In the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, John Adams Middle School, like many of the other schools in the district, set out on an ambitious mission to elevate the literacy skills of its students. The John Adams Literacy Lab, born out of meticulous planning during the beginning half of 2023 and a commitment to progress, is an example of the school's unwavering dedication to shaping literate minds.
The John Adams Literacy Lab is not only a safe reading space for students to find books appropriate to their reading level, but it is also a place for the John Adams Reading Interventionist and Educational Support Professionals to work with over 50 students individually or in small groups for reading interventions, two to three times a week. Students are welcome to take books from the Literacy Lab or stay and read; teachers can check out books for their classes to read; and students also engage in web-based programs, FastBridge and Lexia, in the Literacy Lab.
"The program came to fruition over the spring and summer of 2023 when we looked at our school improvement data and noticed that we needed to do something to help our students get up to grade level reading and literacy," says Assistant Principal Isaac Matzek. "As the legislative session ended and the Read Act was passed, we doubled down on our plan, and it has paid dividends to those students and families to help and support their reading level and academic success."
The materials used in the Literacy Lab came from classroom materials that were already available at John Adams, repurposing most of their books from a previous program, IRLA. The district uses FastBridge to screen all students in reading. Based on the evaluations, schools can focus on those students reading below grade level. They continue to meet with students not performing at grade level on an individual basis to further assess if and what supports are needed and then begin the intervention process.
"With the district push towards MTSS structure in every school and our school's continuous improvement plan, this emphasis on improving students’ reading skills made a lot of sense. We know that we are still in the beginning stages of this and there is a lot of work to be done. That said, we believe we are going in a positive direction," said Isaac.
The Literacy Lab, powered by repurposed resources and commitment to their students, has become a positive and hopeful environment for students striving to reach grade-level reading. John Adams Middle School stands as an example of the power of dedication, innovation, and the written word. The journey for John Adams has just begun, but the path forward is powered by the goal of literary success.