HOWELL — Sept. 4 marks the first day of the 2014-15 school year for more than 6,300 children in the Howell K-8 School District, and with a new academic year comes new initiatives being introduced and implemented.
The Renaissance STAR assessment is being established this year, according to Superintendent of Schools Joseph Isola. The assessment will test students in kindergarten through eighth grade in early literacy, reading and mathematics skills.
A standing panel called the Bridging Assessment Learning and Instruction committee has been established and is responsible for ensuring a vision for assessment, and its potential to influence instruction and reinforce learning, according to district administrators.
In the special class programs and resource rooms, a language circle will be part of the teacher’s lesson plans. Project Read will also serve as the main reading program for interpretation and comprehension. Project Read is an organized, multisensory method of reading, according to district administrators. The district is increasing the number of literacy teacher coaches to support instruction.
In terms of curriculum changes, the district is implementing newly adopted middle school pre-algebra programs and a new writing unit for pupils in grades one through five. The new unit specializes in opinion and persuasive writing and will address the Common Core State Standards and Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) standards. Preparation for the PARCC assessment will be implemented in the spring of 2015.
In social studies classes, students will use new technologies, as part of the new 21st-century learning environment, to gain access to nonfiction articles and documents from primary sources. This will allow students to practice close reading strategies.
According to the website readwritethink.org, close reading is defined as the practice of reading a text for a level of detail not used in everyday reading”
The Howell school district’s enrollment decline is continuing. Enrollment in June 2011 stood at 6,773 pupils. Enrollment in June 2012 was 6,585 pupils. Enrollment in June 2013 stood at 6,428 pupils. Enrollment in June 2014 was 6,359 pupils — a decrease of 414 pupils over three years.