District Statistics
- School District: St. Mary's Academy Charter School
- Number of Students: 224
- Grades: K-8
- Population: Students predominately Hispanic; Students eligible for free or reduced price lunch over 76%
- School Structure: Small Town
Texas Students Learn To Love Reading; Teachers Love How Easy It Is To Track Their Progress
Students at St. Mary’s Academy Charter School in Beeville, TX, have used Reading Assistant™ software to help them to improve their reading fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. The kindergarten, first, second and third grade teachers have implemented the program into their curricula, giving each child one to two thirty minute sessions of reading with the program each week. St. Mary’s Academy Charter School originally purchased Reading Assistant in September 2005 and began use on a school-wide basis in September 2006.
“The kids love it because it’s an interactive experience,” says Alice Whitley, Reading Coach, “and the teachers find it easy to use and helpful in tracking the reading development of their students.”
“Many of my students are thrilled with the […] Reading Assistant,” says First Grade Teacher Mrs. Elizondo.. “Sometimes they don’t know the correct pronunciation for certain words. With [Reading Assistant’s] help, they are able to listen carefully to the way those words are pronounced and be guided in modifying their own pronunciations.”
Second graders have also experienced great gains with Reading Assistant software. One student increased the number of words he can read correctly per minute from 35 to 77 in just six months. This increase of 42 words is well above average, according to AIMSWeb, a scientifically based, formative assessment system, which reports that a child at this grade level should increase reading fluency by 30 words per minute during a six month time period.
“This student started the year by reading below the class average,” reflects Alice Whitley, “Using […] Reading Assistant has helped him not only improve his skills, but has also dramatically boosted his confidence.”
