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Early Engagement Key in Building Young Readers

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By Chris Otis, Executive Director, SMART

Public education, the state of public education, and the children who are part of this system, are frequently in the news. Sometimes the news is good; often it isn’t.

A study relea

sed recently by the National Center for Education Statistics is a good example. This federal study, called a “mapping analysis,” compared the difficulty level of state-administered reading and math tests against other states over time. Oregon’s 4th grade reading test—one of the key benchmarks used to determine individual student progress and composite school “success” – ranked second easiest in the nation. Only Tennessee tells students with weaker reading skills they are on grade level.

Release of the study was occasion for Oregon’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, Susan Castillo, to talk about the efforts currently under way in Oregon to raise reading standards and the importance of doing so. And, indeed, the state has spent the better part of the last couple of years increasing the rigor of both the reading and math requirements.

While this is great news in terms of creating a competitive education climate for Oregon’s students, the shift may prove challenging for students and underscores the need to start early and earnestly in providing kids with the best foundation and the most comprehensive, coordinated and focused educational experience possible.

There is a growing body of research to support the position that starting early is best—early learning, early intervention, early engagement. In Oregon, two critical benchmarks have been identified as linchpins in early childhood learning: kindergarten readiness, and entering the 1st grade ready to learn to read.

What will it take to accomplish this and to ensure Oregon’s children are positioned for reading success by the time they enter school? A joint report from the International Reading Association and National Association for Education of Young Children found that the single most important activity to prepare children for reading readiness is reading out loud to them.

For two decades, SMART (Start Making A Reader Today) has been doing just that. We are a statewide, volunteer-based nonprofit focused on providing reading-related support to young students (PreK thru 3rd grade). We partner with public schools, pre-school settings, and other community partners to connect individuals (volunteer “readers”) with students in weekly one-on-one reading sessions.

Our efforts are aimed, in aggregate, at improving the reading and literacy outcomes for our state’s youngest students, and for preparing children for academic success and positive futures. On an individual level, our work connects each student with an adult who is interested and invested in that child’s engagement in reading, confidence in reading, and overall ability to read.

This year we celebrate 20 years of SMART. We look ahead knowing that we can – and will – be a part of the ongoing effort to bring support and service to young children who need to be ready to learn to read, who need to learn to read, who need to read to learn.

About Chris Otis
Chris Otis, SMART’s newly appointed executive director, brings a rich background of more than 20 years in nonprofit leadership to the organization. She most recently served as executive director for the Children’s Relief Nursery, a child abuse prevention program serving high-risk children and families in Portland. Prior to her five-year tenure at the Children’s Relief Nursery, Chris served as the executive director for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation—Oregon Chapter; the Oregon Alliance of Senior and Health Services; and the California Association of School Psychologists; and served as the deputy executive director for the California Chiropractic Association. She is an adjunct faculty member of the University of Portland, where she was recruited to design and teach a course on nonprofit management for MBA students at the University’s School of Business. She received both her MBA and her Bachelor’s degrees from California State University in Sacramento.

Learn more about SMART at www.celebrateSMART.org.


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