Passing the book

Palm Coast Observer
Opinion

Wadsworth Elementary School is open for business this summer hosting academic camps, including reading and math camp as well as an ESY camp for exceptional student education.

The camps are not open to everyone, but more specifically students who have been deemed as needing special help.

The camp that caught my attention this week was the reading camp. For one month, 100 third-grade students are attending reading camp from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. These students are among the 120 third-grade students in Flagler County who scored a failing grade of Level 1 on their Reading FCAT this year.

According to Florida Statute 1008.25, which deals with student progression and remedial instruction, students receiving a Level 1 on their third-grade Reading FCAT are automatically retained and must receive additional instruction. That is where camp comes in.

After the month-long camp, which started this week, students are administered the SAT 10 (Stanford Achievement Test). With a passing score at or above the 45th percentile, students will be awarded a good-cause exemption, and promoted to fourth grade.

In 2012, 129 students scored a Level 1, with 97 attending camp. Last summer, 64% of all students who attended camp passed the SAT 10, including ESE students; 83% of the non-ESE students who attended camp passed the SAT 10; and a total of 70% of students who scored a Level 1 were promoted via one of the six good-cause exemptions, regardless of whether they attended camp. One good-cause exemption that allows for promotion without attending camp is if a students has an Individualized Education Program and has been retained once.

But more than the statistics, the reason I was drawn to observe reading camp on its second day was because of the generosity of a local community group. Every year, the Flagler/Palm Coast Kiwanis Club donates money to buy books for students in the camp to take home.

Tuesday, the Library of My Own project came to life for students, as $2,000 worth of books lay spread out across three tables in an empty classroom at Wadsworth. In small groups, students were brought in and told they get to pick four books to take home and keep forever.

“In the past, teachers have reported that the books are shared with their brothers and sisters, and many bring them back to school to trade with their fellow classmates,” said Kiwanian Richard Conkling, who was one of five members present in their Kiwanis orange that day. “It is an enjoyable time as the students go through the books provided and select the books they want to have; it is a little like a book fair, except it doesn't cost the students anything.”

As I leaned against a wall in the corner of the room, I watched as students studied each book, strategically reading the back covers to make their book selections.

“These are our most struggling readers in third grade,” said Jill Lively, K-12 reading/language arts curriculum specialist for Flagler Schools. “Some of the students have never had their own books before, so it is a very special thing that the Kiwanis do for these students.”