Commencing with the 2021-2022 school year, third grade students shall demonstrate sufficient reading skills for promotion to fourth grade. A student scoring at the lowest achievement level in reading on the established state assessment for third grade will not be promoted to fourth grade unless the student meets a good cause exemption for promotion.”
We know that Kindergarten through third grade is a vital time for establishing the basic foundations of reading. Being a skillful reader is critical if a student is going to have a successful school experience. To help ensure all students become successful lifelong readers, areas of strength and weakness must be identified. All students in grades K-3 are administered a state approved screener within the first 30 days of the school to identify any deficiencies in reading. Madison County Schools uses a screener called mClass. This replaced DIBELS that we have used in the past. This screener will be repeated mid-year and at the end of the school year for progress monitoring and to determine if deficiencies have been remedied.
After identifying students with deficiencies in reading, a letter goes home to parents. Some of you received this letter, along with the student report card. It is entitled MCSS Parent Notification of Student Support. It will explain what we are currently doing and what we propose to do to help your child. After receiving this letter, a conference will be scheduled to develop a specific plan for your child. These conferences will be scheduled between November 9-20.
Please do not be alarmed if your child received a letter of student support. We have missed a lot of school in the previous months and we are making up a lot of territory. Our teachers are up to the task and are working hard to ensure our students are moving towards the target of being successful readers at 3rd grade. The letter is simply communication to let you know where your child is currently and what we are doing to get your child reading.
There is a parent guide linked below from the Alabama State Dept. of Education that will provide further information.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions.
Principal- jmcalister@mcssk12.org
Asst Principal- ywright@mcssk12.org
Reading Coach- cwilliams@mcssk12.org
