Schools

Reading Specialist Requests Additional Assistance

Bedminster Township specialist requests additional basic skills teachers.

With the number of students needing special education services increasing, Bedminster Township School Reading Specialist Donna Turso came before the board of education to request additional basic skills teachers.

Turso spoke before the board at the Oct. 22 meeting to discuss her reasoning for the request.

Basically, Turso is requesting the hiring of a reading intervention specialist or basic skills teachers to provide additional support for the students, and allow her to see her students more often during the week.

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“It’s important for me as a reading specialist to be able to see students more than I do,” she said. “Right now it only amounts to doing two days a week for 47 students.”

“This would mean more time for students, and I am also in the classroom once a week with kindergarten through fourth, coaching, mentoring and doing demonstration lessons,” she added.

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Turso said she originally made a proposal in July for the board to consider hiring a basic skills teacher, basically a certified teacher who could take students for reading and math.

“That would enable me to focus on children who really need intervention,” she said.

In terms of her case load, which is for grades first through third Turso said, the groups in first grade are formed on rising reader assessments and developmental reading assessments.

“I see all of the first graders, assess them all, get a feel for their benchmark and baseline,” she said. “I’m looking at readiness skills for reading. Do they know all the skills and sounds, recognize rhyming words?”

In 2012, Turso said, she has 11 of the 64 students in the three first grades.

For grade two, Turso said, she takes those students from first grade who still need assistance and others.

“When I take students out, it’s not a replacement, they are still receiving guided reading with the teacher,” she said.

Turso said she sees 16 of the 44 second graders in the school.

And in grade three, Turso said, she sees 20 of the 67 students.

“What I did was I looked at all the numbers I showed you, and put a check next to the students that really need intervention five days a week,” she said. “I would have roughly 20 students in the group if I had an additional staff member.”

An additional staff member for reading intervention, Turso said, would allow for more time to monitor assessments and early intervention strategies would be put in place.

An extra basic skills teacher, Turso said, would provide additional help in math and reading.

“This is something I feel very strongly about,” she said. “It is not just for the basic skills group, it would benefit all students. With a basic skills instructor, going into the classrooms more often would help all students.”

Board of education member Caitlyn Parker said they are planning to look into different options for moving forward with the plan, as well as the costs associated with those proposals.

“We do see this as important because we are seeing shaky readers,” said board member Emily Caspersen. “Their satisfaction is based on seeing themselves as good readers.”

Board of education president Louis Casella said this is something they will continue to investigate.

“We are trying to look at things overall as a board, and get serious as a board,” he said. “We’ll continue to look at this, but I hate to say it, budget is the main thing we are always struggling with.”


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