Parents were welcomed to sit in on a lesson and see what a student's day is like. (rdnewsNOW/Ashley Lavallee-Koenig)

By Ashley Lavallee-Koenig

69 STUDENTS THIS YEAR

Reading College open house shows off student progress

Jul 11, 2024 | 1:53 PM

The Reading College, an annual literacy-focused summer program for young students struggling with reading and writing, has 69 students this year and showcased their progress at an open house on July 11.

Held in classrooms at the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre, the program runs for the entire month of July and is free for students to attend. They are bussed to the classrooms and provided breakfast, lunch, and snacks.

One student, Lochlan, shared his progress after about one week of lessons.

“I’m better at reading, I’m better at writing. I used to not know how to write ‘because,’ and now I do,” he said, adding, “I’m reading Level K books and they’re getting easier.”

The college is offered to students moving from Grade 2 to Grade 3 specifically.

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“We found through developing this program that the reading level between Grade 2 and 3 is a predictor of high school completion. If students can enter Grade 3 at the Grade 3 or higher reading level, then they have greater chance of being successful in high school and completing,” explained Kristine Plastow, chair of the Foundation for Red Deer Public Schools.

Jayne Biffard-Smith, a reading specialist and teacher with the program, is a retired Red Deer Public Schools teacher that worked with the district for 42 years. She volunteered for the Reading College for years before officially becoming an instructor last year.

”The key is to have small classes, and the problem with all classes now is they’re 24 to 26 kids. Even when they used to have 18 kids in a Grade 1 or 2 room, you could meet those needs because you could get around to all the kids,” she explained, “but now when you have kids with different learning abilities in your classroom — 24 kids — you have to rely on some parent helpers to come and help so it’s a successful experience for everybody.”

Biffard-Smith said that the kids often come off the bus with “big smiles,” and that, with only eight kids to focus on, she has seen tremendous growth in them in such a short time.

This is year 13 of the college’s operations and in that time, they have helped about 900 students improve their literacy.

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