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 1999, 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