Enrichment Program
Name of School: St. Petersburg Christian School
Location of School: St. Petersburg, FL
Program Objectives: to inspire a love for reading, to provide the opportunity for all children to maximize their growth in reading, and to give them the capability for reading God’s Word at an early age
Summary of Program:
Reading affects children’s degree of school success, their perspective on life, and their career options more than any other academic skill. Yet traditional approaches to teaching reading tend to place children in a lockstep situation in which they are confined to grade-level materials rather than to content that fits their own interests and learning capabilities. In 1995, the elementary faculty of St. Petersburg Christian School chose to adopt an individualized approach to teaching reading, replicating an Ohio University program.
The program is easy to implement and inexpensive to establish. Its basic components are children, books, and adults who will listen. Children are trained to give a book they choose the “book test” by opening to any page and reading. If the page has more than two words they can’t easily pronounce or don’t understand, the book fails the test and is placed back on the shelf. When children find a book that passes, they begin reading it! The teacher listens to the children read as often as possible. Fledgling readers read aloud to the teacher daily if possible, and others do so every other day. Students answer comprehension questions and record on a note card the name of the book, the page(s) read aloud, any words that they mispronounced, and the assignment given. A bookmark also records the missed word(s) and the assignment. At the next interview, children try to pronounce the missed words. Because children choose books that are of interest to them and are at their reading level, comprehension and enjoyment are likely maximized.
The STAR Reading Program begins during the first grade when children reach a 1.5 reading level and continues through the fifth grade. STAR readers choose from the best of children’s literature, nonfiction, and biblical material. They find books primarily at the school library, and other sources include the classroom library of books, the public library, and personal collections. A small grant has enabled the addition of a technology component. The Accelerated Reader (AR) Program has provided tests for several thousand books in the library collection. Children take this test on the classroom computer as soon as they have completed a book. The test is automatically scored, and a record is made of each child’s progress. With the AR Program came the STAR Reading Test, which is used three times a year to assess the rate of each child’s progress. Approximately every other book children read is a “STAR” book, enabling teachers to determine whether the children are comprehending the reading materials.
As a result of this program, the children’s reading levels commonly measure two to four years above grade level. The students have become prolific readers, Stanford Achievement Test scores have skyrocketed, library circulation has quadrupled, and typically 70 percent of the student body achieves honor roll status. An unexpected benefit is that parents and grandparents visit the campus daily to listen to children read! The STAR Reading Program is helping throw open the doors to a promising future for students.
Creating STAR Readers 6.5