By Staff
TEACHING TEACHERS Rosemary Hopkins, a "Success for All" trainer from the University of Memphis, spoke with a group of Carver Middle School teachers Wednesday about how to improve their effectiveness. Photo by Carisa McCain/ The Meridian Star
By Steve Gillespie/The Meridian Star
May 31, 2001
Carver Middle School faculty, staff and administrators became students recently while training to implement the "Success for All" program.
Carver is the only middle school in the state piloting the model. Thirty middle schools nationwide will begin the program this year.
The school is receiving a $65,000 a year grant for three years from Comprehensive School Reform Development funds to implement Success for All.
The program addresses various subjects, but Principal Robert Markham said reading is the main reason the school applied for the grant.
Success for All is a restructuring program based on intensive intervention and tutoring for students with academic difficulties with an emphasis on the integration of phonics and cooperative learning and the engagement of parents, community members and integrated services.
On the middle school level the reform model is intended to assess student strengths and weaknesses, fill in existing skill gaps and provide a bridge to more challenging content.
Markham said some of county and city elementary schools have had Success for All in place for a couple of years, which will benefit students and their parents as the transfer is made to Carver.
Markham said some students in sixth and seventh grades are reading on a third- or fourth-grade level.
He said the program tests students to determine their reading level. They are grouped according to their levels for one 65-minute period per day for reading instruction and tested every eight weeks to see if they have progressed to the next reading level.
The students not only receive individual scores, but team grades based on the achievement of their group.
Markham said parents must play a major role in helping their children improve.
Markham believes Success for All on the middle school level will help improve attendance, discipline, parental involvement and community support. Anyone interested in volunteering at the school can contact Markham at 484-4482.
Steve Gillespie is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. Call him at 693-1551, ext. 3233, or e-mail him at sgillespie@themeridianstar.com.