Imagine being at a school scoring at the 80th percentile. You'd probably just want to sit in the corner. Nobody likes to feel stupid. About 30 to 40 students in each of three grade levels at Desert Ridge are targeted for help this year, Adkins says. They're considered at-risk by the school, usually meaning they scored low on reading tests and likely failed one or more classes the year before.
Students work at their own speed on lessons like mastering figures of speech.
A school fund-raiser covered half of the tab, and he turned to the Student Parent Staff Organization, the student council and a pot of money used for technology to pay the rest. But he noted Desert Ridge doesn't get federal money for remedial reading programs, like most schools in low-income areas get each year. Language Arts teacher Laura Brent uses the computer program to see how well students perform. From there, it lays out lessons for students. Students are given tests afterward to see if they mastered the subjects.