A few weeks ago, we introduced you to the idea of mastery and its importance to student learning at East Hills Academy. We spend much time training and coaching teachers on how to teach to mastery– what it is, what it is not, how we know when a student has achieved mastery, and what to do if data shows he or she has not. We believe all children can and will learn. We also know that different children require different amounts of meaningful practice over time (repetition) to ensure mastery.
At East Hills, one way we are able to honor students and the amount of repetition they require in learning how to read is by using data to place them into their instructional level reading group. Students who do not require a lot of repetition to achieve mastery will be placed in a reading group that moves more quickly through the curriculum. For example, we will have many kindergarten students reading in the first grade curriculum, 1st graders in the 2nd grade curriculum, etc. Students who require more repetition will be honored in a smaller group that provides more opportunities for practice to ensure mastery at grade level.
In addition, all teachers and teaching assistants at East Hills will be teaching reading groups, which allows for even more individualized instruction in a small-group setting. Student data on mastery is constantly being monitored. Instructional groups are fluid, meaning your child’s group can and will change throughout the year. By using an instructional level group approach with many adults teaching reading at East Hills, we find that all students are able to more quickly and with greater ease master the skills and concepts of reading, and that by the end of the year, most, if not all, groups are reading at or above grade level. It is so exciting to see our students fall in love with reading!