The teachers and the specialists go through folders of student work to determine the best way to assist each student, Simpson said. They work together to structure the time and the intervention, deciding when it's right for the specialist to go into the classroom and when it's right to pull a child out of the classroom. As the specialists determine what's needed, they may connect teachers in the building or elsewhere in the district for classroom observation. This is when being in the building every day makes a difference. They know where the strong classrooms are and where the weaknesses are.
Teachers feel safe.
They're not embarrassed. Kee said the reading specialists are integral to the district's success in improving student reading. I would rather cut a million other areas of support than cut this program. It's the most fundamental skill that promotes success in school. We need to get children reading quickly and with dignity and with respect.