Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.—Maya Angelou
This sums up the wave that is moving across Arkansas in regards to The Right To Read Act 1063 requiring Arkansas educators to achieve levels of proficiency and awareness in the knowledge and practices of the science of reading.
Mena School District Dyslexia Coordinator, Vicky Maye shares that our school is committed to making preventative curriculum changes with whole group and small group instruction to put the science of reading in motion to close the gap in literacy achievement for our struggling readers. We are teaming with Winsor Learning’s Sonday System which is an Orton Gillingham Reading Intervention System that provides multi sensory tools and training to help equip our educators to become master multi sensory instructors who can use daily instruction to wire and train our students’ brains to successfully read.
Our administration has been willing to go above and beyond to make the much needed changes to move forward with closing the literacy gap in our school. I’ve worked closely with our federal coordinator, Paulette Sherrer; building principals Jimma Holder, Tamara Smart, and Clifton Sherrer, our LEA-Laura Bunch for special education and our teachers to get these changes in motion. It’s got to be a team approach with everybody being a stakeholder and having ownership in making the very most of our investments in our students!
Pictured is Winsor’s Educational Consultant, Kristen Koeller leading this initiative with Mena teachers representing K-8th regular education and special education teachers and dyslexia paraprofessionals. Koeller will provide continuous support with this endeavor. Maye shares that it’s important to keep Sally Shaywitz’s words in mind as our mission, “.....the struggling reader needs someone who will not only believe in him but will translate that belief into positive action....and then actively and relentlessly work to ensure that he receives what he needs.”