That's how Chief Joseph Elementary principal Kathy Jaffe describes the Consortium on Reading Excellence, or CORE, a philosophy and training that targets balanced literacy instruction. Boise-Eliot staff received CORE training last year and continue to refine processes and practices this year. CORE uses teams of experts to work collaboratively with schools to implement comprehensive, research-based best practices. Training focuses on a variety of topics, including developing phonemic awareness, building vocabulary, teaching phonics and developing strategic reading skills. CORE helps schools make systemic change and develop new structures and processes to support literacy.
Teacher training takes place over five or six non-consecutive days.
At Chief Joseph, for example, training began this year on the October CIM Day. By focusing on best practices, CORE provides valuable strategies for teachers of all experience levels. CORE helps teachers identify those areas of reading instruction that need special attention. The extensive assessment portion CORE training offers is a big plus. We've learned how to watch growth and pinpoint instruction based on assessments.