TPS Administrators Visit Reading Classes Ahead of Assessments

Tulsa Public Schools administrators visited third-grade reading remediation classes today ahead of assessments this week.

Students who didn’t pass state tests in May are in groups of 15 to 25 in 22 classrooms throughout the district. Marion Munchinski normally teaches third grade at Cooper Elementary, but she’s at Disney leading a summer reading academy class. She said the curriculum is largely the same — there’s just more of it.

"During the school year, they only have an hour," Munchinski said. "Here in summer school, we're spending the entire time we're here with System 44, and we're pulling in some other programs, too. More reading, just more reading."

The students will take alternative assessments this week to show their reading abilities meet state standards.

Superintendent Keith Ballard said the remedial program is just a start.

"The reading difficulties that we have in Tulsa Public Schools is a community problem," Ballard said. "With us leading the way, we're asking the community to join us in this effort and to eradicate illiteracy and give our children an opportunity to go forward and be successful in school."

Ballard says the Reading Partners program is working, along with the district-wide reading curriculum, Scholastic's System 44.