We are happy to report that we have teamed up with Parlier Unified School District to conduct an innovative, academic summer program designed to improve student literacy and math skills while supporting teachers through classroom coaching. The six-week academy, which begins this month, is being called “StepUP to Literacy”.
Recently, a 2016 CAASPT assessment found that 94% of the students in third grade at PUSD were below state standards in literacy. After seeing those results, PUSD administrators reached out to DataWORKS to see what we could do to help them improve those numbers during the summer.
DataWORKS Develops a Literacy Plan
DataWORKS took the testing data from grades 1 to 4 at PUSD, and we developed five custom literacy levels that include systematic phonics instruction. Students have been placed into the appropriate literacy level based on their test scores.
Because this academy has the potential to dramatically improve literacy for PUSD students, every step of the academy will be documented and studied.
DataWORKS will select a handful of students whose progress will be quantitatively and qualitatively tracked for the duration of the academy. A team of photo journalists and researchers will collect data, and take photos and videos of students and teachers in the classroom. The academic success will then be shared, through a series of blog posts and commentary videos, with the educational community in PUSD, across the US, and in countries such as Australia and China where they also have high populations of students struggling with English proficiency.
To follow the progress of the StepUP to Literacy academy, check out our Facebook page www.facebook.com/dataworksed.