What if all elementary students earned a “gold star” for reading? In Clifton’s elementary School 11, they can and they do.
Students in grades 2-5 who have access to the district’s online Accelerated Reading program strive to achieve individual goals, set by his or her teacher, using assessment results. Children who reach or surpass that goal receive a personalized, large yellow star, with a shimmery, gold Mylar tail, that hangs in the school’s main hallway as long as they maintain their status.
The program provides an excellent incentive and has led to the school’s new, unofficial motto: “Read, Read, Read.” Parents enjoy their children’s success, too, when they are invited to a ceremony where the mayor presents certificates to Galaxy Club members. Last year, the school had a full house for the awards ceremony. It has run out of space for stars in the main hallway – and is now had to continue in another hallway.
The Galaxy Club was a People’s Choice Winner, in the 2014 Follett Challenge.
Information
Contact: Theresa Evans, principal, School 11, [email protected]
Online:
- http://www.northjersey.com/news/education/school-11-reading-program-gets-a-star-1.1002899?page=all
- http://www.follettchallenge.com/winners/pastwinners.cfm?year=2014
Recipient of the People’s Choice Award, Follett Challenge