Early Literacy 
The Bangor School system has been a nationally recognized leader in
literacy instruction and assessment. Believing that a good school start
is paramount to long-term success, and dealing with the realities of
diverse student needs, a program has been developed based on leveled
assessment and instruction. Five strategies are used to reach our goal
of full literacy.
First, teachers and administrators set high expectations and
accelerate achievement. They share an intensive and uncompromising
drive to help every child succeed. Second, parents become full partners
in the literacy experience through home support. Unambiguous and
targeted achievement reports are provided to parents as they work with
teachers to ensure that their child meets expected reading levels.
Third, certain instructional interventions focus sharply on the at-risk
reader's progress, most notably Reading Recovery and its "homegrown
cousins" Kindergarten and grade one Literacy Groups. Fourth, Bangor
educators have adopted a comprehensive assessment program
to monitor student reading performance at grades one, two and three.
This
instructional tool allows for diagnostic evaluation of student reading,
giving teachers and parents vital information for informing
instructional practice and for guiding support. With well-defined grade
level standards in place, teachers are able to evaluate where students
are in relation to the expected performance, and adjust their
instruction in order to bring students to that standard. Additionally,
with a strong belief in the acceleration of learning, those students
who are at or above grade level are provided with the program they need
to reach even higher levels of achievement.
Since the introduction of full-day Kindergarten in 2004, Bangor
children in our full-day Kindergarten program are entering grade one at
much higher literacy levels when compared to the half-day program of
the past. This commitment to providing a strong start for all students
has provided additional support for the challenge of meeting the needs
of students who enroll with vastly different literacy skills.
Early Literacy News (PDF Downloads)
Bangor Launches Pre-K Program
Community Reading Day
Elements of Reading Recovery |
