Getting kids to read, obviously, is nothing new for schools. Some of the early worry centered on whether St. Paul Reads would conflict with the programs teachers were already using. Some schools had it easier. Washington Technology Magnet School already ran an intensive reading program in which kids use a computer to answer questions about a book after they've read it. Given that, it wasn't much of a problem to document how kids were doing with St. Paul Reads, said Jody Krogseng, a sixth-grade teacher.
Teachers have more details now about what exactly is required.
Kids can read books at their ability level, not necessarily their grade level. Teachers, she said, also feel like they have enough flexibility to decide whether they can promote a student to the next grade, even if the 25-book goal hasn't been met completely. I'm not so convinced that setting a per-book goal is a good idea. It's still stressing quantity, not so much quality,'' said Naomi Shapiro, who has a third-grader at Jackson Preparatory Magnet School. Jackson students read every day.