By: Rachel Beiswanger
Working with the shared vision that equity in education can only be realized when all students have access to high quality reading instruction, classes within the Exceptional Education department at TST BOCES have prioritized improving their professional practice. Led by literacy specialist, Rachel Beiswanger, educational staff have engaged in cumulative, professional development rooted in evidence-based literacy instruction, also known as the Science of Reading. The teams at Smith school regularly evaluate reading curricula and are making shifts to more effectively respond to student needs and stay current with the research driving their practice.
The evidence supports the efficacy of this work! Reading scores in Smith School have shown a statistically significant increase around the building since 2021. Rachel hopes to create an even stronger impact by implementing two new literacy programs that are even more aligned to the Science of Reading. Turning Point Elementary teachers are training to implement UFLI Foundations– a foundational skills program that explicitly teaches decoding, spelling, and fluency– all essential skills that support reading comprehension. Bridges, Branches, and STEPS teachers are training to launch Readtopia, a comprehensive literacy program designed for students with complex communication needs. As an embedded Reading Specialist, Rachel has come to know the specific needs of the students in these programs so that she can target her support of teachers allowing them to pinpoint interventions to meet students where they are with the most powerful tools available.
Rachel attributes Smith's school's improvement in student reading outcomes to the consistent dedication of classroom educators. Their willingness to learn new instructional routines has created a culture of learning, which she believes underpins the success of any initiative in education.
