The Middle School has been awarded a Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant, a state program that focuses on developing model comprehensive literacy sites in schools across the states. Schools awarded this grant will concentrate on implementing practices consistent with state plans to raise literacy achievement in Ohio schools, as well supporting professional learning and coaching in order to make this happen. The Middle School is the third CNE district building to be awarded this grant and will receive $525,000 over five years.
The school will be adding a part-time literacy specialist, a part-time paraprofessional to focus on working in literacy groups, and a literacy family engagement coach for parents and the community. The Middle School also plans to:
Implement literacy grade-level team of experts through professional development
Develop a collaborative effort with a literacy specialist through Hamilton County Education Service Center to discuss ongoing professional development opportunities
Acquire new researched-based literacy materials to be used in instructional strategies classes
“Although 2020 was a challenging time for all of us, it gave us the opportunity to reflect, assess, and plot our course for the future,” says Principal Laura Nazzarine. “It truly was a team effort, and I for one am so grateful to work with such outstanding people who truly put our students first. 2021 is here and we are so excited to begin this new chapter in our literacy department.”
This grant will allow the Middle School to enhance the literacy efforts they are already providing for students.
“The awesome parallel that the Middle School has with these goals is that we have been working on building vocabulary content and our cross-curricular instruction across all grade levels and core classes. CNE Middle School teachers meet every Thursday to have these discussions as they plan for the following week and discuss student concerns,” explains Principal Nazzarine.
Grant success will be measured by the number of eighth graders who meet or exceed proficiency on the State of Ohio ELA Air Assessment. National education leaders will also be monitoring the progress; representatives of the United States Department of Education will interview CNE teachers and administrators regarding the process and materials used.
Middle School staff will attend training sessions to aid this process as they work to build their literacy plans. Eventually, the staff will be invited to present for the Ohio State AIR Assessment 6-8 on their process and results.