Reading Recovery teachers graduate!
On May 2, the first class of Reading Recovery teachers graduated from the Flemington-Raritan Regional School District Reading Recovery training site. The first Reading Recovery class included one teacher from our district as well as participants from Wanaque School District, Madison Public Schools, Robbinsville School District, Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child, and West-Windsor Plainsboro Regional School District. Congratulations to Joe Kassick, our district’s Reading Recovery Teacher Leader, and the newest Reading Recovery Teachers! Reading Recovery is an intervention program used to help the lowest-achieving first-grade students develop strategies for reading and writing so that they can reach average levels of classroom performance. In addition to the reading instruction students receive in the classroom, a Reading Recovery teacher works daily with first-grade students delivering one-to-one instruction. The program lasts usually up to 20 weeks. Reading Recovery aligns to the district’s Response to Intervention program and is a Tier 3 intervention. Flemington-Raritan is the newest Reading Recovery training site in New Jersey. Mr. Kassick was trained as Flemington’s Teacher-Leader in 2012-13. This school year, he trained Flemington’s first Reading Recovery class. Teachers participated in a year-long graduate course through Rutgers University, attended weekly training sessions, and observed their colleagues teaching a child and provided feedback. In addition to training new Reading Recovery teachers, Mr. Kassick conducted professional development for trained Reading Recovery teachers throughout the region. The purpose of the professional development is to continue to learn and explore the research-based theory and practice. We anticipate another class of 6-8 teachers for the 2014-15 school year. Well done and congratulations to all!